Basically they said. "Drop Dead Michigan! We have all our cute little plants down here owned by the Japanese and we are not going to give one penny to their competition-American Made cars." No matter that they have also sent a death blow to all the car dealership in the south that sell GM. Instead they pick up the battle cry-it's all the union's fault. No matter-that labor costs are only 20% of the cost of a car. No mention of the huge wage concessions the UAW has given over the past 3 years or the fact they reopened their contract and GAVE away their Job Bank-before they even asked! Wages at the big 3 are now very close to the Japanese plants in the south-another point raely raised.
Even President Bush has recognized the importance of the auto industry to the overall economy. It is nice to see him standing up and doing what is right. Perhaps because he doesn't have to worry about reelection, perhaps because he doesn't want to leave office with the worse economic picture since 1969. No matter at least he has the treasury department looking into a bridge loan.
What makes me so angry is the fact we bailed Wall Street out with 700 billion with no questions asked-and they don't make or build anything. But the Automakers want a loan-not a gift but a loan-and instead for Christmas they filled our stockings with coal.
Midwesterners have a L-o-n-g- memory. When these same water starved states come knocking on Michigan's door for some of our Great Lakes water-I bet you can guess what our response will be.
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