Michelle Malkin has the news- Bush is calling McCain, Obama, and a bipartisan group together for a meeting.
This sounds like the beginning of a bad joke.
So when will the handouts stop?
I’m sick today from all of this nonsense. Now we are bailing out the auto industry? 25 billion- big deal, right? Billion here, billion there, I guess it eventually adds up to real money. Guess that buys some votes in Michigan and Ohio.
By the way- does the Honda factory in Marysville, Ohio need some of the taxpayer’s money? No, they don’t need it. THIRTEEN THOUSAND AMERICANS make it the old-fashioned way in Marysville. They build cars people buy.
Oh, yea, and what about that new Kia plant in Georgia? Over five thousand jobs to Georgia. Americans making cars! WOW! Taxpayers don’t need to bailout Kia.
And finally, my car. A wonderful Hyundai Santa Fe buit in Montgomery, Alabama. I love it! Great price, wonderful features, much better than any subsidized car made in Detroit. And I helped the new South create jobs!
And finally, let’s not forget a trip up I-85 from Atlanta to Charlotte, NC. What do you pass in South Carolina? A BMW factory! Wow!
And we need to prop up the US auto industry?
Yes, Michell Malkin has a story about the auto industry bail out, too.
And here’s a story from the AJC about a General Motors plant closing in Doraville, GA:
Temporary workers, some of whom joined the plant to replace workers who left in a big wave a few years ago, aren’t so lucky.
“A lot of the temporary workers are — I don’t want to say upset — but they’re done with it,” said Sam Alston, a temporary worker who installs second- and third-row seats in the vans. “They’re not giving us severance packages or a chance to transfer. It was rough being a contract worker. We didn’t get any benefits. No vacation and our pay was less than the actual GM workers.”
Alston came in two years ago making $18 an hour and now makes $25 an hour. A full-time GM worker doing the same work earns about $30 an hour, Alston said. Many workers are just counting down the hours.
“It’s like a ‘fine-get-it-over-with mood,’ ” Alston said.
Someone installing seats in vans makes 60K a year?
And we are bailing this nonsense out?
Yes, these foreign owned companies provide jobs (mostly in low wage regions) but where do the profits go?
To the foreign countries where they are headquartered.
I would suggest, if you are already in Alabama, you make a stop at the Mercedes Benz plant in Tuscaloosa. They are building nice SUV over there.
@ Janet Crain: This is probably true, but it show’s that it is possible to build competitive cars in the United States of America without receiveing money from the government / tax payer.
I say let’em fail… You don’t reward piss poor management with more money. They failed the first time, what’s in place to make sure they don’t fail once more — this will send the wrong message to businesses about failure, and also about incentive, or lack thereof if this thing goes through!
They need to fire all of the top brass at these fine financial institutions, and take corrective action — I’m sure Bernie wouldn’t mind the company. 😉
I SAY NO MATTER WHO GETS IT IN THIS ELECTION WE ARE STILL SCREWED AND I SEE NO HOPE AT ALL WITH CORRUPTION HANGING ON EVERY ONE OF THEM PISS HEADS FROM CITY GOVT RIGHT ON UP THE LADDER REPS AND DEMS ALL IT IS IS THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR WAKE UP AMERICA SEE THEM FOR WHAT THEY ARE ……THIEVES AND USERS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE I HOPE TO SEE AMERICANS START TO FIGHT BACK.IT TAKES A VILLAGE NOT WITH IDIOTS EITHER TO KNOW THEY DONT CARE ABOUT US ONLY$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ THATS WHAT WE NEED IS FOR AMERICANS TO HAVE A WEB SITE ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH EVERY STAGE OF OUR GOVT. OUR GOVT PISS HEADS NEED TO HAVE A LESSON STARTING UNDER THE BRIDGE LIVING AND THEN WITH WHAT WE CALL POVERTY LIVING AND WHATS LEFT OF THE MIDDLE CLASS AND THEY KNOW THE RICH SIDE OF IT SO THEY ALREADY KNOW THAT WAY OF LIFE BEFORE THEY CAN SIT THEIR RICH ASS’S IN THE TAXPAYERS OFFICE’S LET THEM SEE WHAT IT FEELS LIKE ……GIVE THEM SOME GOOD ON THE JOB TRAINING! IT WOULD BE THE BEST EDUCATION THEY EVER HAD AND CUT THIER WAGES STARTING FROM THE CITY TO WASHINGTON AND SEE JUST HOW FAST WE COULD GET OUT OF DEBT! LET ALONE ALL THE PERKS AND WASTE…..AMERICAN WITHOUT A JOB AND CANT FIND ONE ……AND I WAS MIDDLE CLASS
Well, the foreign auto makers who have plants in the U.S. are not completely “foreign.” It’s such a “world economy” right now.
For example, a Toyota plant in the U.S. pays federal and state taxes, payroll taxes, healthcare benefits, retirement, etc. to it’s workers. In addition, the company itself, Toyota Motors (TM on the NYSE), is publicly traded in the U.S. So many investors IN AMERICA, mutual funds, etc. invest in the company (and therefore gets investment worth, dividends, etc.).
Sure, the “profits” go to Japan, sure. But that’s only a fraction of the whole financial impact of the company. The inverse can be said for American companies who have assembly plants or parts factories or etc. elsewhere. At the very least, they may buy some of their electronic components (computer chips, etc.) from foreign companies. So some of OUR “profits” go overseas.
I’d simply view the traditional American companies (GM, Ford, etc.) and the foreign car companies as equals. They need to compete in the marketplace for our (not many) dollars.