My Political Rant

Yesterday, on the nightly news, I watched footage of Congress questioning the CEOs of America's auto industry. During the questioning one of the Congressmen questioned the means by which the CEOs arrived in Washington. Apparently, each CEO arrived courtesy of their companies private jet. Another Congressman questioned how that might look to the American public. After all aren't these men seeking BILLIONS of tax payer's dollars to bail them out? Yet another Congressman somewhat sarcastically mentioned the idea of "private jet pooling". A.K.A car pooling for the elite. Reaction from the CEOs? Well insert blank rich man stare here, then Ha-ha nervous laugh. I appreciate our Congressmen taking their time to grill these men, however I can't help but think the whole process is a ruse. A political skit where Congress acts like the angry parent while the auto men act like the rebellious, yet guilty child. In the end the parent simply wags their finger, tells the child to never behave so recklessly again, pats them on the back and continues to let them have their way. Simply put, Washington WILL hand out BILLIONS of dollars to help repair the US auto industry, if only to protect the jobs of US auto workers. It makes me ill to think that extremely wealthy men are using everyday men and women, fathers and mothers, aunts, uncles and loved ones as bargaining chips to cover their greed. However, for those who may support the US auto industry (and by industry I mean just that, INDUSTRY not the workers and laborers) please remember how much GM loved their Flint, Michigan employees in the 80's.






I suppose the auto workers that the "Big Three" are fighting for are convenient when looking for a bailout; however, once these men get what they so desperately need, will the workers matter? The above video showed a clip of a young girl wondering why Daddy left. Dramatic effect or truth? An acquaintance of mine lived in Michigan during the 80's and clearly remembers fathers leaving to find work in other towns or even states. GM built Flint and destroyed it overnight. Will the same happen to other auto towns after the bail out? Perhaps not right away, but what about a year from now? During yesterdays Congressional hearing a Congressman asked what each CEO would, or could, do to personally help their company. One CEO mentioned that he cut his salary in half during the past year, another said he hasn't accepted any bonuses. What did the Ford CEO say? Direct quote, "I think I'm good where I'm at." What?! Your company is tanking, your seeking BILLIONS in tax payer cash, your netting MILLIONS each year, cruising around on a private jet and you're cutting back on what? NOTHING! Am I the only one watching this and wondering if the whole world has gone CRAZY? In whose world does ANY of this make sense? I pray for those workers who are directly effected by these auto makers and I pray for our countries economy. I pray too for light at the end of this tunnel we are trudging through. Something has got to change. I'm just not sure taking from the "have nots" to give to the "had and mismanaged" is the most effective way to get where we need to go.