On July 21, General Dynamics earnings for the most recent quarter were announced: Up 24 percent – $300 million plus, directly related to sales of warships to the military. Three cheers for the hardworking men and women of BIW.

How does GD say thank you? By celebrating with another round of layoffs at BIW, 10 from the area where I work. People with more than 22 years each of dedicated work to their employer.

Then come the people of Maine. GD had a grand announcement to make: They are going to invest $270 million in a new land level facility; however, they want the city of Bath and the state to grant them huge tax breaks. It is an investment in our future, they said.

Well, here we are, the fat cats at the top making huge salaries and bonuses, while the people who earn that money for them are flushed down the toilet. I think they confused their wallets and huge profit making with our future.

Embarrassment? They feel not. Most of the people who run these businesses have no souls. They personify the term and definition of greed.

The only difference between Enron and General Dynamics is that Enron went broke giving a raw deal to the people who worked for them while General Dynamics is getting rich doing it. Shame on them for having no heart, no compassion. Their own abridged dictionary probably has had words such as those eliminated from it.

Paul Parquette, Lewiston

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