I hear that there have been some injuries to automotive mechanics as well. If you're not trained to work on one, they can be quite dangerous.

There is no alternative.

Other than nationalizing things like the automotive biz (build cars that people need instead of cars that the oil companies want us to buy).

We may be beyond the point of no return.

Rich people have gotten too wealthy.

I can think of at least one quick fix for that.

I don't really like giving my views on these topics -- everyone is so biased by ideologies that it's almost impossible to sift through attacks and just bullshit.

Over the past six months I've spent many late nights trying to figure out what is happening to the US, and how it's going to affect my life in Australia. Our government seems to be following suit (create money, bail out failing industries, announce huge budget deficits).

Isn't it time to ask the question - is it worth 'stimulating' an economy that seems to be fundamentally flawed?

We, in western countries, have lived in probably the most leveraged state in history. Not just banks, the entire society. We used this leverage to purchase and consume goods made abroad, and to fund a service sector economy that is crashing now.

Now all this money that can't be paid back has to be written off. It can't be paid back. The leverage that existed because of this capital is gone.

Paulson and Bernanke pulled off a deft maneuver with the original TARP package.

There would have been a complete collapse of the American economy if they didn't act. The elephant in the room is simple though - what actually is the American economy?

It's a consumer and service sector based economy. Very little real goods are actually produced. The US has run a trade deficit since 1975.

There isn't a viable economy to stimulate. Even the automotive industry, considered the pinnacle of American manufacturing, burns cash at rates that render it unable to compete in a global market.

I've only read 200 pages of the act so far, and it seems like (excluding the TARP packages) it is the biggest transference of wealth from taxpayers to whomever the government decides in all time. It's a quick fix that will keep the government in power thanks in part to keeping a lot of people employed... by the government. A new social contract will emerge as written by Rahm Emanuel in his book "The Plan".

The whole saga has shown the world -- or at least myself, just what I suspected about America all along. The 'values' that they proudly proselytize to the world don't mean a god damn thing when a real test shows up.

Sadly, the next two years will probably sound the death knell for capitalism in my life time.

Cliffs:

a) America's economy is fake and nothing can 'save' it, it needs to be reinvented
b) America is bankrupt and will eventually default on it's debt to the rest of the world
c) Primarily, the manipulation of the Fractional Reserve Banking system caused the problem

Thoughts?

PS. I apologize if this is a little all over the place, I'm writing it between meetings at work.

Conspicuous consumption at its automotive best.

Specs on the car for engineering and automotive fans.

More videos, and info on the car by the owner is here.

What's wrong with the man appreciating the beauty of the design and engineering of these machines? He's so truly interested and invested in the history of the automotive industry that he actually knows how to run a Stanley Steamer, for Christ's sake. If he's got the cash, let him have his collection.

Upvote for reference to crappy UK automotive electrics, though any comedian discussing Heisenberg is likely to get my vote anyway.

From the music, it sounds like some of the ships might be haunted. Maybe you get to unlock the Black Pearl if you carry 50 shipments of automotive parts from Japan to America without hitting an iceberg...

Tags for this video have been changed from 'automotive, nostalgia' to 'automotive, nostalgia, cheap, disintegrate, lada, crumble' - edited by silvercord

And then there's this email I received from the Campaign for Liberty tonight, an email I expect because I signed up for it.


December 10, 2008

Dear fellow Patriot,

Just as we promised, Congressional leaders weren't content with their $700 billion bailout this past fall and are ready to pass another one -- this time for the American automotive industry.

Visit our activist Liberty Blog at http://www.campaignforliberty.com to learn how you can help fight this round of government theft and wealth redistribution, or just keep reading.

In the agreement just formulated earlier today by Congressional Democrats and the White House, our government has pledged to wrest another $23 billion away from taxpayers to subsidize the inefficiency and reward the poor management and performance of -- count them -- one, two, three giant corporations.

But that's not all.

More intervention like this means greater government oversight and regulation -- and more inflation as the government prints and spends even more dollars.

As one economic thinker once reflected, a subsidy may be a form of establishment, but it's really a means of capture.

Even if the bailout passes the house, we have a chance to muster some opposition in the Senate.

Using the contact information provided on our website, tell your Senator to support the Ensign filibuster. While you’re at it, thank Senator Ensign for standing up to Big Labor and Big Business.

Auto Bailout Looming

It looks like the White House and Congressional Democrat leadership have reached a deal on the auto bailout, although there aren't very many details at this point.

Plans for a "car czar" seem to still be included as part of the deal. So, not only will your money be spent for the bailout, it will be used to pay a new government appointee, staff his office, and take care of the other requirements that come along with that job. (It also gives them one more person to shift the blame to when the problems continue.)

All of this is being done again, of course, out of "necessity," we are told. Just like buying up all the toxic assets was a "necessity" until the Treasury got the money and decided to spend it on everything but. This is what happens when the majority of Congress is not guided by any philosophy other than the one that says that government can cure all of our ills with just a little more money (or billions more).

A vote could come at any time, with signs pointing toward later today.

To keep reading for up-to-date news on the bailout, sample letters, and your
representatives' contact information, visit C4L’s blog at http://www.campaignforliberty.com and take action right away.

If you haven't already done so, please bookmark our website www.campaignforliberty.com for real-time news updates and discussion regarding our shared freedoms and liberty.

For liberty,


John Tate
President
Campaign For Liberty

First off all, it's not a "bail out" it is a loan.

Second, if you'd like to talk about "small businesses", how many small businesses would you see evaporate with no auto industry to supply goods to?

If the automotive industry is able to declare bankruptcy, they no longer have to honor contracts such as those with the UAW. A LOT of GOP fucktards are pushing for the big-three to fail precisely to dismantle organized labor.

These fucks don't give one shit about "saving the taxpayers money", they are chomping at the bit to once and for all destroy unions for good and for anyone to fall prey to their rhetoric and propoganda is very very dangerous.

wow, these deers aren't afraid of human or automotive traffic. WOW.

>> ^spoco2:
I guess you could give them money on the huge proviso that it ONLY be used to develop and build alternative fuel/electric cars. All finances must be fully reported, cars must be available to buy in a short timeframe etc.


I think this is the wisest solution.

The concept of simply slashing at the very least 1 million jobs, not including the vast amount of jobs that rely on the US auto industry, is not something to take lightly.

The entire midwest could be tossed into a bleak nightmare world, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Especially since 90% of my family works either at one of the big-3, or for a supplier.

Where are these people supposed to go find work? What other industry could all these people look toward? Are we just gonna tell all these people "hey, WalMart and McDonalds are hiring!"

I'm completely torn on this. I do NOT want to subsidize these bloated and outdated giants, but I also don't want to force millions more people onto welfare, meanwhile completely throwing away our entire automotive industry for possibly our lifetimes?


Spoco is correct.

*promote automotive video bailout

The Volt can go do something of a sexual nature to a phallus.

GM could've "saved" the automotive world from oil in the early 2000s with the EV-1. Instead they destroyed it. The EV-1 could do more than 100 miles to a charge, the Volt does less. I understand it is running on a generator that requires petrol to run it, to charge the battery, to keep the car going. It just seems slightly redundant. I know, I know, it will use less gas, and that is supposed to be "the point", however, it is still keeping the public holding onto oil.

I don't know what GM thinks they're doing, but they're doing it wrong.