Are we all now smarter than the turnips that govern us?
Like we know, unlike the government, that the North American auto industry in U.S. & Canada is dead on its feet, has been for years: Hello Japanese Toyota Hybrid, Welcome German Smart Car!
They were all fast asleep at the switch churning out Hummers, SUVs, Wagons, Caravans, et al for the so–called soccer moms (I don’t personally know any, no one I know knows any) and their grunting big-country ranger-spouses. So what’s with all the wittering on about throwing something like 25 billion dollars at The Big Auto Three?
They are lining up as I write, cap in hand, waiting for a bailout. For what? For being so stupidly thicker than the afore-mentioned turnips for the last twenty years? For not even investing a dime in alternative energy or a cleaner planet? For killing the electric car? For heart-stopping dividends and bonuses to executives?
Now this is on top of all the other bailouts, summarized for us nicely below:
That’s totalling $4.28 trillion dollars, for starters. OK, here it is written out so we can catch all those zeros:
$4,284,500,000,000
that's more than what was spent on WW II, if adjusted for inflation.
Like I said before, this will go down as the greatest robbery of wealth from the public sector by a very privileged few in the history of the planet.
Finally:
Mission Accomplished for the Shrub and his cronies.
On second thought, maybe we are not smarter than the turnips after all.
I'm surprised there aren't more industries queuing up for handouts, seeing as they're so easy to get. Excuse me, boss, can you spare some change for Starbucks? We're in dire straits, boss, could be a lot of layoffs.
ReplyDeleteThe big question is whether Barack can turn all those mind-boggling splurges of money into an economic upturn and save millions of ordinary people from devastated lives. I wonder, has he given up his RV and SUV yet?
I don't really get it either- isn't this going completely against the whole idea of a free market?
ReplyDeleteAh, but if big business goes bust, then doesn't that prove that the whole principle of capitalism (which effectively states that everything can and will keep on growing without limit) is flawed. And if that gets proved then the terrorists win! Surely it is worth bankrupting a country to prevent that? And hey, it's not really a problem because the Federal Reserve can keep on printing more...
ReplyDeleteThat was sarcasm btw.
Nick:
ReplyDeleteAh, but you have to be a pal of the criminals-in-chief. The bailouts are not for the little folk, the bottom-feeders! Isn't Barack part of the game? He is yet to prove himself. And his associates do not bear scrutiny.
But let us all cling to Hope. It is all we have.
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Abhsolutely, Conor. And with the added bonus of plundering the social security of the huddled masses. Who will surely all need to huddle when hard times really hit.
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The gigantic pyramid scheme of capitalism is a bust, Jo. As we all know. The world has never been in a worse fix.
ReplyDeleteThe terrorists 'won' a long time ago, exposing us for the facade of 'freedom' we all were and are.
And all China had to do was sit and wait it out.
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I was glad to see Mitt Romney saying "Let 'em go bankrupt". One who isn't as turnip-headed as the rest, then!
ReplyDeleteIf McCain had chosen him for VP, we might not be looking at a hope-filled Obama presidency today.
And yet....I prefer the hope, it's good for the soul! :-)
What staggers me T, is the fact that they're not even thinking of throwing money at the successful businesses to make them better, no, they want to throw money at the FAILURES.
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obama is more interested in turning the bailout toward the people--folks who are out of work and losing their houses.
ReplyDeletei don't like a corporate bailout any more than you do, WWW. but i also worry that if those three companies go down the tubes, the repercussions will be staggering. so many people will lose their jobs--not just the auto workers, but all the ancillary jobs. here in the TC we just saw one of the major auto dealers shut down six of his dealerships overnight, putting 400 more people out of work.
so no, i have no sympathy for the folks who run General Motors. but i do have sympathy for the folks who depend upon them for their livelihood.,
Oh I agree Laurie but I also feel that if all the effort when into green technology jobs would be found for people, i.e. electric cars, wind mills, geothermal systems, etc,. etc. But not to these blood sucking behemoths that are part of another time and place.
ReplyDeleteI feel so sorry for the workers but bailouts will only be a very short stop-gap and will certainly reward the CEOs more than anyone else.
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Wow, stumbled on your blog for the first time today, and it blew my socks off! As a fellow Irish-born, Canadian by choice, woman of a certain age, I love your slant on things.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you on the corporate bailouts, btw. I can't help feeling that they are all getting on the bandwagon for the free money, whether they need it or not. And I am sickened beyond belief by the way the Canadian banks are behaving. One minute they're boasting about being the best-governed, most solvent banks in the world; next, they're waving the begging bowl too, hanging on to the interest rate drop, and screwing their poor customers for all they're worth, jacking up the interest rate on overdue bills etc. If I had any money, you can bet I'd keep it away from those filthy bloodsuckers.
If you think I feel strongly about this, you might be right ...
Oh welcome Tessa:
ReplyDeleteAnother exile in Maple Leaf Country!
Yes, I see the Canadian Banks hopping up and begging too. More bonuses for the Big 5.
Post Holiday Season will be the season of reckoning for us poor plebs as we sift through the ashes.
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Oh welcome Tessa:
ReplyDeleteAnother exile in Maple Leaf Country!
Yes, I see the Canadian Banks hopping up and begging too. More bonuses for the Big 5.
Post Holiday Season will be the season of reckoning for us poor plebs as we sift through the ashes.
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I can't even fathom what's going on in the Brit economy and what the solution is I'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteExcept that we should probably all stand up and shout 'We're mad as hell and we're not going to take this anymore!'
Laura:
ReplyDeleteOur overlords would probably arrest us all and send us to the new Gitmos that are being set up for civilian unrest!
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