When the candidates for Congress, Senate, or any other office start talking about "economic development" and "creating jobs," as they are sure to do, ask them, "What kind of car do you drive?" If anyone knows what kind of wheels these ambitious office seekers are sporting, feel free to answer for them.
My city council person drives a tricycle, but he didn't buy it.
ReplyDeleteDid you vote for him?
ReplyDeleteBuy it or steal it, but drive American!
ReplyDeleteLioneld Jordan drives American.
ReplyDeleteCandy Clark drives American.
How much horseshit can you cram into one argument. There are few "American cars" anymore. In fact there are ZERO.
ReplyDeleteFord has major plants in Mexico. Do they make the entire car? Hell no. Major auto parts manufactures have plants in Mexico and all over So. America.
Want a real joke? Try to find some auto tires that are truly made in the USA.
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What you should focus upon are trade talks and agreements. That's where they've been stickin it up our rear ends for several decades. Chinese and Japanese love free trade but when our lilly-livered trade representives finish a session they give away the store. It's free for the Asians but not Americans.
ReplyDeleteIt helps Wally World funnel billions into stockholders pockets but it does nothing for American workers.
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I drive a wholly inferior American made car in hopes of attaining political office
ReplyDelete@L 3:51, Cooper Tire in Texarkana makes tires in America, and their employees are members of USW.
ReplyDeleteJohn Gray, the mayor of Greenland and a Green Party candidate for US Senate, was driving an American car the last time I saw him.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing buying an American brand does any different is make American wealthy types wealthier. Practically all of the cars sold here are built in factories on our soil, so choosing your brand only affects the guys at the very top.
ReplyDeleteHmm- these arguments do ring true. but there is a differnce in the differnt "factories built on our soil." The differnce lies in cars made largely in Detroit (etc.) with organized labor and cars made in factories in (largely southern)states that are there for the cheap labor and the corporate welfare those states offer. the "American/Foreign" dichotomy is inexact, and misstates the multinational nature of any of these companies, but it does get at that a little.
ReplyDeleteLibertas, thanks for the tip. since I live in the land of the ice and snow i'm sorry to admit that i'll be putting those tires on a subaru, but still...
Dan Coody drives a rice burner for sure. I think the city used to give him about five or six thousand a year for "travel expenses," so he could have bought several for that $40K over eight years. That's 3,598,400.00 Japanese Yen.
ReplyDeleteYOU PEOPLE, with all due respect, Jonah(s) included, HAVE WAY TOO MUCH TIME ON YOUR HANDS: I DRIVE A RED HERRING.
ReplyDeleteWHAT THE FRAK IS AMERICAN ANYMORE?
FOR THE STICKER SHOCK, CHECK THIS OUT:
http://tinyurl.com/DRIVEMENUTZ
"libertas said... @L 3:51, Cooper Tire in Texarkana makes tires in America, and their employees are members of USW."
ReplyDeleteWell, almost but no cigar. The finished rubber stock is imported, like the generators, power steering units, transaxles are outsourced. They don't call them assembly lines for nothing. They outsource as much as possible with a few nuisance laws left that prevent them from more assembly abroad for $4 day.
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Anon 5:22. Dan Coody was given a "car allowance," a flat sum of $500 or so each month that required no receipts or records, not actually "travel expenses" as we know them in the real world. I think I remember reading that Jordan abolished that slush fund the week he took office.
ReplyDeleteLibertas drives an American-made car and his wife drives one from the UK.
ReplyDeleteBut who gives a shit? Do we really think buying American cars is going to save this economy? We need to change a lot more than what cars we buy. How about what food we eat, or what clothes we wear? Or what energy resources we're importing?
Jonah, your posts have gotten better lately, but this one is a return to your old sorry ways.
Unions aren't good by default. The union situation with the big three is a clear example of corruption from the workers' side of the table.
ReplyDeleteI like unions and wish we had more, but it's only a fool who thinks it doesn't take wise leadership to keep a union on the path of fairness.
The same goes for corporate leadership.
Anon 10:26 almost got it right. Libertas drives a Ford that was assembled by a union shop in Ontario, Canada. His wife drives a car from a Munich company assembled in Spartanburg, SC, by non-union American workers. Both vehicles were "pre-owned" as they say, but neither gets a pass from Jonah's imprecatory blog entry.
ReplyDeleteInteresting note: A review of cars parked WEEKLY at the politically powerful, socially broad, deeply rooted NGO grass-root connected and generally under the radar public relations power network known as the "Upper Mid-Town Social Club" (Yes, this is a real group I'm curious about) Chevy's and Fords aren't that important. Toyotas (yikes), Hondas, VWs and even Jags are abundant. Chevy's and Fords are scarce. Who are these political power brokers and what are they up to?
ReplyDeleteMove over Washington/Willow/Wilson Park whiners. I submit, this group of "Upper Mid-Town" bankers, lawyers, business leaders, city administrators, educators, activists and public relations/media power brokers will most likely shape the economic and political future of Fayetteville.