Republican blow at unions

Los Angeles Times reported The congressional push to help U.S. automakers was generally cast in terms of protecting the reeling national economy from another body blow -- the collapse of one or more of Detroit's Big Three.

Chapter 11 will have the unions complaining, but it will not destroy the company, and the workers will still have jobs, just not cushy jobs.

But in killing the stopgap rescue plan worked out by President Bush and congressional Democrats, conservative Republicans -- many from right-to-work states across the South -- struck at an old enemy: organized labor. "If the [United Auto Workers], which is perceived as one of the strongest unions in the country, can be put under control,

That is never going to happen.

that may send a message across the whole country," said Michigan State University professor Richard Block, a labor relations expert.

Hopefully it will send a message that they should make sure the workers have reasonable working conditions, but they should not kill the company by making demands that bankrupt the company.

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Beliefs

Hot Air reported More Americans believe in the devil than in evolution

That is reasonable. They have seen things Satan has created; they have not seen a species created by evolution.

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Rescuing GM

National Journal Magazine reported Maybe GM could enter bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11, restructure, and emerge stronger.

Many companies have. That is the purpose of Chapter 11.

But maybe not. If customers and creditors fled, bankruptcy protection might quickly bring about GM's collapse.

If the company is in that bad a state, then throwing good taxpayer dollars into that black hole will only delay the inevitable.

"I think it is very risky," says Maryann Keller, a respected automotive analyst. A few years ago, in a stronger economy, the industry might have absorbed a body blow, but if GM were liquidated today, Keller says, it would take down much of the supplier base.

Are they not capable of making parts that stable car companies can use?

Then the failure "spreads out all over the place."

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Robotic Self Healing Chair

This is just what the world needs, a chair that can fix itself:

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$14B auto bailout dies in Senate

Yahoo! News reported A bailout-weary Congress killed a $14 billion package to aid struggling U.S. automakers Thursday night after a partisan dispute over union wage cuts derailed a last-ditch effort to revive the emergency aid before year's end.

Wonderful. Now let us hope the Treasury Secretary does not do an end run around the Senate and give them money from the bailout that is supposed to fix the financial system.

Republicans, breaking sharply with President George W. Bush as his term draws to a close, refused to back federal aid for Detroit's beleaguered Big Three without a guarantee that the United Auto Workers would agree by the end of next year to wage cuts to bring their pay into line with U.S. plants of Japanese carmakers. The UAW refused to do so before its current contract with the automakers expires in 2011.

So why should we continue bailing them out until then?

The breakdown left the fate of the auto industry — and the 3 million jobs it touches — in limbo at a time of growing economic turmoil. General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC have said they could be weeks from collapse.

Chapter 11 will protect them, and allow them to emerge in a form where they can be truly competitive.

Ford Motor Co. says it does not need federal help now, but its survival is far from certain.

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Political Quiz

Take the World's Smallest Political Quiz and find out where you fit on the political map!

My PERSONAL issues Score is 50%.
My ECONOMIC issues Score is 100%.
It says I am a Conservative. Gee, am I surprised.

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A Christmas Story

I thought this was funny when I read it at Kiss My Gumbo

A Christmas Story for people having a bad day:

When four of Santa’s elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure.

Then Mrs Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.

When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.

Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.

Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drunk all the cider and hidden the liquor. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.

Just then the doorbell rang, and irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.
The angel said very cheerfully, ‘Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn’t this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?’

And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.

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