According to the GOP, it's only reasonable when the working class takes the cutback.

It's unfair if the rich people or the management have to cutback, too.

Anyone else think it would be awesome if Bill Gates and Warren Buffet would get together and give the auto industry the money they need out of their own pockets? "Forget the political bullshit we'll save you, but this is what's going to happen to get you going and make us our money back."

Killed for political reasons? That's kind of vacuous. Wouldn't almost any action of a politician be for political reasons?

Republicans think the country would be stronger if labor unions hadn't negotiated $73 an hour compensation for assembly line workers. (NOTE, I said compensation, not wages, which still average a ridiculous $40 an hour, see http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/business/economy/10leonhardt.html?ref=business).

Democrats (and obviously the labor unions) think the country would be stronger if some of our largest manufacturers didn't falter and potentially go bankrupt.

They're both playing a game of brinkmanship. They both concede that it was down to a single issue (whether pay cuts would start immediately or in 2011), and neither side would budge. The language of this segment blames the republicans, but how big a villain can they be for keeping their hands off of the industry? The car companies and unions are the ones who came begging for help.

BTW, here's the text of the memo that Countdown obtained:

http://thenewshole.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/12/12/1713569.aspx

Rychan, that up there ^, that's evil.

Both sides are conceding that this was the final issue that the Dems and Unions didn't cave on.

The Republicans though, aren't mentioning that their whole goal was to put the screws to the Unions as hard as they could, and the Dems called their bluff.

The only ones playing "brinksmanship" are the asshats who brought us to the brink in the first place: the Republicans.

>> ^HollywoodBob:
Anyone else think it would be awesome if Bill Gates and Warren Buffet would get together and give the auto industry the money they need out of their own pockets? "Forget the political bullshit we'll save you, but this is what's going to happen to get you going and make us our money back."


I think that would be stupid of anyone to just give any auto company the money. You don't give someone who can't succeed in business money and expect them to pay you back. Instead of throwing money in a blackhole, they could buy controling interest in the company and then replace the failed executives.

That's funny. That sounds exactly like what will happen so long as the government and their bailouts stay out of the market. Provided, the company will only be bought out if there is anyone who thinks it can be saved, and if there isn't anyone who thinks it can be saved, that says a lot about the state of those companies. When someone wouldn't buy a company "on the cheap" because they don't think they would be able to make their investment worthwhile, that says a lot about the state of the company in the market.

.

>> ^HollywoodBob:
Anyone else think it would be awesome if Bill Gates and Warren Buffet would get together and give the auto industry the money they need out of their own pockets? "Forget the political bullshit we'll save you, but this is what's going to happen to get you going and make us our money back."


I don't think those guys got rich by making investments where they knew they'd lose money. And thankfully, the Republicans are as wise.

Anyone else notice the sub-heading: Epic Bail?

I lol'd.

FROM SAID NOTE:
"The sooner you can have press releases and documents like this in the hands of members and the press, the better"
I don't think this was a leak....you'd have to be retarded to think it was if you've read it.
The points in said memo
1. Supporting this bill first time around will encourage the bad business practices that created the problem in the first place, like paying a semi-skilled worker $70/hour for two years. (It would take way more than 2 years for the 3 to get back on their feet, especially if they have this burden.)
2. Let's take time and look at the situation instead of throwing money at anyone who says they need it.

damn capitalists and their thinking....