I’m a Damn Yankee Who Believes in the Big Three Auto Makers

I can’t understand why the fools in Washington are so blind to the fact that if the auto manufacturers fail…so goes the entire country. Southern senators are primarily to blame…southern senators who hate unions! It’s politics as usual! If you don’t believe me, take a look at the vote by each senator which sent the manufacturers back to Detroit empty handed.

Please keep in mind that the car makers were asking for a LOAN to be paid back with interest! However, the Wall Street thieves were given or are going to get over $700 billion of United States taxpayers’ in BAILOUT money. No one is letting us know where the money is now…whether it has been awarded or not. For sure, there are no strings attached to this rape of the average middle-class American. No repayment is going to happen because it is certainly not a loan. The bailout has, at this point, done absolutely nothing to correct the economic disaster that persists in the U.S. There is still no money available for loans that small businesses need, no mortgage money available to the average American family, and no loan money available for potential customers of automobile dealerships, etc. Only the wealthy are able at this time to finance their businesses, buy a house or business property or purchase a vehicle.

So who is really to blame for the financial troubles of the auto makers and the rest of us who need loans for certain purchases? Who is supporting the Wall Street thieves? Washington is supporting them…the other group of thieves who care more about being re-elected and kissing the butts of their constituents than to actually serve the country. I have a sincere hatred especially for the southern senators who campaigned against the Big 3 loan.

Southern businessmen hate unions because unions would require them to pay their workers an honest wage. That’s the basis for their hatred of northern car manufacturers. They don’t hate the car factories as much as they hate the unions. In fact they fight hard to keep unions out of their states totally. That includes manufacturing factories of any kind. I saw this action by business owners in person when I worked as a newspaper journalist in the south. Do you know that many southern state government officials including Alabama and its Senator Shelby give foreign auto makers great incentives to build cars there? Land was given to Honda in Alabama and the foreign company received special tax relief and other concessions.

Southern auto workers don’t have the advantage of joining unions. Here in the north we appreciate our workers and treat them accordingly providing a few extras for them and their families. That brings the average wage of unionized auto plant workers to a few dollars more than what is paid to workers in non-union foreign car plants. I’m speaking of the total wage not just the hourly rate. The total wage includes paid health insurance, disability insurance, pension plans and other benefits. Despite all the advantages our workers have we are still able to keep wages within reason. I’m not sure but I doubt that southern workers in manufacturing plants of any kind have any benefits at all. They sure didn’t have any when I loved there…many were paid minimum wage.

Now that I have half of the country totally furious with me about what I’ve said here, think about this. How is the demise of the Michigan auto plants going to affect your state and possibly your livelihood? Many, many other businesses rely on being suppliers of the materials that go into the building of each vehicle. Does your state have steel, glass, aluminum, textile, plastic and other similar manufacturing plants? What about makers of batteries, electric components and light bulbs, carpeting and paint? What about the retail stores, grocery stores, restaurants and bars around the auto plants who will suffer as many of the workers are fired, laid off or bought out. Do you have ad agencies, insurance providers? Do you have machining or tool and die shops? Many similar businesses here in the Detroit area have already seen their business income cut in half.

Auto workers and their families are becoming destitute as their jobs are lost and unemployment benefits come to an end. Do you have auto dealerships in your state? Where will the mechanics find work or the body shop workers, sales personnel and office personnel go to work?

Millions of workers across the entire United States of America will feel the result if the Michigan auto companies fail. Will you be one of them? If the country’s economy goes into depression because of this failure, and it surely will, how will your income and your family be affected? Better think about it because it’s likely to become a reality if the Big 3 are lost!