Lots of reaction on Friday’s show to the school bus driver who was fired after flipping off President Bush.
He was in Washington state doing a fundraiser for Congressman Dave Reichert. When their motorcade went by several school buses on a highway ramp, several students waved, but the bus driver gave the finger. Apparently, Reichert saw it and contacted the school district, which decided this was inappropriate behavior, and fired the driver. Her union has filed a grievance on her behalf, but the district says she has a bad track record and this was the last straw.
The question I asked was, putting her history aside, is this a firing offense? If I were her employer, I certainly would have reprimanded her and told her that sort of action could not be repeated, but I wouldn’t have let her go. It has nothing to do with politics — I would have had the same reaction regardless of his party — or that this was the President of the United States. If she had simply flipped the bird at another driver in traffic (for all we know, she was reacting to having to sit there waiting while traffic was blocked off so the motorcade could go by), I would have given her the same consequences.
Listener reaction was split right down the middle. What do you think?