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Failure To Blow Election Stuns Democratic Party Faithful Mourn End To Losing Tradition
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Harper's Weekly
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Bye-Bye 2008: Things I Want To Forget
The Fierce Urgency Of Now
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The Future Of Civilization
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Talking About Sex-Ed That Works
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Et Al Ad Nauseam: 2008 And All That
The Generational Theft Act Of 2009
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Gaza: The Dove'S War
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Season's Readings
Old Acquaintances
A Social Trauma For Obama: Youth Crime
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A Hard Year Ahead
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Eric Holder And All Political Prisoners
Mideast Overshadows Obama's Prospects
A Clean Start
Year-End Odds And Ends
Team Obama Dabbles In Drama
The Gamble in Gaza -- Interview With Aaron David Miller
Cal Thomas-Bonus
A Respite From Reality
One Nation, One People-God Bless Us Everyone
Dr. Leavitt's Scary Diagnosis
Teaching Economics
Richardson's Exit And The Vetting Process



Pat Buchanan
As GM Goes, So Goes The GOP
Pat Buchanan 11/18/2008
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Understandably, Republicans are seething.

When Hank Paulson demanded $700 billion to haul away the trash in the dumpsters of JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs — assuring us we could hold a garage sale of the junk — they rebelled. They acted as the nation, by 100 to one, demanded. They killed the Wall Street bailout.

The Dow quickly sank another 1,000 points, and, charged with criminal irresponsibility by the elites, the GOP buckled, reversed itself, rescued the bailout — and was wiped out on Nov. 4.

Now we hear from Paulson that the $700 billion Congress voted will not, after all, be used to buy up all that rotten paper on the books of the big banks. Some banks are using the cash to buy other banks.

So Republicans are right to be enraged. They are victims of the biggest bait-and-switch in political history. But they are now about to do something terminally stupid. With GM, Ford and Chrysler teetering on the brink, they are turning a cold stone face to Detroit and are about to follow the counsel of that quintessential Bushite Dick Darman, who said of our computer chip industry, "If our guys can't hack it, let 'em go."

America responded — by letting George H.W. Bush and Darman go.

Are Republicans aware
of what they are about to do?

When workers, execs, engineers, dealers, salesmen and suppliers are all factored in, the Big Three employ 3 million people who contribute $21 billion a year to Social Security and Medicare, and $25 billion in federal income taxes. Add in all the businesses that depend on the auto industry, and we are talking about one-tenth of the U.S. labor force.

As columnist Tom Piatak of Chronicles and Takimag.com writes, 850,000 retirees, and their families, depend for pensions and health care on the Big Three. If they go under, the burden falls on us.

And to let the auto industry die is to write America out of much of the economic future of the planet.

In a good year, like 2005, Americans buy more than 17 million new cars, and West Europeans as many. Tens of millions in Eastern Europe, Russia, China, India and Southeast Asia are now moving into the middle class each year. These folks will all need or want one or two family cars. If we let the U.S. auto industry die, that immense and burgeoning market will be lost forever to America, and ceded to Asia.

"Who cares?" comes the free-traders' reply. Japanese and Koreans are setting up factories here. They can pick up the slack.

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Detroit Bailout
By Bob Englehart - The Hartford Courant * Posted 11/14/2008 12:00:00 AM
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Detroit Bailout
© Copyright 2008  Bob Englehart - All Rights Reserved.

Posted By: Lee  on Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Is Pat Buchanan implying that the future of the political party, once dedicated to freeing slaves in the south is now somehow linked to the car companies renowned for layoffs and inefficient gas mileage? If only it were that easy to solve neo-fascist tinkering of the otherwise benevolent GOP (with respect to the benevolent Democrats) by buying cars that are safe and efficient, oh wait, it is, since the neo-fascist movement is really just the oil industry and their practices that ironically cost them money rather than make it. Free trade and prosperity indeed...

Posted By: sommers  on Friday, November 21, 2008

Though I frequently agree with Buchanan, I think he's got this one wrong.    These "big 3" are bloated disfunctional failures.



I do not think it would be the end of the auto industry in this country if this group is forced to fix itself.   Restucture, reorganize, start fresh.



Keep trade practices fair and 1 or 2 of these companies will come back strong.

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