How dare you think its ok that I lose my job so you can save a buck a Wal-Mart?
How dare you think its ok for me to make less then you?
How dare you think you are worth more then you fellow American that has sacrificed sweat, blood, and tears to make this country?
How dare you to think that it’s ok for corporations to take your neighbor’s home?
How dare you to think you neighbor doesn’t deserve to health care?
How dare you to think that it’s ok to sell your fellow American out to foreign interests?
How dare you sit back while your neighbor is kicked out of their home?
How dare you sit back while your friend’s job is sent overseas, and you sit back and do nothing?
How dare you sit back and do nothing when so many died so you can abuse what you were freely given!
HOW DARE YOU!
Yahoo real estate is now listing Detroit as the worst place to purchase a home. Yes even in the land of $1000 homes, it’s the worst place to buy. What happened to our wealth, investments and our livelihood?
What is the reason? The automotive industry of course!
What baffles me is how people turn a blind eye when the sales reports come out and when the quality reports come out. We still believe that our Big 3 is falling behind with our foreign competitors. We listen to our senators who are being paid off by our foreign competitors, and we pretend that we are the only nation who has had to help their automotive industry.
Have we forgotten who helped build this nation? Have we forgotten our fellow American all in the name of saving a buck? If it weren’t for our unions, would any of us had a decent paying job? Who fought for safe working conditions? Who fought for a 40-hour work week so we could spend time with our families? Who fought for fare wages so we could afford to feed our families? Our unions, as some say, may be outdated, but in reality, and in times like this, aren’t they one of the most important assets protecting what remains of our American jobs from going over seas?
We also like to say that they are not selling any cars and think no wonder they are going bankrupt. Let me ask you this – How can your fellow American purchase a car when their jobs have been sent over seas? How can your fellow American pay the monthly loan payment when they are forced to take a 50% pay cut, when utilities are skyrocketing, food prices going up, oh, and heaven forbid their mortgage payments double? I have also been accused of not being able to see the whole picture. Actually I see the whole picture crystal clear. Unless you are living here, that 5-minute newscast your seeing is only a glimpse of reality. Many of you think that these people have a cake job and are over paid. Let me ask you this – are you worth the money you make? Should we go out and find your foreign competitor so we still can afford a meager life?
Some of you, keep calling Detroit nothing but losers, here are a few facts for you to chew on, yes I know, I have posted this before, but you have yet to respond:
The Big 3 have contributed almost $60 trillion dollars into our economy in the past 109 years. Is this not worth saving?
What companies converted their plants during World War II so we could have what many people called war machines?
Did you know that after 9/11 the Big 3 and Harley Davidson contributed over $40 million dollars for rescue and cleanup? Where were our precious foreign competitors then? Oh wait, I don’t think they showed up.
If you think that is all Detroit has done for this country, think again, I will save that for a later post.
Here is an interesting link from the Detroit News for those of you that still care about the country you live in. Not only does this show the impact GM has on America, but it also lists the amount of manufacturing jobs that have been lost.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090531/SPECIAL01/90529004
I don’t think many Americans will get it until it’s to late. Truthfully, I don’t think many of you care. So as we continue pointing fingers at the right and the left just remember this – When did finger pointing ever solve the issue?
I got up real early that morning. I was all set to have my annual 4th of July Bar-B-Que. All I had left to do was go buy everything.
As soon as I got up from a good nights sleep, I instantly went into the kitchen and made myself a pot of good Columbian coffee and let the dogs out.
After that I got in my car – foreign of course
Drove to the gas station- I am still very dependent on foreign oil
Drove to Wal-Mart – where they import everything from China
Bought all my meat there to – imported from New Zealand
Bought a new grill – Made in Mexico
Bought all the vegetables and fruit – imported from Brazil
I also bought some legal fireworks – made in Taiwan
When I got home, I turned on my TV – made in Korea
Sat in the chair – made in Sweden
And then drank some beer – imported from Germany.
Now this might be a little satire to some, but if you think about it, where is our independence? Who are we really independent from? I think we DEPEND more on foreign nations than we care to believe.
I do not remember reading anywhere in the United States history where we became the greatest nation to ever exist on this Earth that we needed to depend on foreign nations for anything?
America was built on hard labor, unity, and a proud people who loved their country and had a drive to be and do better. This country did not lead the world in development and advancement through the cheap hard work from our foreign counterparts. This country did not need globalization to build a strong middle class to lead the world in manufacturing.
So I ask you – how did you spend your Dependence Day?
Now, for what really happened:
I woke up and drank some real Florida orange juice!
Went to my BMX bike – Made in America!
I peddled to the local Farmers Market – Everything grown in America!
Lit up my Weber grill – Made in America!
And enjoyed my countries 233rd birthday!!!
Now that’s an INDEPENDENCE DAY!
I love waking up and seeing such idiotic statements being made about the big 3. I feel the people that are against American Labor are against the American people, and if your against the American people, you do not deserve this country.
We cannot be just a service industry and be expected to compete in a global market. Without labor, we do not have jobs. Without jobs, we do not have production. Without production, we have no economy.
Below is a letter from a Pittsburgh dealer to an editor of a United States newspaper. Quite humbling, yet so true. We commonly listen to those who are loudest and those who only know the half truth. So if you must continue to help sell out your fellow American to cheap foreign slave labor – go ahead, your time will come, or should I say, your job will go.
Editor:
As I watch the coverage of the fate of the U.S. auto industry, one alarming and frustrating fact hits me right between the eyes. The fate of our nation’s economic survival is in the hands of some congressmen who are completely out of touch and act without knowledge of an industry that affects almost every person in our nation. The same lack of knowledge is shared with many journalists whom are irresponsible when influencing the opinion of millions of viewers.
Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama has doomed the industry, calling it a dinosaur. No Mr. Shelby, you are the dinosaur, with ideas stuck in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. You and the uninformed journalist and senators that hold onto myths that are not relevant in today’s world.
When you say that the Big Three build vehicles nobody wants to buy, you must have overlooked that GM outsold Toyota by about 1.2 million vehicles in the U.S. and Ford outsold Honda by 850,000 and Nissan by 1.2 million in the U.S. GM was the world’s No. 1 automaker beating Toyota by 3,000 units.
When you claim inferior quality comes from the Big Three, did you realize that Chevy makes the Malibu and Ford makes the Fusion that were both rated over the Camry and Accord by J.D. Power independent survey on initial quality? Did you bother to read the Consumer Report that rated Ford on par with good Japanese automakers.
Did you realize Big Three’s gas guzzlers include the 33 mpg Malibu that beats the Accord. And for ’09 Ford introduces the Hybrid Fusion whose 39 mpg is the best midsize, beating the Camry Hybrid. Ford’s Focus beats the Corolla and Chevy’s Cobalt beats the Civic.
When you ask how many times are we going to bail them out you must be referring to 1980. The only Big Three bailout was Chrysler, who paid back $1 billion, plus interest. GM and Ford have never received government aid.
When you criticize the Big Three for building so many pickups, surely you’ve noticed the attempts Toyota and Nissan have made spending billions to try to get a piece of that pie. Perhaps it bothers you that for 31 straight years Ford’s F-Series has been the best selling vehicle. Ford and GM have dominated this market and when you see the new ’09 F-150 you’ll agree this won’t change soon.
Did you realize that both GM and Ford offer more hybrid models than Nissan or Honda. Between 2005 and 2007, Ford alone has invested more than $22 billion in research and development of technologies such as Eco Boost, flex fuel, clean diesel, hybrids, plug in hybrids and hydrogen cars.
It’s 2008 and the quality of the vehicles coming out of Detroit are once again the best in the world.
Perhaps Sen. Shelby isn’t really that blind. Maybe he realizes the quality shift to American. Maybe it’s the fact that his state of Alabama has given so much to land factories from Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes Benz that he is more concerned about their continued growth than he is about the people of our country. Sen. Shelby’s disdain for “government subsidies” is very hypocritical. In the early ’90s he was the driving force behind a $253 million incentive package to Mercedes. Plus, Alabama agreed to purchase 2,500 vehicles from Mercedes. While the bridge loan the Big Three is requesting will be paid back, Alabama’s $180,000-plus per job was pure incentive. Sen. Shelby, not only are you out of touch, you are a self-serving hypocrite, who is prepared to ruin our nation because of lack of knowledge and lack of due diligence in making your opinions and decisions.
After 9/11, the Detroit Three and Harley Davidson gave $40 million-plus emergency vehicles to the recovery efforts. What was given to the 9/11 relief effort by the Asian and European Auto Manufactures? $0 Nada. Zip!
We live in a world of free trade, world economy and we have not been able to produce products as cost efficiently. While the governments of other auto producing nations subsidize their automakers, our government may be ready to force its demise. While our automakers have paid union wages, benefits and legacy debt, our Asian competitors employ cheap labor. We are at an extreme disadvantage in production cost. Although many UAW concessions begin in 2010, many lawmakers think it’s not enough.
Some point the blame to corporate management. I would like to speak of Ford Motor Co. The company has streamlined by reducing our workforce by 51,000 since 2005, closing 17 plants and cutting expenses. Product and future product is excellent and the company is focused on one Ford. This is a company poised for success. Ford product quality and corporate management have improved light years since the nightmare of Jacques Nasser. Thank you Alan Mulally and the best auto company management team in the business.
The financial collapse caused by the secondary mortgage fiasco and the greed of Wall Street has led to a $700 billion bailout of the industry that created the problem. AIG spent nearly $1 million on three company excursions to lavish resorts and hunting destinations. Paulson is saying no to $250 billion foreclosure relief and the whole thing is a mess. So when the Big Three ask for 4 percent of that of the $700 billion, $25 billion to save the country’s largest industry, there is obviously oppositions. But does it make sense to reward the culprits of the problem with $700 billion unconditionally, and ignore the victims?
As a Ford dealer, I feel our portion of the $25 billion will never be touched and is not necessary. Ford currently has $29 billion of liquidity. However, the effect of a bankruptcy by GM will hurt the suppliers we all do business with. A Chapter 11 bankruptcy by any manufacture would cost retirees their health care and retirements. Chances are GM would recover from Chapter 11 with a better business plan with much less expense. So who foots the bill if GM or all three go Chapter 11? All that extra health care, unemployment, loss of tax base and some forgiven debt goes back to the taxpayer, us. With no chance of repayment, this would be much worse than a loan with the intent of repayment.
So while it is debatable whether a loan or Chapter 11 is better for the Big Three, a $25 billion loan is definitely better for the taxpayers and the economy of our country.
So I’ll end where I began on the quality of the products of Detroit. Before you, Mr. or Ms. Journalist continue to misinform the American public and turn them against one of the great industries that helped build this nation, I must ask you one question. Before you, Mr. or Madam Congressman vote to end health care and retirement benefits for 1 million retirees, eliminate 2.5 million of our nation’s jobs, lose the technology that will lead us in the future and create an economic disaster including hundreds of billions of tax dollars lost, I ask this question not in the rhetorical sense. I ask it in the sincere, literal way. Can you tell me, have you driven a Ford lately?
Jim Jackson
Elkins Fordland
