Bailout Detroit? Part II

After discussing this issue with others, I have come to the conclusion that this is not like bailing out the banks.

The banks are the focal points of this economy. They are the ones that allow people to loan money, make money, and make purchases of houses, cars, and boats. They stimulate and keep it chugging.

The auto industry on the other hand, does is only part of the economy. They might employ something like 1.5 million workers and keeping them at a job is important, but that isn't the issue.

The issue is that they have to rejuvenate, remodel, revolutionize, and retain their spot in the auto industry.

They should be able to sell green or efficient cars inside and outside the United States just as well as Honda, Toyota, VW, BMW, or Hyundai.

A load of cash can only do so much, and it definitely will not change the management or the unions.

Bailout Detroit?

Should the Government bailout package be used to help out GM, Ford, and Chrysler in Detroit?

They are having such a tough time because the buyers are uncomfortable in making a decision on a car and the lenders are not confident that there borrowed money will be paid back.

Given them billions of dollars would not solve that.

They are also having a problem in revolutionizing there models and cars to keep up with the international competition. They are disorganized and slow moving to change in their development processes.

A hunk of cash probably will not help them do that.

What I think is the biggest problem for the American Auto Industry, is the amount of control that the unions have in the workplace. They are hurting profitability of the few cars being sold. They are not able to set out competitive prices. Unions are not allowing the companies of downsizing in little steps, only in big ones.

By not giving them a piece of the bailout, the auto manufactures might have to file bankruptcy, but it would loosen the grip of the unions and be a prime example of why Unions cons outweigh their pros.

The money would just prolonging the inevitable.

Mike Rowe, Eagle Scout?

As an Eagle Scout, I am surprised that Mike Rowe, the Host of Dirty Jobs, is also an Eagle Scout. I knew that he was once an opera singer, but I did not expect this.

Check out his blog for the show, and see what he says when a viewer asks him to encourage his son to be an Eagle.

Chewing

I am part of a family of six. There is lots of commotion around the dinner table when we have a meal together, and there are lots of choices on what to talk about or what to eat. Sometimes, we get into deep and entertaining conversations at the dinner table, but other times, a word isn’t spoken between grace and dessert. For those occasions that conversing is not the main attraction, it is the loud chewing! Most of the time, all I hear is the sound of the carrots being chopped up, the steak being ground up by the molars, or the chicken being mixed with the gravy and mashed potatoes using the tongue and making the worst possible sound while I am trying to enjoy my very own delicious meal that is in front of me and losing my appetite.
The loud chewing has to stop. It is rude and disgusting. I do not need to know where your food is through echolocation. No one does. No one cares if your food is tasting so good that you need to gasp for air in between the up and down motions of your jaw. The obnoxious noises are disturbing the peace and is getting in the way of me and others enjoying our food. Some foods are louder than others, or are harder to eat when you have a cold, but it is no excuse for being lazy and not being considerate of others.
The solution for the loud chewing is that the culprits should take smaller bites and be aware that you are making a loud sound when you are biting off that carrot or beating down the medium rare piece of steak. If your mouth can’t close around it, don’t eat it. If your nose is blocked from a cold, the most common excuse for such a thing, then eat some soup. I am begging you to respect others when you chew their food and make a conscious attack on defeating this way of eating. It is destroying family meals as we know it.