Posted on 01/18/2017 7:12:55 PM PST by Mariner
Robert Sheridan is a 40-year-old GM worker who voted for Donald Trump. He can barely contain his excitement about Inauguration Day, even though it will be a rough day for him on a personal level.
He's one of 2,000 GM factory workers losing their jobs on Friday, the same day that Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president.
Sheridan -- and thousands like him -- are desperately hoping Trump will save their jobs.
"Please help us in Lordstown," says Sheridan, a soft-spoken Midwesterner with three kids. "This is a great middle class job. You can't find one better around here."
These are GM's first layoffs in six years. About 1,200 workers in Lordstown, Ohio (where Sheridan works) are getting the ax and another 800 in Lansing, Michigan -- both key states that led to Trump's victory. Given the vote totals, many of these workers likely voted for Trump, breaking ranks with the United Automobile Workers union that backed Hillary Clinton.
Trump appeared to hear their outcry. In early January, he slammed GM in a tweet.
"General Motors is sending Mexican made model of Chevy Cruze to U.S. car dealers-tax free across border," Trump tweeted.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
” The Pinto didn’t “explode” any worse than other small economy cars of the early 70’s.”
After NTSB tested the Pinto against competing foreign cars of the day, the Pinto was actually safer. That did not stop the alt-left radical media from savaging Ford.
I saw this buried in the middle of the newspaper in the late ‘70’s or early ‘80’s. You could cover the whole story with a folded dollar.
I had a black ‘63 Corvair Spyder. Not a ‘Vette by any stretch, but not a bad little car.
I remember my mom was so worried about me in my Chevy pickup after that 60 minutes show with the exploding gas tank.
“But mom - they had to rig it with explosives to finally blow!”
I think after about the fortieth phone call (I was single, away from home) she finally dropped it. “Oh - but I’m just so worried about you driving around in that truck....”
No, it was the American Porsche. I wouldn't mind building up a later model coupe, with modern brake, wheel/tire, suspension and engine control updates.
They were getting pretty nice about the time Ralph-freakin-Nader killed them.
My Pinto ran fine for the 100,000 or so miles I drove it. The fix was a plastic floormat placed between me and the gas tank. Probably bout 12 cents!
Why did I not get a free GM car? Why was my house taken from me while we paid billions to third world dictators? Why is the IRS punishing me with huge fines for taxes I cannot afford to pay while we give Pakistan and other horrible countries our money? Why are our inner cities rotting while we give our money to every third world banana republic out there? Why do we allow the UN to live rent free in our country? Why won’t my country offer me the same things that we give all these other trash organizations and countries?
I was happy with my little pinto.
I am sorry to rant but I went from a business owner making high 6 figures to destitute as when the recession hit my business went under. All my business went to India. Where was my bail out? I paid huge fees to TARP RIP OFF FUNDS to try to save my house. I lost my house, TARP was a scam. Now because of unpaid taxes when my business went under I get job offers rescinded from NCR, Vonage, SAGE Software, Apple, Walmart, UPS...the list goes on
I am sorry for ranting but I am angry. My daughter just got accepted to Georgia Tech. I’ll do whatever is necessary to help her make it there. Some Ethiopian will go there for free but I will need the Hope scholarship and student loans to get her through. Thanks for letting me vent.
There,..fixed it.
No surprise for Government Motors. I wonder how many of us consider it a patriotic duty to not buy an Obamacar?
Union & goobermint market interference:
Many GM workers in Lordstown make about $60,000 a year, the UAW says.
"If you could get a job at GM, it was like winning the lottery," says Lexso..
Add in insurance and pension benefits and the actual cost/employee is likely closer to $100,000/yr.
Tho perhaps irrelevant if the Cruz market has made production unprofitable regardless:
Better to HAVE a job @ $18/hr installing brake lines, or NOT HAVE one at all when the plant closes due to inflated labor costs, et al ?
I'm guessing that the above is much closer to the economic truth than cnn's typical non-exploration of underlying realities.
That's not to say that floor labor costs are the only factor.
Tho complete guesswork on my part, I'd wager that, given GM's tax bailout, management is still both top heavy and myopic.
Add into the equation that the average car on American roads is currently ~10yrs old, this was likely only a matter of time.
Perhaps if we could get the corn and the f'ing goobermint out of our gas, folks might save enough on fuel/maintenance costs to manage a trade-in a little sooner, solving many problems . . .
/.02
Do staff cuts at Government Motors count towards Trump’s 20% reduction in Federal Government staffing, or is it a bonus?
I detest Government (Union) Motors for taking taxpayer money, stealing bond holders money, shutting down successful dealerships because they were owned by Republicans, and failing to do what a real private company does in bankruptcy which is do a proper restructure and address fundamental problems.
As far as I am concerned, America will be better off with Government Motors gone.
It won’t be because of Trump.
Good old CNN. All propaganda, all the time.
If Trump brought 1,000,000 jobs into America, CNN would complain about the poverty he’s causing in foreign nations.
If Trump caused manna to fall from the heavens, CNN would complain about American obesity.
If Trump walked on water, CNN would breathlessly announce “Trump can’t swim!”
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