>Okay, now I am totally bummed. The economic downturn has finally affected me.
I should start out with all the things I am grateful for – my simple mantra is “thank you for the abundance and prosperity in my life”. That being said, I am totally bummed! On Saturday, after attending the play Saint Heaven, my mom and I dropped off my son and then headed over to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Chevy’s. They have the best chips and salsa and quite possibly, with the exception of my own, the best margaritas.
We drove through the parking lot from a different direction than normal and noticed it appeared bare. There were also no exterior lights. Sure enough, there was a sign on the door indicating an upcoming public auction. We were saddened and shocked. This is a place for good eats that always seemed very busy! It probably did not help that another store sharing the same parking lot had also gone out of business. A tragedy really.
Now for my soap box – there were no government bailouts for this establishment. I doubt it even made the news. But workers were affected and, while not the same effect as the auto industry, there will be a downstream effect.
Why then, did we not help them? And why are we considering help the US auto industry? The big three CEOs showed up asking for handouts from Congress and did not even have a plan for how this money would be used. And did I mention, or have you heard, that each of these CEOs each showed up in a private jet?
The auto industry needs to be held accountable for their actions. Long before $4 per gallon gas, the US people were asking for more efficient cars with better gas mileage. The technology for an electric car has been around for years and if you have not seen “Who Killed the Electric Car” you should. Yes, people will be displaced – but let’s retrain them. Currently we are shipping electronics jobs overseas – why can’t US workers learn these skills? Will they get paid the same – maybe not. But, I would also argue that the wages paid to the autoworkers were artificially inflated by the actions of the UAW. Between the lobbying of the petroleum industry and that of the Unions, it is not wonder that the US auto industry is in deep doo-doo.
Is the solution easy – of course not. Would I feel differently if I lived in Michigan and had family that had always worked for the auto industry – maybe so. But these desperate times call for desperate measures. A CEO showing up by private jet with no real plan for the bailout they are asking for is not the way to go. It is insulting to me as a fiscally responsible taxpayer.
I believe the paraphrased quote is “Same input – same output”. We need to do something drastic – maybe nothing at all. What happened to the economics of liaise faire? I think I spelled that correctly. if we keep bailing out industries, how do we know they will ever be viable?
Okay, all this economic talk has made my head hurt – I could use a margarita. But alas… Good bye Chevy’s – you will be missed.
Color Me Mod(ern) 