Posted on 11/21/2008 11:05:08 AM PST by thetru
Who killed the U.S. auto industry? To hear the media tell it, arrogant corporate chiefs failed to foresee the demand for small, fuel-efficient cars and made gas-guzzling road-hog SUVs no one wanted, while the clever, far-sighted Japanese, Germans and Koreans prepared and built for the future.
I dissent. What killed Detroit was Washington, the government of the United States, politicians, journalists and muckrakers who have long harbored a deep animus against the manufacturing class that ran the smokestack industries that won World War II.
As far back as the 1950s,
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnetdaily.com ...
**What killed Detroit... **
1/3 US GOVT
2/3 UAW
I guess it could go either way...
Don’t remember the Author, but there is a Book out titled “What would General Motors Be Without the UAW ... PROFITABLE”
Just at a time when the ‘false economy’ we’ve have, needs to be replaced with producing more capital goods than we consume, the ‘progressives’ hate for corporations takes center stage!
I find it interesting that congress whines that the ripple effect of closing these plants would harm so many, yet they didn’t care about the ripple effect when they closed military bases all across America.
Nancy and Barney will be designing the new cars from now on.
See also Brock Yates’ “The War Against the Automobile”
There is a class of people out there who hate cars and all they stand for: Freedom, Mobility, Escape from Government Control...
First the EPA and then the 1968 “Automotive Safety Act” sought to put restrictions on automobiles that could not be met: they never dreamt that their draconian emissions standards would be met and even exceeded.
So now they’re going to define CO2 as a pollutant...
That’s AJ stuff, your gonna get burned.
Oh Pat you are such a dope.
Union contracts, poor quality products, crappy management and having fleets of giganto vehicles in their production lines when gas hit $4.00 a gallon killed the big 3.
I’m sure there are more.
The foreign brands have to deal with the same government garbage as the big 3 and they aren’t dying.
Yep, and if we tapped their butts we could run this country for an eternity.
“”To hear the media tell it, arrogant corporate chiefs failed to foresee the demand for small, fuel-efficient cars and made gas-guzzling road-hog SUVs no one wanted, while the clever, far-sighted Japanese, Germans and Koreans prepared and built for the future.””
Well if the “media” says it, it must be false!
BTW, I heard the Unions and the Media caused Germany to invade Poland.
How many Congresscritters have ever run a successful business, let alone a car company?
What kind of car was Pat driving when he started his first of many failed attempts to run for president??
>> [Those] who have long harbored a deep animus against the manufacturing class that ran the smokestack industries that won World War II.
Damn straight!
“The foreign brands have to deal with the same government garbage”
You see, if the foreigners fail, it’s socialism. If they succeed, there is an imaginary construct of freedom.
You can’t win with these guys. They listen to Limbaugh rant against unions then charge people as class warriors who think executive bonuses should not be benefited by government bailouts. They see no conflict.
The typical UAW worker doesn't care if the seal he's putting in is supposed to last 5 years or costs $1 more and is supposed to last 15 years. The bean counter in the headquarters does and chose the cheaper part which will break sooner.
I would add that a passive management that was willing to live with an uncompetitive situation played a key role. For decades, everyone involved with the US auto industry has been perfectly well aware of the cost disadvantages that they have been opperating with. However, the management has been very willing to not rock the boat to fix the fundamental problem, but instead focus on the the higher profit margin models, and trade declining market share for short term profits. Each generation of executives has been willing to kick the can down the road for the next generation to deal with.
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