'Bloated benefits for unions are sinking automakers'
Posted on 11/16/2008 5:22:26 AM PST by gusopol3
The big 3 have time honored tradition of producing cars that nobody wants. They occasionally hit on big sellers like the Mustang but also made the Pinto for far more years than it deserved to live.”
The Pinto was the target of Ralph Nader- also the Corvair. Corvair was very aerodynamic and fuel efficient. It wasn’t expensive.
Nader killed both.
Cars were easy to operate, and were affordable until the Environais and the Nanny -Staters got into the business of building cars by caveat.
They pushed rules and regs thru the government telling you that you had to have air bags in 57 places. They created MPG standards decided by people who couldn’t spell “interal combustion engines”. The driver is only a part of the onboard system now. The computers run the car.
That has driven the price of a car into no-man’s land. You cannot even check your transmission fluid level dipstick yourself on the new vehicles without negating the warranties.
Going to a dealership with a $75 minimum charge to check a fluid level dipstick? That is just nuts. Neighbor was thinking he might be low on such fluid and I said I would check it for him, (he’s elderly) and he told me it would negate his warranty. That is highway robbery.
Nanny-Staters and Enviros are really building the cars, and the unions are adding to the problem.
I am glad I have an older car, and I will not let it go.
Your press conference is about as likely as the one that John McCain held to hold Democrats responsible for the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac debacle.
I'm sure they'll be target #1 on the card check unionization agenda.
I'd rather throw $25B after bad than half a trillion.
The problem here that I see, is I wrote both my Senators, and my Representative (lol) that I was not in favor of the Bank bailout, what I got was basically a letter saying
“Thank you for your concern, now shut up and go away, you don’t understand, and I am voting for it.”
No company can afford to layoff people and pay them 90% of normal pay for a year while they do not work.”
Some of those “laid off” workers have been collecting that money for over 15 years.
They lost their jobs due to machines doing their jobs, and they have been sucking at GM ever since.
I hate Union mentality more than I have words to describe.
Because republican politicians have friends in high places in the banks, insurance companies, etc, and there aren't enough of us left who understand that the creation of wealth requires a little more than paper trading by financial bright boys who think they are wizards.
The current problem stems from allowing and facilitating too many malfunctioning institutions to carry on over the years, and so now we'll suffer the deluge of failed, bloated, stinking corpses that will take us all down.
'Bloated benefits for unions are sinking automakers'
Mine, a dem, voted against it. But for all the wrong reasons:
Thank you for contacting me regarding your opposition to the proposed economic rescue package. I appreciate your comments and having the benefit of your views.
When I was elected to Congress, I pledged to act in the best interest of my constituents and the nation, and I cast my vote with the families of eastern Connecticut first and foremost in my mind.
While the legislation was improved over the first version considered by the House, I could not in good conscience support this package that demands more than $800 billion in taxpayer funds while the fundamental problems of the housing market damaging our economy remain unaddressed. I voted no because I do not believe this proposal will sufficiently address our economic crisis and because the package was not fair enough for the middle class.
Let me stress that my vote against this package was not a signal that I am complacent about the state of our economy and the anxiety my constituents are feeling. As someone who represents one of the hardest hit sections of Connecticut, our economic challenges have been apparent to me for the last twenty months I have been in office. Home foreclosures have been accelerating in my district at the highest rate in the state, and the toxic loans sold by large lenders have spread like a virus through our economy.
Over the past week, I have heard from constituents who vehemently oppose the bailout package, retirees worried about their 401Ks, and small business owners concerned about the freeze in our credit markets. I take this economic crisis very seriously. However, especially in a time of crisis, the people of Connecticut deserve a real solution to the grave problems in our economy.
Failing to address the increasing pace of mortgage defaults and the slide in real estate values diminishes the chance of success for the rescue package and reduces the prospects of taxpayers recovering a reasonable amount of their nearly $800 billion dollar line of credit.
Moreover, the proposal still falls short on the test of fairness. The proposal fails to limit outrageous compensation and bonuses paid to Wall Street CEOs and executives who caused this crisis. It also neglects enacting tough oversight of how the Bush Administration would use taxpayer funds. The package was improved after Senate action this week. Raising the cap on FDIC insurance and attaching R&D and energy tax credits were a step in the right direction. By slowing down this process earlier this week, we were able to improve a bill that at least was able to gain majority support in the House, even if it ultimately fell short of something I could support.
While I stand on the other side of my colleagues who voted for the legislation, I stand with them and all Americans in hoping the proposal works. If it does not, I stand ready to work with members of both political parties to forge a financial rescue plan that gets it right.
Should you have any additional comments or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me in the future. For more information on my views on other issues or to see what I have been working on in Congress, please feel free to visit my official website at www.house.gov/courtney and sign up for my e-newsletter.
JOSEPH COURTNEY
Oops! Happens every time...
If the "card check" unionization scheme is enacted, I can guarantee you that Volkswagen will NOT be building the planned plant in Chattanooga or anywhere else in the US. Look for other foreign entities to close their US operations rather than operate with a rogue union workforce.
It's going to be interesting to see how the socialists intend to "spread the wealth" when there's no more wealth to spread.
bttt
The Pinto died because it had the unfortunate tendency to blow up and turn into a fireball in rear end collisions. The Corvair was Nader's questionable target.
Think, “Night of the Living Dead”, only instead of blasting the creeps, we’re feeding them!
You are right it is nuts. Next tme you go for an oil change go to a decent garage and they will be glad to check it for free.
Why is it okay to bail out banks, insurance companies, marketeers, and auto workers but not taxpayers that are paying for this whole affair?
I lost some $40,000 on the sale of my previous house (sold for relocation). Where's my check? Where's my 10 acres and my Lexus?
good point. The argument made in the article is that the companies will bcome more viable through reorganization than through bailout. and from my limited understanding, a lot of reorganization is taking place in the financial/ insurance industry in spite of having republicans in high places.
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