I came across this interesting article that I had to share with you dear readers. The first question in this article sparked this rant, “Does the auto industry deserve a bailout? “ No, why should they? The auto industry saw the change in the market to smaller more economical cars, the hybrids, electric, hell even the pipe dream that is E85 were all there. Japan and Germany were making these cars long before the “Big three” had even brought it up to the American consumer. They instead continued to make the big SUV’s, trucks, the non fuel efficient car. While oil prices continued to skyrocket, they did nothing. While the hybrid cars were selling before they could be put on the lot, they did nothing. Well that’s not true they introduced a few alternative fueled cars and still others with better mileage but it was too little too late.
What drives me even crazier is how our tax dollars seems to be the answer to the debilitating economic crisis that is our current condition. Once again it’s the “throw money at the problem and hope it goes away” method. What happened to personal reasonability? What happened to “owning ones mistakes”? As stated in the article we the taxpayers “should definitely not be on the hook to bail out companies that have made terrible decisions time and again.” As in the paragraph above the Big Three have made these horrible decisions with their product time and again. There were so many times in the last few years alone where they could have made a positive business decision and pushed the hybrid car out sooner yes it would have cost more than the traditional car and some consumers would have bought the cheaper car but as with everything the longer the product is out there the cheaper it gets the more profit the maker of that product gets, and then guess what….more money for everyone, because we the consumer are not trying to figure out if our kid should eat this week or the electricity gets paid, or if we can put enough gas into the car to get to work! What makes this even worse is how the auto industry has treated it labor unions. Now don’t get me wrong I believe that a union is necessity for many industries. The auto industry being one of them, they provide a much needed check and balance system, but at the same time some unions, or rather some people in the unions, put such a lean on the industry that it makes it harder to make a profit, and let’s face it we are in business to make a profit. Confused? Let me simplify for you, GM has a rule that it can’t layoff a worker, well they can, but not really. You see when you get laid off from GM you can still get ninety percent of your pay check till the end of your contract. How may I ask did this pass into a rule? A labor union. Now I’m all for not getting laid off without just cause but this is kind of strange don’t you think? Paying people not to work, wow.
What should we do for the auto industry? Well my first thought is to allow them to file bankrupt, let them cut the current contracts with the unions and restructure a more realistic business model before they start talking to the unions for labor contracts this time with more again realistic models for the contracts. What happens when the government gives them money? It will delay the inevitable with bad business models and these crazy contracts with the labor unions it is just a matter of time before we are handing more money to them…..But what do I know.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Alaska the Florida of the north
Senator Ted Stevens (R- AK) was convicted of seven counts of violating federal ethics laws. All in an effort to cover up hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and work on his Alaskan home from an oilfield contractor at the center of a corruption investigation in the state. Yet he is just (by three votes) trailing the democratic challenger Mr. Begich, the mayor of Anchorage. Just trailing? How good sir is it that you are “just trailing” Mr. Begich? How is it that you’re able to run for office? Oh that’s right after being pronounced guilty by a jury, Mr. Stevens you went around telling Alaskans that you had “not been convicted of anything yet” — a pointless twist of the law rooted in the technicality, that since you have not yet been sentenced, you are not yet guilty of violating the ethic laws.
Wow, it is amazing the level of dishonesty you lay at the feet of the voters of Alaska Mr. Stevens. So what happens Senator when you are sentenced? What happens to your seat in the Senate, when the judge comes back and gives you the maximum of thirty-five years for all counts? What will be running in that head of yours as the gavel strikes home and the bailiff takes you away to begin the long years that await you in prison?
I’ll tell you Senator, I’ll read into the future and tell you that you’re going to give those big crocodile tears and that you’re going give some statement about how you’re going to fight this all the way to the top. Your seat, heh, well Senator from what I can gather no one wants you down in D.C. anymore. President Elect Obama said that Stevens needed to resign to help "put an end to the corruption and influence-peddling in Washington”. Hell even your own party members don’t want you Senator McCain said of you "[Senator Stevens] has broken his trust with the people and needed to step down”—a call echoed by his (then) running mate, and your current Governor Sarah Palin. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as fellow other Republican Senators Norm Coleman, John Sununu and Gordon Smith have also called for you to resign. Senator McConnell said there would be "zero tolerance" for a convicted felon serving in the Senate—he then went on to strongly hint that he would support your expulsion from the Senate unless of course you were resigned first. On November 1, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid confirmed that even he would schedule a vote on your expulsion, saying that "a convicted felon is not going to be able to serve in the United States Senate." Oh and just to let you know no sitting Senator has been expelled since the Civil War, and they got ousted because of “conspiracy against the government”, you’re getting kicked because of your inability to be truthful. How lame. The seat, well that’s easy there would be a special election held for the remainder of your term guess who would be the Republican nominee? I’ll give you a hint she isn’t the Vice-President Elect right now. Yup that Gov. Palin would be the nominee, it’s scary how she asked for you to step down kind like she knew the McCain/ Palin ticket didn’t stand a snowballs chance, and now she’s all over the news with what’s she going to do next watch. Yup that’s one crafty hockey mom. As for what happens as that gavel hits? Well that’s a personal thing for you Senator. I’d imagine though it would be something like your years and years of work for the United States flashing before your eyes, the six decades of public service blown away like a house of cards by your greed. It would finally dawn on you as the last pound echoes that everything you did in the service to your country has meant nothing. Or rather that it means nothing anymore. Amazing still that you even have the audacity to run for office, even more astonishing is the fact that you can run! Let’s say that in some odd way that you were allowed to keep your seat, Senator, You would be the only convicted felon to my understanding that would be able to vote. Or hold a government job without a special waver. “But Bob I’ve got a friend of a friend whose brother is in the Army, and he is a convicted felon and that would be a government job.” Right you are reader the military service is a government job as for your friend of a friend brother, well look RA loves to site things and link things to support her statement…..I’m lazy so go look it up yourself, and when you find that a convicted felon can’t serve in the military do me a favor, smack yourself, find your friend, smack them, and then smack your friend of a friend.
So what did if anything did we learn?
Crime does pay. I wouldn’t for a moment think that Senator Stevens is not going to get pardon by President Bush, I also wouldn’t for a moment think that most of the money he has made over the years wasn’t by some ill-gotten gain, he’s got a really nice house now, and judging from the narrow margin the Democratic challenger has I would have to say that Senator Stevens could run for office again.
P.S.
For those not following the post-election elections it seems that Senator Stevens has lost his bid to become the first felon to be elected to the Senate, and while this was a slim victory by the challenger, it is still a victory. My question to you Alaska is clear "How?" How could you let a slim victory be possible? How could you "almost" allow a person who has betrayed your trust for his own selfish needs to continue in a place of power that, requires trust? A "w" is a "w" as far as sports goes, it doesn't matter the score of the game, but this is politics should it not matter? Doesn't the vote have voice? And should it have a voice what does this say about us as Americans?
Wow, it is amazing the level of dishonesty you lay at the feet of the voters of Alaska Mr. Stevens. So what happens Senator when you are sentenced? What happens to your seat in the Senate, when the judge comes back and gives you the maximum of thirty-five years for all counts? What will be running in that head of yours as the gavel strikes home and the bailiff takes you away to begin the long years that await you in prison?
I’ll tell you Senator, I’ll read into the future and tell you that you’re going to give those big crocodile tears and that you’re going give some statement about how you’re going to fight this all the way to the top. Your seat, heh, well Senator from what I can gather no one wants you down in D.C. anymore. President Elect Obama said that Stevens needed to resign to help "put an end to the corruption and influence-peddling in Washington”. Hell even your own party members don’t want you Senator McCain said of you "[Senator Stevens] has broken his trust with the people and needed to step down”—a call echoed by his (then) running mate, and your current Governor Sarah Palin. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as fellow other Republican Senators Norm Coleman, John Sununu and Gordon Smith have also called for you to resign. Senator McConnell said there would be "zero tolerance" for a convicted felon serving in the Senate—he then went on to strongly hint that he would support your expulsion from the Senate unless of course you were resigned first. On November 1, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid confirmed that even he would schedule a vote on your expulsion, saying that "a convicted felon is not going to be able to serve in the United States Senate." Oh and just to let you know no sitting Senator has been expelled since the Civil War, and they got ousted because of “conspiracy against the government”, you’re getting kicked because of your inability to be truthful. How lame. The seat, well that’s easy there would be a special election held for the remainder of your term guess who would be the Republican nominee? I’ll give you a hint she isn’t the Vice-President Elect right now. Yup that Gov. Palin would be the nominee, it’s scary how she asked for you to step down kind like she knew the McCain/ Palin ticket didn’t stand a snowballs chance, and now she’s all over the news with what’s she going to do next watch. Yup that’s one crafty hockey mom. As for what happens as that gavel hits? Well that’s a personal thing for you Senator. I’d imagine though it would be something like your years and years of work for the United States flashing before your eyes, the six decades of public service blown away like a house of cards by your greed. It would finally dawn on you as the last pound echoes that everything you did in the service to your country has meant nothing. Or rather that it means nothing anymore. Amazing still that you even have the audacity to run for office, even more astonishing is the fact that you can run! Let’s say that in some odd way that you were allowed to keep your seat, Senator, You would be the only convicted felon to my understanding that would be able to vote. Or hold a government job without a special waver. “But Bob I’ve got a friend of a friend whose brother is in the Army, and he is a convicted felon and that would be a government job.” Right you are reader the military service is a government job as for your friend of a friend brother, well look RA loves to site things and link things to support her statement…..I’m lazy so go look it up yourself, and when you find that a convicted felon can’t serve in the military do me a favor, smack yourself, find your friend, smack them, and then smack your friend of a friend.
So what did if anything did we learn?
Crime does pay. I wouldn’t for a moment think that Senator Stevens is not going to get pardon by President Bush, I also wouldn’t for a moment think that most of the money he has made over the years wasn’t by some ill-gotten gain, he’s got a really nice house now, and judging from the narrow margin the Democratic challenger has I would have to say that Senator Stevens could run for office again.
P.S.
For those not following the post-election elections it seems that Senator Stevens has lost his bid to become the first felon to be elected to the Senate, and while this was a slim victory by the challenger, it is still a victory. My question to you Alaska is clear "How?" How could you let a slim victory be possible? How could you "almost" allow a person who has betrayed your trust for his own selfish needs to continue in a place of power that, requires trust? A "w" is a "w" as far as sports goes, it doesn't matter the score of the game, but this is politics should it not matter? Doesn't the vote have voice? And should it have a voice what does this say about us as Americans?
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