The Big Three US Auto Companies Need $54 Billion: Here's Why

When the Big Three auto companies promised to pay the workers who built their companies $54 billion for retirees' health care, they must have had their fingers crossed. They got the UAW to agree to accept responsibility for administering the :"Voluntary Employee Benefit Association (VEBA)" plan, and got themselves off the hook as "fiduciaries" the highest responsibility imposed by law. Now, they want us to pay, while the UAW is holding the fiduciary bag. But the money hasn't been paid. Guess who gets sued if the money doesn't appear? The UAW!

Teresa Ghilarducci a member of the 11-person board overseeing the UAW-run health care trust and a professor of economic policy analysis at the New School for Social Research in New York explained the current crisis. "If we get the money [for the VEBA], we’ll be OK,” Ghilarducci says. “If the companies go bankrupt, then we’ll stand in line with all the other creditors.”

Carl says, "DON'T BE DUMB, BIG THREE. You can't pawn off your promise to pay health insurance benefits for the old timers on the taxpayers. Those old workers who built your shit should not be forced into medicare homes on the federal dime. Make some good cars and raise the prices. Hey UAW: pull your money out of Wall Street. While your at it, why not take a week off and see New York. Park your cars on Wall Street and leave 'em there. Maybe some of that $700 billion will come your way"

Red State Senators Helping Subsidize Foreign Car Companies Oppose Bailout for Detroit

Hillbilly Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said Thursday during a Senate Banking Committee hearing in Washington that he opposes helping the Detroit auto companies. Corker represents Nissan, Volkswagen, and Toyota.

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., another cracker-state senator, also opposes guaranteeing loans to the Big 3. DeMint proudly represents BMW and Michelin.

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., red-neck senator no. 3, representing Toyota, Daimler-Benz, Hyundai and Honda, also says "nyet" to loan guarantees for US automakers.

The resounding noise coming from these and other opponents is that they oppose loan guarantees because they are anti-competitive and that the Big 3 have to "compete."

But, all of these foreign companies got tax breaks, that is bribes, and the joy of "right-to-work", that is anti-union laws, from these Red states to locate there. Unlike the rust-belt states, Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama gorge themselves at the federal tax trough, consuming vastly more federal money than they pay. So federal tax money gets spent in place of local tax money to help these Red states offer tax breaks to foreign companies. Where's the competition in that?

Carl says, "DON'T BE DUMB(ER) CONGRESS! Stop subsidizing Red State automobile manufacturers by underwriting state tax bribes with federal money. Force the cracker states and the companies that locate there to pay their share and then see how competitive they are."

Keep Your Government Hands Off My Glands

Reading David Rosen's article 9 Ways to Halt the Right Wing Culture Wars and Bring Sanity to Sexual Policy, made me cringe. Rosen argues that now is the time for liberals to control the culture battles on sexuality, gender and reproduction through government regulation.

It's true, that the religious falange want to repeal the Enlightenment. But, why is it that someone with progressive social views like Rosen's believes that our reproductive glands are ripe for government control? Why isn't it better that government, progressive or repressive, keep its hand off our reproductive systems?

Gay military service? Why would you want to join the military if you're queer? Why would put your life on the line for a country that treats you as second class and won't permit you the same privileges and rights as straight citizens. If you must, then you know what you're in for, Gomer.

Sex education? Do you think parents might be able to handle that?

And, as to Roe v. Wade, enough already. Let it go, and remove the last bogeyman of national significance out of the hands of the genitalia police. It's the most effective tool for their fundie hate campaigns. What would they rally around then? Women's suffrage? Let the US Department of Health require states receiving federal money to have places where women can have a safe abortion. Red states gorge at the federal trough at the expense of the blue states. Is it remotely likely that the cracker states will send the federal money back?

Gay marriage? Why license marriage at all? Let gay churches/temples/synagogues marry gays and sex-negative churches/temples/synagogues marry closeted gays and others. We don't need no stinking licenses!

Carl says, "DON'T BE DUMB DAVID ROSEN. Government has pretty much screwed up everything. It's bad enough that it's got its hands so deeply in our pockets. Let's keep them out of our pants."

Bush Dynasty News: Jeb Wants to Continue His Brother's Work

Now, from the family that profited by helping fund the Third Reich, looted Silverado Savings and Loan costing taxpayers about $1 billion, disdains the poor, ruined our economy (while our VP made investments to profit from the collapse) and destroyed any stature we had left as a positive voice in the world, this news: Jeb's gonna run for the seat Sen. Mel Martinez, of the extremist anti-Castro re-take Cuba guard, was keeping warm for him.

Carl says, "DONT' BE DUMB, Floridians. The 2000 election was bad enough. Don't inflict your political problems on the rest of us. If you love the Bushes so much, elect Jeb governor again; George, who raised over $700,000 there in one night, can be mayor of Palm Beach. Keep your crap in your own backyard. Noelle's probably got better connections at home, anyway."

Mulally Re-Thinks His Position During Flight Home on Private Jet

After flying home in his corporate jet after begging Congress for $25 billion in taxpayer guaranteed bailouts, Ford CEO Alan Mulally apparently had a change of heart regarding his salary. After making $27 million in 2007, a year in which Ford lost $2.72 billion, Mulally originally declined to consider working for $1 in annual salary, a whopping $2 million pay cut, in exchange for the taxpayer funded guarantees. Now, according to WSJ, he's had a change of heart and agreed to take a little cut. And, FLASH, he now has a bold plan to restructure to profitability.

Carl says, "DON'T BE DUMB, FORD. START THE AGGRESSIVE RESTRUCTURING AT THE TOP. GET RID OF MULALLY AND THE OTHER FINANCE GURUS WHO'VE DRIVEN FORD OVER THE CLIFF. HIRE THE MANAGERS FROM NINTENDO. THEY'LL WORK FOR LESS, BE MORE EFFICIENT AND BUILD CARS THAT PEOPLE WANT BECAUSE THEY'RE FUN TO DRIVE."

Hey, Mullaly, YOU ARE NOT OK!

Ford CEO Alan Mulally to Congress in response to questions about whether he'd cut his $2 million salary to $1, said: "I think I'm ok where I am." Mullaly's total compensation in 2007 was $21.67 million, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. In the same year, Ford posted a loss of $2.72 billion.

Carl says, "HEY, MULALLY, DON'T BE DUMB. YOU'RE ON YOUR KNEES BEGGING FOR $25 BILLION IN TAXPAYER GUARANTEED LOANS BECAUSE YOU HAVE RIDDEN YOUR GRAVY TRAIN ALL THE WAY TO THE GROUND. THAT THUD BEHIND YOU IS THE COMPANY YOU AND YOUR PREDECESSORS DESTROYED. YOUR FAILURE TO CREATE, ADAPT OR THINK STRATEGICALLY IS NUMBING. THE SHARE HOLDERS OUGHT TO GET THEIR MONEY BACK FROM YOU. THE CEO AND ENTIRE BOARD AT HONDA MAKE LESS THAN YOU DID LAST YEAR. AND GUESS WHAT? THEY MAKE MONEY, INNOVATE AND BUILD BETTER CARS. I'LL GIVE YOU A GUARANTEE MULALLY: YOU ARE NOT OK WHERE YOU ARE. "

Hey Joe, Where You Goin' With that Gun In Your Hand?

The Posse Comitatus Act (“PCA”) is a United States federal law, 18 U.S.C.§ 1385 passed on June 16, 1878 after the end of Reconstruction. It prohibits most members of the federal uniformed services from performing traditional police functions within the United States, unless expressly authorized by the Constitution or Congress. Now, according to the Washington Post, the federal government is planning to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 "trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials." WaPo reports that the first 4,700 person unit, built around an active duty combat brigade based in Ft. Stewart Georgia was activated on October 1, 2008, assigned to the US Northern Command.

At hearings on the PCA in 1981, William H. Taft, Gen. Counsel, U.S. Dep't of Defense, hit the nail on the head stating:

The [PCA] expresses one of the clearest political traditions in Anglo-American history: that using military power to enforce the civilian law is harmful to both civilian and military interests. The authors of the [PCA] drew upon a melancholy history of military rule for evidence that even the best intentioned use of the Armed Forces to govern the civil population may lead to unfortunate consequences. They knew, moreover, that military involvement in civilian affairs consumed resources needed for national defense and drew the Armed Forces into political and legal quarrels that could only harm their ability to defend the country. Accordingly, they intended that the Armed Forces be used in law enforcement only in those serious cases to which the ordinary processes of civilian law were incapable of responding.

You know when the ACLU and the Cato Institute are rushing to each other's side to form a protective shield around what little liberties we have left, sumthin's up.

CARL says, "DON'T BE DUMB.  SAVE THE ARMY TO ADDRESS THE "DEAR LEADER'S" MISCHIEF WHEN HE RUNS OUT OF VODKA, OR SOME OTHER REAL CRISIS LIKE THE MADNESS IN DARFUR.  WE GRATEFULLY DECLINE YOUR HELP. THANK YOU."