Toyota is feeling the pinch too.

So much for that stupid Neo-Con line saying that the slump in auto sales is the automakers fault.

TOKYO — Toyota Motor will idle its plants in Japan for 11 days in February and March to reduce output in the face of steeply declining global vehicle sales, the company said Tuesday.
The Japanese auto giant said the suspension would affect production at all 12 of its directly operated domestic plants, which include four vehicle assembly plants and also factories that make transmissions, engines and other parts. The closings are in addition to a three-day shutdown this month at these plants that Toyota had already announced.
The move is unusual for a company that just a few months ago seemed unable to keep up with voracious global demand for its fuel-efficient vehicles. But even strong players like Toyota have failed to escape the drastic slowdown in the global auto industry.
The company said it would idle the plants to reduce stocks of unsold vehicles amid a relentless slide in sales, particularly in the United States, its biggest market. Last month, Toyota’s sales there dropped 37 percent, a larger decline than at its struggling American rivals General Motors and Ford.
Plunging sales and a stronger Japanese yen, which reduces the yen value of overseas profits, forced Toyota to forecast last month its first annual loss in 70 years at its vehicle-making operations.
Toyota did not say how many vehicles would be affected by the suspension announced Tuesday. The company said its four domestic assembly plants produced 1.5 million vehicles in 2007, the most recent year for which the company has figures. Toyota-brand cars are also made by other companies in the Toyota group.
The company had already announced that it would shut down truck production at two United States plants for three months
Its American rivals — General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler — have also idled plants across North America in response to the slowdown.

For once, I am in agreement with a Liberal, and yes, it is the same knuckle-headed liberal that insulted Conservatives. Hey, I am one that praises when it’s due and bitches when it’s due too; At least I’m fair. 😉 😀 😛

Matthew Yglesias Weighs in:

This is the conceptual problem with efforts to “save” the car industry through bailouts or union busting or whatever you like. One assumes demand for cars will get higher than it is right now, but the industry has a whole just has more capacity to build cars than there is demand for new cars. Which is fine. When you look across the developed world and try to take stock of the medium- and long-run problems facing the OECD nations there’s just no way you’re going to reach the conclusion that an automobile shortage is a big concern. But obviously it’s not fine for the companies that make cars. There’s going to be a need for some shrinkage.

Yeah, I know, most likely some of the Conservatives who are basically scraping my blog for content are going to try and deride me as a fake conservative, because I stick up for the middle class and because I happen to be the son of retired General Motors Worker and U.A.W. member. Well, I got two words; screw you and the rest of the asshole Madison Ave. Conservatives. 😡

Anyhow, I happen to agree with Matthew here, I live here in the Detroit Area. If the auto industry dies, so does this area. That will cause my parents to suffer, they need the health insurance, as they are both diabetic and the amount of medications that they take is staggering. Anyhow, this article above disproves and basically strikes down the “Meme” that was going around in the Conservative Blogosphere that the issues with the auto industry was the fault of the automakers. Which I totally dismissed as abject bullshit of the highest order. It was the fault of President Clinton for putting pressure on the loan companies to give those toxic subprime loans to those who were considered high risk. That is what started this whole thing. Of course, equal blame can be given to the Republican Congress of 2003 for not changing the laws, after all, they were warned by the Bush White House to do something; and they did nothing at all.

Best thing they could do, was have a hearing, of which the CEO of Freddie Mac pulled the race card, and congress backed off. So, all the blaming of the Auto Companies was nothing more than a feeble attempt by the Republicans at scapegoating the wrong damned people.

Here’s hoping that Japan’s auto industry totally collapses and people, both American and otherwise, have to buy American products, for a change!

Funny Video: Sponsor an Executive

This was sent to me by the smartest Democrat I know………………My Mom. 😀

Sarah Palin's Church Firebombed

Look at this Photo. Look at it! This is the picture of Liberals unhinged… 😡

Via Anchorage Daily News:

Fire officials are investigating a suspicious blaze at one of the biggest churches in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The pastor is estimating damage at more than $1 million.
No one was injured in the fire at the Wasilla Bible Church, which started late Friday. About a half dozen church members were in the building doing crafts when the fire began but were able to get out safely after the building’s fire alarm sounded, pastor Larry Kroon said.
“This fire is definitely suspicious,” said Central Mat-Su Fire Chief James Steele.
The church, located off the Parks Highway on the north end of town, is one of the biggest in the Valley with a typical Sunday service drawing up to a 1,000 people.
Several well-known Valley residents attend the church, including Gov. Sarah Palin and Rep. Wes Keller, R-Wasilla.
Kroon, reached at home Saturday morning, said he’d been up all night and was still in a state of disbelief.
He said the church was only in its second winter in the three-story building and he estimated damage at more than $1 million.
“It’s one of those things, it feels surreal,” he said.
The pastor said he was especially disturbed someone would set the fire while people were inside. There were about a half dozen women inside doing crafts when the fire broke out, he said. He said he had talked to fire officials, but didn’t know of any specific leads.
“The possibilities are so wide and variable,” he said. “Someone intentionally did it, but we don’t know who and why.”
The pastor declined to speculate whether the fire was politically based or directed at Palin, the failed Republican vice presidential candidate. He also declined to say whether the church has received any recent threats.
Palin stopped by the church Saturday morning. Her spokesman, Bill McAllister, said in a statement that Palin told an assistant pastor she apologizes if the fire was connected to the “undeserved negative attention” the church has received since she became the vice presidential candidate on Aug. 29.
“Whatever the motives of the arsonist, the governor has faith in the scriptural passage that what was intended for evil will in some way be used for good,” McAllister said.
Kroon was at home when he got a call from the husband of one of the women who had been in the building. By the time he arrived, smoke was pouring from the windows of a back corner of the building.
The building is equipped with a fire sprinkler system, Kroon said, but the fire was burning in the walls and took hours to put out. Most of the damage was limited to the back corner of the building where four offices and a classroom are located, he said. There is also water damage and the entire building smells like smoke, he said. He said Sunday services are currently scheduled to be held at Wasilla Middle School.
Fire officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Megan Peters, spokeswoman for the Alaska State Troopers, said she could not answer questions about the fire.

This is War! The Liberals have declared war on the Christian Right, of which I am a part of.

It is no secret, that during the 2008 election, that I was not too impressed by Sarah Palin, nor her choice for candidate for Vice President of the United States of America. However, for a group of Communist Liberals to attack a defenseless building, in which the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ is exalted and held in regard; is in the opinion of this writer an act of aggression against the Christian community.

I ask you, as Christians, As Americans, as Human Beings; Will we stand and Fight or accept defeat and possible extinction?

Update: Video (Via Breit Bart)

Needless to say, that Pastor is way too nice, I would be out for Blood myself. 😡

Update #2: Other Blogs talking about it now, a day late… 😛 – TigerHawk, NewsBusters.org, Top of the Ticket, Gateway Pundit, Right Wing News, Power Line and The Other McCain (via Memeorandum)

The Automotive Bailouts: The Other Side of the Story

I have been sitting here, trying to keep out of this. But I have sat and looked at the Republican and Neo–Conservative Spin on this Story and I’m sick of it. 😡

So, I am giving you, the other side of the story, from the horses mouth; without commentary from me.

I did not ask that you agree, I simply ask that you listen and hear this man out. Now I am almost sure, that the Blogs, that I have linked to, will remove my trackback, like the Neo-Con Fascists that they are. I mean, it is all about controlling the message with those guys. 🙄

Here we go:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Media Q & A:

Media Q & A Part 2:

Media Q & A Part 3:

There you have it. The other side of the story. You decide.

(Source UAW.ORG)

Stupidity from the Moderation Que

Well, it seems that my Boycott Alabama posting has drawn out some of the morons, who are for letting the big three die.

Some asshat left this in the comments section:

Author : g.w. (IP: 72.242.143.206 , 72.242.143.206)
E-mail : braswell@hopper.net
URL : http://n/a
Whois : http://ws.arin.net/cgi-bin/whois.pl?queryinput=72.242.143.206
Comment:
i don’t think the goverment should be paying the xtravagant salary’s with our tax dollrs. g.w.

and when his comments did not appear, despite it being clearly written, that he did not have to write another comment. Writes another comment:

Author : g.w. (IP: 72.242.143.206 , 72.242.143.206)
E-mail : braswell@hopper.net
URL : http://n/a
Whois : http://ws.arin.net/cgi-bin/whois.pl?queryinput=72.242.143.206
Comment:
i am a retired union worker and i do not think we should be paying the large salary’s of G.M. they work like goverment workers. g.w

With smarts like that, I highly doubt G.M. would even hire an idiot like you. Not mention that idiot cannot spell worth two shits.

Anyhow….:

Let's Boycott Alabama

It seems that there is a grassroots effort to get a boycott Alabama, in response to the Alabama Senator Richard Shelby’s attempted stonewalling of the bridge loans to the Big Three. Well, it’s big two now, Ford will not be needing the help.

Anyhow, here is a e-mail written by my Mother, who is a spouse of a retired General Motors worker.

Senator Shelby,
I doubt that you read the emails sent to your office but perhaps it will be read by someone who will show you the many emails you are sure to receive, and will point out to you just how wrong you are. There are a lot of derogatory comments that could be made but I prefer to try to point out a few facts that you evidently have not wanted to know. My husband and my father are both General Motors retirees and I know firsthand from where I speak.
Perhaps you think the auto workers are wealthy, making that mysterious $75 an hour that has been bandied about in the media. Unfortunately that is very far from the truth. They have never made that much, even including benefits, and most of them live from paycheck to paycheck trying to make ends meet like most middle class people. If the auto companies go bankrupt as you desire, not only will the auto workers lose their jobs, but also jobs directly and indirectly connected, such as suppliers, stores and restaurants located near the plants and of course it will trickle down to the cities who will lose the tax revenues these plants produce. We are not only talking about Detroit and Michigan but every state that has a plant or plants belonging to the Big 3.
It’s odd to me that you think that two companies that have been in business for over 100 years and one that is over 83 years old do not know what they are doing. If this is true how do you explain the fact that they sell over 50% of the cars purchased in the world and have won many, many multiple awards over the years for their cars? Do you perhaps think that people are just too stupid or uneducated to realize they are buying an inferior product? And the award givers are too dumb to realize they are giving an award to a poorly built, not very innovative dinosaur? Maybe you need to voice that opinion in your next media interview. I’m sure people would be interested to hear it.
You need to come out of your office and meet with the GM, Ford and Chrysler workers themselves. Could you really look them in the face, knowing they have families to support and bills to pay and tell them you think they should join the ranks of the unemployed? Do you think it is their fault that the economy has taken such a downturn because of mismanagement on Wall Street, the banks and yes, the government?
The auto companies and the union are trying their best to jump through all the hoops the Congress is throwing at them, as ridiculous as some of them are. To let them go under will cause a depression like this nation has not seen in many years. I hope you think long and hard about that.
By the way, I fully support the boycott of your state.

Y’all see where I get the writing skills from? I was told that I could post that, as long as I did not sign her name.

Anyhow, if you’d like to join the grassroots effort boycott Alabama. Please go to the Official Boycott Alabama Page.

The Obligatory SCOTUS Rejects Obama Birth Certificate Challenge

I went looking where I blogged about this, and it turns out, I’ve never touched the subject. Yes, I feel that it is that stupid.

Anyhow, AP reports that the SCOTUS has rejected some attention whoring idiots claim that Obama is not a citizen of the United States.

One word; Good. Now can we please move the fuck on? Thank You.

Others: : Agence France Presse, Little Green Footballs, The Politico, Alan Colmes’ Liberaland, Big Brass Blog, Guardian, Stop The ACLU, Outside The Beltway, Political Machine, Ballot Access News, Brendan Nyhan and PoliBlog (TM) (Via Memeornadum)

Oh No He didn't!

Oh yes he did.

Go read:

A white social studies teacher attempted to enliven a seventh-grade discussion of slavery by binding the hands and feet of two black girls, prompting outrage from one girl’s mother and the local chapter of the NAACP. After the mother complained to Haverstraw Middle School, the superintendent said he was having “conversations with our staff on how to deliver effective lessons.”
“If a student was upset, then it was a bad idea,” said Superintendent Brian Monahan of the North Rockland School District in New York City’s northern suburbs.
The teacher apologized to the mother who complained and her 13-year-old daughter during a meeting Thursday that also included a representative of the local NAACP. But the mother, Christine Shand of Haverstraw, said Friday she thinks the teacher should be removed from the class.
“I think the teacher should have gotten some discipline,” Shand said. “I know if that was me, I would be uncomfortable going back to that class. Why should my daughter have to switch?”
Monahan refused to say what, if any, measures were taken against the teacher, Eileen Bernstein, who was still working on Friday. The school district said she was not available for comment.
“We encourage our teachers to deliver the curriculum in a variety of ways, to go beyond just reading the textbook,” the superintendent said. “We don’t want to discourage creativity. But this obviously went wrong because the student was upset.”

Uhm…. These people ought not to be allowed near cars. Much less teach.

This deserves a big, fat, honkin’….:

OY!

Uh…Hugh?

Replying to this Bunch of Drivel:

As I discussed with economic guru Brian Wesbury on tonight’s show, the GOP should demand a real concession as part of a quick deal to get Detroit cash. I think the price from the Dems should be a cut in the corporate tax rate for MI- and OH-headquartered businesses to Ireland’s 12.5%. As Wesbury said, it would spark a huge economic revival in the Wolverine and Buckeye states –just huge. And the teaching moment would be huge as well.
Detroit is going to get the money now or in February. So get something worth having, House and Senate GOP.

Uh, Hugh? Has anyone bothered to inform you that you all are in the minority in Congress? I mean, you all had your chance in 2003 till 2006 to stop the economic crisis and you sat around and did nothing. You ought to hope that “The One” does not force the desolving of the G.O.P. and outlaws Conservatism in General.

Somehow, I highly doubt at Tax decrease would even help. We’re in a recession, in case you didn’t know. Of course, being the wealthy radio star and all, I would not expect you to know this.

Bill O'Reilly sparks outrage over atheistic sign

Video: (via Breit Bart)

Story via KING-TV

(You will have to manual stop the other video below this one. Sorry, there was no setting in the code to tell it not to auto play…)

Personally, If I were the Governor of Washington State, I would have put Bill O’Reilly’s home telephone number in the press release and encouraged people to call him, at all hours of the night. This would end this, real quick.