UAW = Anti-USA dollar

I really tried to keep myself out of this thread but alas I could not. I think people are forgetting what capitalism is, it gives everyone the chance to SUCCEED or to FAIL. I don't want to get into a debate about unions or how much money the "big wigs" make and whose fault it is the companies are where they are. The root problems are a poor business model and government involvement. The same scenario has played out with the banks and credit lenders.

It is NOT the TAX payers responsibility and certainly not the governments obligation, to bail out any industry. Open your eyes and see history in the making....Government is taking over private industry. This scares the sh!t out of me, since the government can't even run its own business effectively or efficiently.

I will agree with DrBob on this:

Fresh and new ideas are out there, if government will get out of the way. It is human nature to care for our less fortunate and nobody wants people to go without medical care or basic essentials. Lets quite playing that game and move on to real solutions.... an example is above.

 

1) I'm willing to spend big bucks to keep my family (and your family) safe.
2) I seem to recall a time where 19 men flew planes into buildings and I am convinced that there are others like them who would be more than willing to kill themselves for the sake of killing you and I.
3) Bailouts are wrong at all fundamental levels. If you are too big to fail, then you are just too big.
4) I've never seen a hospital deny care to a truly indigent person care. As a matter of fact, there is a law (EMTALA) that makes that practice illegal.
5) The feds get 18.4 cents for every gallon of gas I buy. The state gets 26 cents for every gallon of gas I buy. Why is our infrastructure crumbling? Where is our money going?
6) What basic social services are we not providing? K-12? Welfare? Food stamps? How many people on welfare have cell phones, cars, and hi-speed internet?
7) Are you including the unions, the ACLU, the abortion lobby, and the environmentalists among the "well financed" lobbyists? How about ACORN? Are they included too?

 

well, it does affect me, and all of us really. Whos got a brother, sister, mom or dad, neighbor or friend who lost their job due to this situation? I'd be willing to bet we all know at least 3 people... if not one ourselves. I am concerned. Chrysler is on minimum life support atm. GM is going into arrest right now. whos got the paddles? The automotive market is one of the top level markets that will crash first. Then the ripple effect happens and we will all be affected in some way. The point is to push responsibility or irresponsibility (is a better word), to realize the greed America has. Sure we all know about it, but whos changing? right now its the consumer. Johney K Public has had enough, and is not spending his money unless he must. Not just automotive markets, but wal-marts are bringing in less, auto-parts stores are on the rise. Gas stations are closing, more people taking other means of transportation trying to make the gas / dollar last longer. Medical facilities are seeing a 12% decline in admissions. Whys that? People dont have jobs, who dont have medical insurance... insurance companies have to lay off... We are all affected. Me personally, our department had 28 engineers in it... we got 5 now... and GM is closing its doors for 9 weeks. Yes, im worried I will become one of the many statistics.

I wish I got some sort of monetary compensation for that dam pattent. its worth being proud of, but as many companies do, the pattent belongs to the company, and not the individual employees who develop them. sadly.

 

Ghost, I truly do understand the plight of both you and many others. I too have been affected, hell, everybody has in one way or another. The phrase, all good things must come to an end, is certainly appropriate here.

I can't help but think, that instead of developing transmissions, GM probably should have been developing components and products that were more in tune with what the future would require. 16-18 mpg vehicles may have been sustainable 50 years ago, but time has shown that a whole lot of bad things can happen in a fraction of that time. It is hard to see the future when your world operates around a 3 month time frame of profit reporting.

Maybe GM should have stuck with what they knew best and just designed and assembled cars, instead of dervisifying into the other markets they chose to enter. They cut their own throats by trying to control more of the total process than they should have. It was all driven by greed, the greed of big investors, board of directors and Wall Street. Many other people have already felt this pain a long, long time ago. Every time GM absorbed another company involved in their manufacturing process, in order to put more money into their own pockets, who do you think suffered? Of course, why would anybody want to actually look at the ramifications of each of these situations? The model needed to be rethought and reinvented a long time ago. At this stage, the inevitable had to happen. It just took a little longer to get to you.

 

Go out and do something about it instead of ranting on a motorcycle forum. :wink: You have lots of stuff to say, go say it to someone that can do something about it. Come back and see us in a year and let us all know just how much change you have influenced. Of course that will never happen, because that would take real effort, it's so much easier just to listen to talk radio and whine. I'd be willing to bet that I have written more letters to my elected officials and been more politically active than most.

 

It's an inherent trait of that species, don't hold it against him.

 

Hey, ain't you ever heard about VOTING? Yes, the govmint is really screwed up right now, but guess who's fault that is, boys and girls? Us. The voters. You and me. People are too damned busy watching 'Dancing with the Idiots' and 'American Karioke' and not paying attention to important issues like credit policy, health care, etc, etc, and don't pay attention to how their elected political representatives are voting on those issues.

I worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield for 11 years, and I've been in the coporate world for a total of 22 years. Anyone who thinks that private industry will run anything better than the government is sadly misinformed. Blue Cross Blue Shield, or any other health insurer, has absolutely NO interest whatsoever in reducing the cost of health care. Expensive health care is the whole reason they exist in the first place.

Yes, the government as we know it right now sucks. Hard. But, we DO have the ability to clean it up. Educate yourself on the facts surrounding the issues that are important to you. Pay attention to how your elected officials vote on those issues, and if they are out of line, vote against them. We have a great system of government, the best Mankind has ever come up with so far, but it will not work if all voters do not participate in the process and if all voters do not take the time to inform themselves on the issues.

Regards,
H.C.D.

 

Perhaps I oversimplify things, but the basic tenet to our country (at least I sure believe this is what our founders expected) is that I am responsible for ME. You are NOT responsible for me, nor I for you. The government is NOT responsible for me or you. And putting our government in the position of being the money-changer, or Robin Hood if you will; taking from the rich to give to the poor because it isn't fair, is frankly ludicrous. To quote Judge Smails in Caddyshack..."The world needs ditch-diggers too, Danny" I am not wealthy but that is because of the life choices I made. If I really wanted to make buck I should have gone into politics. That is quickly becoming America's only growth industry where income keeps going up despite every other sector of the economy. I personally prefer not to give them more of what I make. They have ALL, Dem or Rep, proven to be poor stewards of our money. Putting them in charge of PRIVATE industries is one of the worst mistakes our nation has or ever will make.

I have lived in some of those countries with socialized medicine and used their hospitals. If there were any other choice, I assure you I would have gone to a 'bad' US hospital first.

Maybe strayed a bit from the idea, but it does boil down to personal responsibility from an individual or corporation. They succeed or fail on their own merits or shortcomings. It is not up to you or me to take care of them if they are not taking care of themselves. I guess I am just weird. I always figured if I screw up, it is my fault.