LaHood says auto mission accomplished
All that was missing at the Masonic Temple in Detroit on Tuesday was the flight suit and carrier deck when Transportation Secretary Raymond LaHood informed the Detroit Economic Club that the dark days of the domestic automobile industry are over.
LaHood channeled President George W. Bush's "mission accomplished" declaration on the Iraq war in telling the audience that, thanks to the heroic efforts of the Obama administration, the Detroit automakers had stemmed their slide and are well on their way to recovery.
It was all hope and optimism. Still, LaHood couldn't stop himself from repeating the Obama administration's mandatory caveat that the comeback would be complete when Detroit "starts making cars (read: small cars) people want to drive."
He must not have stopped by Dearborn, where Ford, the only automaker not in Obama's grasp, is gaining market share by selling a diversified model lineup that includes big trucks and large sedans.
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Auto Cos, exec pay
I'm using this blog entry to hit on a related item.
The financial institutions that received bailout money cry that they cannot recruit and keep talent if they don't pay bonuses in the hundreds of thousands or millions.
Last time I checked, even a $100,000 salary was pretty good. Also, Americans aren't all that dumb (reality TV aside).
So, I propose that all of the geniuses that drove the financial, auto and other corporate institutions into the tank can take it or leave it when it comes to salaries below $1 million. In my heart of hearts, I believe that there are other intelligent Americans who would be willing to take those "low" salaries (US Census reported in Sept that real median household income in the USA is $52,163).
So, just let those guys go, post the jobs, and I bet at worst, the "untalented" and cheaper Americans will do no worse (let's see, only the Great Depression and the Dark Ages were worse). At best, they'll do well, not overcharge, and perhaps even implement a paradigm shift in our corporate culture, where pay is relative to sea level and not the stratosphere.
.Response to "LaHood says auto mission accomplished"
Ray LaHood words should not be taken at value because he turned on an honest United Senator PETER G. FITZGERALD from Illinois. You can't trust people who betray their own. This is why Obama made him Secretary of Transportation.
See Chicago Tirbune in 2003 for LaHood turning on his own party member.
Response to "LaHood says auto mission accomplished"
Is it too much to ask Mr. Finley to back up his claims with some actual numbers? If you review Ford's own sales numbers, it's clear that the growth in Ford sales is due to its smaller cars and more fuel-efficient versions of their crossover cars. Is basic fact-checking no longer required of those who write for the editorial pages?
The Mission Was Accomplished
Nolan, I think Bush was itching for an excuse to get into Iraq and I think Obama came in looking for excuses to enact government takeovers wherever possible.
So for both of these Presidents, the mission was accomplished perfectly well.
With Obama's mindset that government run businesses are better for people because the government doesn't have a profit motive - the question is how much more? How many more industries will be brought the their knees by government over-regulation? Leaving companies ripe for unconstitutional plucking by an Administration who sees our framework as quote "a charter of negative rights."
Socialists never put down their pens. They are always writing the next batch of regulations and laws to "engineer" a new experiment on society. And the consequences, intended or unintended, are the collateral damage of Obama's domestic war on free markets.
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