I’m going to take a few days to think about things, relax, and get away from this Blog. Might spend a little time reading the Bible…. and try and finish that book, that I’ve been meaning to finish…
I’m not quitting… I’m just a bit peeved.
This whole auto bailout thing has gotten me into an awful funk. I’m finding much of what’s being said about the unions grating against me personally and my family.
So, I think I’ll just go find something else to do, until this stupid story gets out of the headlines.
I’ll post a link or something, that I find interesting. But for now, I Just need a bit of a break.
I am, without apology, a moderate. For most political matters, I’m pretty much cut and dry. But when it comes to personal matters, I tend to lean more towards a moderate, compassionate stance.
This is one of them matters.
I happen to be reading my RSS feeds and I was rather alarmed by the coldness and dismissive tone of this Blog entry.
The entry which I happened to come upon by reading Lew Rockwell’s Blog. Some smart mouth jackass by the name of Philip Greeenspun says, basically, “To the hell with G.M. let them go bankrupt.”
Mr. Greenspun, on the behalf of my Father, a 31 year G.M. Employee and Retiree of General Motors, Cadillac Motor Car Division; and a United Auto Workers Member and everyone else in both of those organizations, who have done more physical labor, than you’ll ever hope to perform; I personally invite you to take a long, extended vacation……IN HELL.
There are just some issues where my Libertarianism stops and my Americanism or Nationalism starts. This is one of those places. 😡
The problem is not technical, uh, and the problem is not mastery of the legislative intricacies of Washington. The problem is, uh, can you get the American people to say, “This is really important,” and force their representatives to do the right thing? That requires mobilizing a citizenry. That requires them understanding what is at stake. Uh, and climate change is a great example.
You know, when I was asked earlier about the issue of coal, uh, you know — Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Even regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad. Because I’m capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, you know, natural gas, you name it — whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, uh, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers.
They — you — you can already see what the arguments will be during the general election. People will say, “Ah, Obama and Al Gore, these folks, they’re going to destroy the economy, this is going to cost us eight trillion dollars,” or whatever their number is. Um, if you can’t persuade the American people that yes, there is going to be some increase in electricity rates on the front end, but that over the long term, because of combinations of more efficient energy usage, changing lightbulbs and more efficient appliance, but also technology improving how we can produce clean energy, the economy would benefit.
If we can’t make that argument persuasively enough, you — you, uh, can be Lyndon Johnson, you can be the master of Washington. You’re not going to get that done.
Sorry, you cannot spin that. Obama, in essence, is saying that he will cause one industry to collapse. All so he can promote his own agenda of “Green” energy. The problem with that is this, there are no tested, proven and ready alternative forms of energy, yet.
Ed from HotAir weighs in:
Energy prices skyrocketing will leave the economy in tatters, as we saw earlier this year. While no one doubts the need to start transitioning to better sources of energy, the manner in which that gets done means the difference of whether it gets done at all. A stagnant or receding economy does not produce scientific breakthroughs, especially when government both increases taxes and imposes steep cost burdens on energy. That cuts into both manufacturing and R&D, because as profits fall, fewer dollars go into research — which means that all of these wonderful developments would get delayed, or go unrealized altogether.
We need to plan for the transition better than what Obama proposes. We need to use our own reserves of oil, natural gas, coal, and shale to cushion the economy while we develop the alternatives and build the infrastructure to deliver it. That’s what John McCain proposed in his Lexington Project.
Price shocks on energy is the last thing this economy needs. It would be worse than the taxes Obama promises to impose on investment, and would have the same depressive effect. It’s an utter disaster.
Not only this, but I also believe that if Obama does this, Jobs will be lost. I guess Obama believes that stealing one man’s job, top create another is just perfectly fine. 🙄
That would be like shutting down an auto plant, and putting people, who have worked at an auto plant for some 30 years, out of a job. Just so that a company could start a car plant, making electric cars. Yeah, sure, new jobs are created, but what about the people working for the auto plants, that do not make the Electric car? Why allow them to suffer?
Just more things to keep in mind, when voting, come Tuesday. Because Obama believes in spreading the wealth, except it comes to those working in the coil industry.
If I were the Unionized Coil Miners, I would raising the roof about this!
What I’ve said is that we would put a cap and trade system in place that is as aggressive, if not more aggressive, than anybody else’s out there.
I was the first to call for a 100% auction on the cap and trade system, which means that every unit of carbon or greenhouse gases emitted would be charged to the polluter. That will create a market in which whatever technologies are out there that are being presented, whatever power plants that are being built, that they would have to meet the rigors of that market and the ratcheted down caps that are being placed, imposed every year.
So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it’s just that it will bankrupt them because they’re going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.
That will also generate billions of dollars that we can invest in solar, wind, biodiesel and other alternative energy approaches.
The only thing I’ve said with respect to coal, I haven’t been some coal booster. What I have said is that for us to take coal off the table as a (sic) ideological matter as opposed to saying if technology allows us to use coal in a clean way, we should pursue it.
So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can.
It’s just that it will bankrupt them.
Now had John McCain had said something like that, the Liberal Media would be all over it. But it’s Obama, so it’s okay.
I was reading this morning over on a Liberal blog, about the return of the middle class and unions. As a Moderate, I will confess, I have no quarrels with unions. But as a bit of a Conservative, I do criticize them and their double standards.
This entry at firedoglake by someone calling themselves Joe Fish is of interest:
As a member of a union that I have to wonder about sometimes (ALPA, the Airline Pilots Association) I think it’s certainly worthwhile to talk for a minute about the Employee Free Choice Act and the role of unions in building a stronger middle-class and hence stronger America. Why do I wonder about ALPA? More on that in a minute…
A quick and simplistic review for those not old enough to remember the ultimate Federal Union Buster, Ronnie Reagan and his most excellent (in his mind) PATCO adventure. In 1981 the air traffic controllers union decided to go on strike and the controllers were fired by Reagan for violating a federal law banning strikes by governmental unions, although previous strikes by other governmental unions like the Postal Workers had not been punished by terminating their employees. Reagan’s views of unions was the same as virtually every other major republican figure of the 70’s and 80’s; that unions were the creation of the devil and the antithesis of American/Free Market capitalism and thus should be put down like Old Yeller… with a single shot to the head, but without the emotion.
This, of course, is a stretch of the truth and a bit of poetic license. Reagan was forced into the position that he was put in, by the union. Reagan knew that if the air traffic controllers had struck, commerce would have been interrupted and it could have led to a shut down in the economy. Reagan saw that and took action. One must remember, the economy was still shaky from the disastrous Presidency of Jimmy Carter.
Where does this apply to me? My Father is a U.A.W. member, I am very appreciative and grateful for the many great things that the Unions did for him. I am here today, because of that. I am also, as a history buff, very aware of the role that the unions had in the forming of this area here. However, as a man, I must ask the unpopular question, asked by many of the children of the Union members:
What exactly has the unions done for me? The sad, but truthful answer is, nothing at all. Has the union ever approached my Father and offered me a job in the plant, where my dad worked, No. The closest thing I ever came to getting a job offer from the Union, was G.M. sending me for a test to see if I had the smarts to work for the company. Me and 10,000 other people. The test I took, there were people at this testing session with 2 year college degrees, who were having trouble with it. Needless to say, I never got a call to work for the company.
The sad truth is that the unions have simply become protectionists. There was a time when the unions had a legitimate role in defending auto workers from the out of control hiring and firing polices of the auto companies here in Detroit. But because of the greater control and stricter labor laws in America. Unions have lost their value. Not to mention the various trade agreements, passed by the Democratic President Bill Clinton, which was viewed by many unions as a “selling up the river”, caused the unions to lose their foothold in the organized labor movement.
This is not to say that I think that unions should be eliminated, not at all. I think if the unions want to be brought back into the mainstream and taken seriously again, the Democrats need to work to make them strong again. Like renegotiating trade agreements and if said countries will not, Op out of them. This was a early campaign promise of Obama. I wonder if he will honor it? This would cause the unions to become strong again. Also, giving tax breaks to companies who hire new blood, without all the restrictions, would be a bonus as well.
So, until this, I ask the question; Dude, where’s my union?
You knowit’s a big Political story when I bounce my fat butt out of bed at 7:00 in the morning! 😀 😉
I’m talking about the big, Big, BIG story…. That Barack Obama has selected Joe Biden for his running mate for President of the United States.
You have to know that John McCain’s campaign is in “Oh Crap!” and hunker down mode right about now. Because no matter who John McCain selects as his running mate, he is going to be a open target for Obama’s new attack dog.
I mean, at this point, no matter who McCain selects, McCain is going to have trouble. If McCain selects Joe Lieberman, McCain will be seen by the Republican and Conservative base as a traitor. If McCain selects Mitt Romney, he will be seen by the majority of America as a out of touch, rich elitist. Heck, even Tom Ridge is not ever well liked by the Republican base. So, unless McCain picks a second tier political person, McCain is going to be screwed.
I mean consider this statement by the campaign:
“There has been no harsher critic of Barack Obama’s lack of experience than Joe Biden,” said McCain spokesman Ben Porritt. “Biden has denounced Barack Obama’s poor foreign policy judgment and has strongly argued in his own words what Americans are quickly realizing — that Barack Obama is not ready to be President.”
One Word: Lame. Seriously, is that the best damned line that the John McCain’s herd of paid lackeys could come up with? Bringing up something from the Primary?!?!?!
What does Biden brings to the table? Experience of all sorts, Foreign Policy, DC Beltway, and just a general sense of “I’ve been around for a while”. Not to mention, he makes one hell of a good attack dog. He is, in fact, a Kennedy type, except for that he’s not nearly as wealthy. So, he’s the real deal. Disclosure: I would have voted for Biden, had he made it to the Michigan Primary.
You know, I am well-known on this blog for my quite controversial statements. So, as a parting shot, let me hand this word of warning to the McCain campaign. John McCain had better hide his balls in Cindy’s purse, because if he doesn’t, Joe Biden will hand McCain’s balls to him on a plate and will make him eat them.
It is going to be one HELL of interesting election season.
More commentary, and I mean a whole damn truckload of it, at Memeorandum
