Posted on 01/23/2006 4:22:15 PM PST by stockstrader
Today on "Kudlow and Company" on CNBC, Larry Kudlow (the moderator) commented at the end of his program--that what we needed for our economy was a 'flat tax' and some GOVERNMENT PLANT CLOSINGS. The latter was an obvious sarcastic reference to FORD's announcement today of an upcoming 14 plant closings.
Since the size and cost of government continues on its upward spiral, unabated, I just wondered if anyone has heard of any upcoming planned or possible GOVERNMENT PLANT CLOSINGS? Since private business must 'streamline' its operations on occasion to give its shareholders 'value' for their money, when are taxpayers going to demand that 'government' streamline itself to give taxpayers more value for their tax-dollars? (Of course, I am talking about the 9% growth in non-defense, yes, NON-DEFENSE, discretionary spending--more than under Clinton--that has occured in the last five years.)
Never mind...<--rolling eyes
government has no competition other than itself.
right now it's only a race between dims and pubbies on who can spend faster.
Google BRAC.
What government plants?
How could he be possibly more coherent?
If there were a 50% cut in government "services," would you notice?
ML/NJ
Hey, USPS is all the time trying to close post offices. They have about 20,000 "spare", but you'd think you were trying to shut down homes for the elderly the way the public, and the politicians, react to the idea.
If one is an opus, two are opii?
NB4sobriety
Well, Ford can't open any plants anywhere in the USA (and thereby take advantage of cheaper wages) because their contract with the UAW REQUIRES them to pay full union wage no matter where their factory is.
Therefore, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Kia, et. al. can open plants in the south, but Ford and GM would gain no advantage by doing so.
And Ford cannot CLOSE any factories until the union contract with them runs out. (So money-losing factories
must be kept running even when they are unprofitable.)
Result: US auto makers are going the way of US TV makers.
China will introduce a new car and within ten years all of us will be buying our cars at Walmart.
(but don't blame the unions!)
Exactly. It was an effort at sarcasm and humor--pointed at the persistent growth in government (again, non-defense).
The W Virginia coal mine accidents are an example of why gov't continues to grow: some elements of society demand the gov't do more. The small voices calling for reduction of gov't are outshouted every day.
For one, it wouldn't bother me one iota to see about 50% reduction in the government "work-force".
Just a few departments that could easily absorb that kind of reduction in manpower and barely anyone would notice: FDA, IRS, NEA, Department of Education, HUD, OSHA, Department of Energy, and EPA just for starters.
I reckon that this list can grow by leaps and bounds in the next 15 minutes.......
Government factories MUST remain operational. Who else is going to pay for all the social programs? /s
Don't fret, If common sense won't straighten out the way people think in this country, a depression will.
When a union calls "strike"!! I laugh. It won't go that far however. Our economy doesn't depend on manufacturing.
I'd like to see a list, but I'm not aware of the list of government agencies that are planning to downsize. (sarcasm--off)
Government spending is one issue, but Ford getting run out of the country by unions is quite another. The handwriting has been on the wall for a long time with the UAW and the US auto industry. People just refused to see the forest through the trees. Now, it's all coming home to roost. Can't blame 'gubbmint spendin' though. The blame falls on the unions and the industry for not kicking up a fight against them when they could still breathe.
yelling at gov't won't get it done since so many are constantly demanding more gov't services. Convince coal mine workers they don't need gov't intervention in mine safety, but talking to gov't directly is getting nothing done for reduction.
That rule was implemented during the Carter regime, at the direction of the United Mine Workers. The whole point of it was to protect union "fireman" jobs at the mines.
Carter is still walking around and it's really not too late to bring him up on criminal charges for creating this infernal machine.
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