Saturday, December 20, 2008

Screw GM, Ford, and Chrysler...

We need to bail out these guys. Come on Canada, lets save this Canadian institution.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Outgoing President Bush caved into the auto companies and their powerful, greedy unions’ bailout demand by agreeing to squander billions of taxpayers’ dollars. He thereby avoided dealing with their wretched predicament by kicking it down the road for the next, even more liberal, interventionist president to deal with.

Two auto companies will received a $17.5 billion so-called bridge loan with many, many more billions doubtlessly coming from Obama, Harper and McGuinty next spring/summer before the US and Canadian governments realize that they are just burning good money. At that time our big spending, leftist leaders will finally recognize that the industry requires re-structuring via an orderly, pre-packaged bankruptcy. Of course, by that time the billions of tax dollars will have been emaciated and both countries will have inflicted their kids with massive future tax increases and lower standard of livings.

The most insanely unjustifiable clause of this pathetic covenant is the non-binding “target” cuts pursuant to UAW/CAW auto workers’ wage, benefits and legacy costs. If our leaders had to agree to this bridge to eventual bankruptcy, they should have negotiated an immediate, binding resolutions pursuant to these issues.

The unions are already calling this an “unfair agreement”, and why not, they know that they have a far-left very, very union friendly new president coming in January? The CAW also knows that Canada’s left of center big spending PM and premier will always cave to their demands as ordered. They will demand, and get an absolute and unconditional re-write of this agreement that will allow them to maintain their preposterously high, unsustainable wages. This agreement should have been based on Senator Corker’s amendment that would have directed both the companies and the unions to complement price structures comparable with non union companies. The UAW/CAW should be given two, and only two, options: immediate wage parity with the non-union auto makers, or instantaneous bankruptcy.

The really poignant situation for Canadian taxpayers is the depressing fact that out big spending, fiscally liberal Prime Minister and Ontario’s premier have agreed, without knowing the pitifully deplorable terms of the agreement, to plummet the country/province into an industrial and job slaughtering deficit that will result in a much lower standard of living. Is there another shoe to drop, or are we economically barefoot; which industry is going to step up to the plate for billions of tax dollars next?

And we were dense enough to think we had elected a legitimate fiscal, social and/or judicial conservative PM who would not compel our sons and daughters to endure extremely high taxes!

---machiavelli

Anonymous said...

Anon

The only reason(s) that I feel justify such a move are the potetial (taxpayer) expense of having thousands of workers on E.I., a bankrupt and idle automotive industry (and associated loss of tax revenue). Maybe this is the lesser and cheaper of two evils. Thoughts?

Barry6176

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Ardvark said...

Anon #3: Deleted, unless you can find me some proof rather than Liberal lies and spin. Good luck with that.

Anon#2: What makes an auto workers job more important than say a forestry workers job or a farmers job? Both of those industries have been hurting for years and I never heard a single auto worker suggest they get bailed out.

Anonymous said...

Ardvark I am conservative party member and I am autoworker
and I say this
GO (edited) #%&* YOURSELF!!!!

Ardvark said...

Nice language anon auto worker.

Maybe you could explain to myself why you and your other union brothers are not willing to make any concessions at all to save your jobs?

Silence.....

Prairiehuckster39 said...

Anon and others are not willing to make any sacrifices to save their jobs because they think it is the Government's problem to fix.

Like any person, household, business, corporation, privately owned "whatever"...there is accountability and the need to live within a budget.

The world is in such a state right now because of sheer greed. Yup, I'm not afraid to say it, the whole damn world is greedy and living far beyond their means. We have replaced needs like food, clothing, and shelter with all of our WANTS. Oh my God...the Joneses have something better than me, I'd better go out and get something bigger, better, more expensive to prove I am superior.

I could mortgage my ass from here to the moon to get all the stuff I want and then when times change from good to bad (like now) I'm screwed. Instead I live modestly, not because I want to....but BECAUSE I HAVE TO. I don't have the money tree in my backyard.

So I am so "sorry" when big business and corporations are in dire straights (note the crapload of sarcasm here)...they are where they are due to not operating within a budget. They live large, build big, expand this, expand that, they do all these grandeous things based on a false premise that it will always be a time of plenty. WAKE UP big corporate North America,you have far exceeded your finacial means. You've made your bed and it's time you washed the sheets. I also feel you should change bed partners too. Your union bedpartners have not only screwed you over by putting you in compromised positions, but they've also sold you out. All the love talk they whispered in your ear has only been for THEIR benefit not yours.

Union members who believe their leaders have been looking out for their best interests are only fooling themselves. Look where they have you now. They have "bargained" on your behalf, filled their pockets with money, and have put all of you in jeopardy of losing countless jobs.
They might as well be the ones with their hand on the lock to the factory doors. [insert video of the "bargaining shuffle"]

If the autoworkers in this country and the United States want to keep food on the table, clothes on their back, and a roof overhead they had better figure out what they are willing to sacrifice (and yes that means some of the precious WANTS in life)...otherwise you are going to lose more than you can ever imagine.

Bec said...

I am against the bailout so I want to qualify that but I do want to share an example of the total picture argument.

The insurance industry for example.

If the big 3 cease to exist, millions of Canadians own vehicles, made by them. They also insure these vehicles.
If the parts to repair them become obsolete and body shops etc cannot replace important components, then what? It affects a completely different industry to say nothing of the innocent consumer. Of course, that industry alone as it applies to the overall effect, is way more complicated than even the example I gave.

These are the type of scenarios that I have started looking at to rationalize it in my mind, otherwise I say, figure it out, big 3, Greed and incompetence got you where you are, today.

Anonymous said...

Well well well , I see the Useful idiots and pro-Union anti-War yahoos were down on University Ave. today to poke another stick in the eye of the ailing US Auto Industry.
The Islamists in canada have found enough morons to help kill the canadian economy by irking the Americans with the "Shoe-Toss" as an insult to George Bush .

5 years ago I predicted that the Liberals and Pro-Union protestors that bashed the USA for electing a Moron from Texas would rue that day , Canadians bought into the Al Gore/Michael Moore tripe that came out of Hollywood as if any of it was factual evidence.
Chretien would rue the day he blamed 9/11 on the Wealthy Americans - this he said right when all MP's got a raise retro-active to April 1st 2001-Carolyn Parrish and the CBC would also rue the days they mocked the USA and blamed all the Global ills on Americans.

CUPE,OPSUE,CAW and others love to talk about tolerance and justice, but they too have roots in a racism when non-White weren't
allowed into a Union, females weren't allowed either, and among the White population some Irish and jews weren't allowed to join.

Oakville saw the death of the Windstar which was moved to the US Windstar Plant as if Americans got fed-up with Parrish,CBC and Chretien's constant slurs at Americans .
The NDP aligned itself with the Pro-Sharia CAIR Org. in canada that is now officially tied to funding terrorism via the Bogus Holy land Foundation Charity, Olivia Chow is now crusading for the Americans to make
"Refugee" claims if the oppose thge Iraq war( even though canada took part with our Navy which Liberals still won't admit) .

For years now I watched the canadian factories close down and move to Mexico while the CAW stayed mute because it wasn't Their job losses , now Mexicans ar fleein g to canada s their jobs go to China .
Here's the real irony for the CAW.

Buzz Hardgrove joined up with Paul Martin,the same Paul Martin that embraced Belinda Stronach who ran Magna for a mere $12 million a year by Daddy who helped Honda and Toyota kill CAW jobs.
Plus, right in my area in the West end of Toronto the CAW "Donated" $200'000.00 of the workers dues to a pro-Refugee
welcoming Centre for more Housing units to help unskilled Mexicans and South Americans get low-paying Non-Union Jobs.
Toronto's very own Mayor endorse the Schools allowing non-Registered
aliens in canada to send their kids to school for Free-Educations , Unions endorse this practise along with covering up rapes and Murders in the schools as we saw with the C.W. Jeffey's ganag-rape and Jordan manner murder in a hallway .

Canada has not had a car Company since about 1942 , and this is why it's so stupid for the rent-a-mob
idiots to keep poking Americans in the eye .
2 weeks ago I heard Obama hint at a bail-Out that may force GM and FORD to pull out of canada to save American jobs.
Obama must have heard the speach from Buzz when he said we had to Buy-Canadian.

As for the CAW members.
If you continue to fill your homes with Imported good at Wal-Mart that enable slave labour in China and Mexico and india, you have a Helluva nerve to tell me to put a CAW car in my garage.

Life is what YOU make it , and maybe you should have spoke up went all those idiot protestors
kept mocking your American UAW brothers as slacked-jawed morons that elected a Idiot president from texas.
Please don't tell me you are that stupid to blindly accept Pay-raises and Benefit increases as if they money just fell from the sky from the Money fairy.
Nows the perfect time for the CAW to Buy the canada GM an FORD so they can set the salaries and share in the profits while only having yourselves to blame during the bad time.

Wake-up to the new reality , the NDP and Toronto have tried to kill the car and get people to use Bike and buses.

Anonymous said...

Aardvark

Hello

I don't think anyone’s job is more important than another’s - however the context of the job losses has changed to one local job loss to one of global crises, global recession and global uncertainty – something that was not there before. I believe that the Fed loans to the auto industry - a huge multi-national industry - will also have a psychological effect of doing something positive, which may calm the panic (real or imagined) going on right now.

Barry6176

maryT said...

How much featherbedding goes on with union contracts of any kind.
The cpr is laying off 600 workers. Wonder if any of them will be from the crew that goes from the US border and back to Lethbridge, but has to stop the train in Warner (at least they quit blocking the roadway) to wait for a taxi from Lethbridge to bring in a fresh crew and take the tired crew back home. It is about 40 miles from Warner to Lethbridge, and I am sure that crew would be exhausted to put in another hour or whatever.
Haven't had a rail strike for years, but I remember when we did. The union now has 16,000 members, what was their membership back in the 60s.
And isn't the bailout only going to happen if all sides make great cuts. Just maybe a CAW worker will have to put in a full days work for a full days pay.
No more, put off till tomorrow what you could do today.
That is what I was told when I was a forced member of CUPE many years ago.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 05:01 pm

BTW

I've been trying to start up a manufacturing business in canada but the Paper Work and legal costs will bankrupt me befor I even get a shovel into the ground to build my Plant.
My ECO-Accessible product exceeds todays standards for Employment Equity and the produce Life-Cycle
was designed by me to last 30+ years with Modular sections to be Scalable for future technology improvements.
The short story is that Canada is not an Inventor-friendly Country because any of the Funding has so many strings attached and Employment gaurantees at High wages...the product will be too exspensive and thus fail.
The current Ontario system seem to be designed to deter anyone from building here , they want people to use China and India so we can Import my Inventions to create Low-paying retail jobs.

It's not my job to bail-out McGuinty or Miller from their Election promises.
I have found a patent Agent in N.Y. that is about 60% cheaper than what Toronto lawyers command, and I researched the Shipping systems for Highway/Rail/Ships and have found the perfect 2 spots for a steady parts supply line.
There were 3 Ontario Companies I contacted to help build my product parts or do a partial assemble, but none cared to get back to me .
I want to create jobs here and employ locals at the same time, the Labour and Shipping costs were chopped so low i can pay a Near-Union wage while still having a nice profit margin.

As long as the Politicians and CAW memeber stick their hands into the Auto business, it will always be a huge Money-Eat monster like the CBC that over-pays for every thing and yet produces item few canadians consume.
The CBC is more like Work-fare for the flunkies that the USA wouldn't touch for their New reports.

Why the hell would I pour all my money and time into a good product just to give it to the Politicians and Unions so they can kill it.

Anonymous said...

Deregulation is dead! Voodoo economics is dead! And free market freaks can crawl back under the rocks that they came from. Managed economies are less hazardous to human survival.

Rand, Nash, Friedman and Greenspan were absolute lunatics.

Thucydides said...

"Managed economies are less hazardous to human survival. "

They are the root cause of the financial crisis. Human survival will become more difficult now that more layers of management and regulation are being applied to the economy.

With any luck, the next four years will discredit this idea and we can see a revival of freedom in 2012.

Anonymous said...

you make me laugh,
UNREGULATED GREED and UNREGULATED FREE MARKETS caused this crisis!!!

Bec said...

"Deregulation is dead! Voodoo economics is dead! And free market freaks can crawl back under the rocks that they came from. Managed economies are less hazardous to human survival."

HA HA HA, get back into your cave, light your fire and stay away from my tax dollar subsidy of your lifestyle! Grow the he!! up and take care of your own sorry butt!

Anonymous said...

well Bec, luckily americans didnt vote for some free market freak.
Free market idiots caused this crises, not regulations

Anonymous said...

"We cannot afford, in the United States or Canada, the catastrophic short-term collapse of the Big Three automakers. The U.S. has signaled that they are not going to allow these companies to fail, and we will do our share of the North American package to see that this doesn't happen either," said Harper speaking at a news conference in Toronto.

Canada's automotive industry represents 14 percent of the country's manufacturing output, 23 percent of manufactured exports, and directly employs more than 150,000 Canadians. The country's largest industry within the manufacturing sector, it has been suffering from its slowest sales in 26 years and dwindling operating cash.

Anonymous said...

Canadian Banking system works. Because the freemarket carpetbaggers didn't get to it.

Thank god for regulations

Ardvark said...

I am OK with floating loans but concessions have to be made by everyone at every level of the companies and not just by the union workers on the floor. These guys blew it once with their own money and if they want to be using MY tax dollars, things have to change.


Greed and massive spending with borrowed money got us into this and I really do not see how more massive spending will now miraculously fix the problem.

Ardvark said...

"Deregulation is dead! Voodoo economics is dead! And free market freaks can crawl back under the rocks that they came from. Managed economies are less hazardous to human survival."

You are either a troll or are just another lefty too clueless to know any better.

Without freedom there can be no human survival, and I prefer that I manage my own life rather than you or any of your other lefty buddies who think that they know better than me.

I do this for my own survival because I do not trust you, and I doubt that you would trust me to "manage" your life.

So simple yet so hard for the left to understand.

Anonymous said...

Just ask people of Iceland where
free market deregulation got them :)
Thank god for our PM who understands, not like rest of you Reform freaks in the west

Anonymous said...

Ah you gotta love good ole free market capitalists, they run as far away from the government as they can and tell everyone else how bad and rotten the government is. Then when they have made off with all the money, jobs, pension funds etc. then they ask the government to help them. I hope this finally puts to rest once and for all the grand experiment called trickle down economics. Oh and I am not talking about the big three here, that is a different story.

Ardvark said...

You convinced me.

First a 'managed economy' and then 'managed births'.

I am sure all of you lefties will get behind that 'managed births' idea with the same enthusiasm as you are with these bailouts.