Rachel Maddow: GOP vs. American Workers

When the topic came up about the Big Three automakers between my (Republican) mother and me, she immediately said, "It's the Union's fault." This didn't surprise me much. Neither did her comment about the auto workers' $70+ per hour wage, a figure that has been debunked (and nonetheless repeated endlessly by the right). Mom has a right-wing muse, though I'm not sure if its name is Limbaugh, Hannity, or just FOX "News."

And the right wing has a well established anti-Union bias. I myself have never been in a union (though The Other Half is), and can't exactly say that I'm a fan. But the blood lust with which the right goes a-union-busting is nearly evidence enough to convince me that they're wrong. And when they try to legislate American wages down to better match foreign companies, I've got to scratch my head, and issue a Scooby-Doo "Hunh?"

Rachel Maddow talked about this on the Thursday night edition of her show. And, like Cenk Uygur, she says it better than I. And you've got to dig that graphic behind her!

House Passes Auto Industry Bailout

I guess it's a good thing that the House of Representatives has passed an auto industry bailout. I mean, the death of the Big Three (GM, Chrysler and Ford) would be devastating for the economy, and for the morale of the nation. If these guys go out of business, anybody could. And, shoot, what else do we manufacture in this country anymore?

But I get the resistance too. You would think that there would be a finite amount of money to go around. And where do we stop? Newspaper bailouts? Network TV bailouts? Advertising agencies? The adult entertainment industry? Yes, they are in trouble too.

One thing I'm not buying is that the failure of the Big Three is the fault of the workers. Or even the unions. Reportedly, they amount to only 10% of the cost of a new automobile. I think it's high time that CEOs of big corporations be responsible for actually making their companies succeed. Why exactly are they making such big salaries and bonuses? Even if they "forgo" them this year, what have they done to deserve their perks in years past?

[Excerpt]

$14 billion auto bailout bill clears the House

The House pressed toward passage of a $14 billion bailout for the nation’s imperiled auto industry Wednesday night, but the hard-fought deal between Democrats and the Bush White House was in jeopardy amid strong opposition from GOP senators. . .

Read more at: MSNBC

Big Three Automakers in Trouble No Matter What?

It's always interesting to read about US stories from publications outside this country. The article excerpted below is from a British paper, about the fate of the US auto industry. The general vibe seems to be that no matter how much money we throw at them, they're in trouble anyway.

Maybe. I mean, the US automakers (or their CEOs and executives) seem to be completely unable to change course when things start going bad. Not one seemed to have a Plan B for if the price of petroleum were to skyrocket. They all seemed to believe that we'd want huge trucks and SUVs forever. They've kept the little, economic cars they make in Europe and Australia, thinking we wouldn't buy them. And they seem to be completely unable to change course for years when it comes to making and selling different cars.

On the other hand, we've been surprised before. Chrysler, when it was faltering in the 70s after years of making crappy cars like the Omni/Horizon, was reborn after government help. American Motors went out of business, but the Jeep lived on (and got better). Nobody could've saved the Gremlin or the Pacer.

So, maybe if the Big Three can survive. Maybe they can start having contingency plans for changing tastes or economies. Maybe they can cancel or sell off slower selling divisions. They don't need to kill Pontiac, they just need to scale it down, and make it something different than a Chevy with a pointy nose. Kill Hummer though.

[Excerpt]

Bleak prospect for Detroit Three despite bail-out

America's Big Three car makers will struggle to stay afloat until 2015 - even if they win a $34bn (around £23bn) government bail-out, a leading auto-industry think-tank said.

David Cole, the head of the Center for Automotive Research, believes that a combination of recession and manufacturing problems will make a rapid turnaround impossible. . .

Read more at: GuardianUK