politicaleconomitalk

Is’ent it interesting that that the automaker that needs the money the least is doing the most to get it.  The Ford Motor CEO is actually driving to DC in a Hybred SUV and he has agreed to work for $1 per year (quite a pay cut from $20M). Of course no one has ssaid how many stock options he will get.   Maybe the law makers need to make it a condition that the CEOs return their salaries for each year out of the last five that their respective company lost money in the U.S. or let them keep #250,000 for each of those years as their salaries, somthing along those lines .  Then have them work for five years for $1 and some reasonable amount of stock options.  After all the companies will be saved using tax dollars.  Maybe the government should have a special wind fall tax just for auto executives so when the company stock recovers thanks to a stock holder bailout they do not get to profit enormously.  If the auto companies get the bailout money they are asking for the stock might be a good buy.  Anybody remenber the chrysler bailout of the 1970s.  Lee Iacooca made a killing with a salary of $1 and a whole lot of stock options. 

Why would congress even think twice about making a loan to the American auto companies.  The industry is huge and the ripple effects throughout the economy will be disastrous if they cannot survive. 

There are millions of people who work in the industry and jobs related to the industry.  There are also millions of retirees who will be harmed.  Yes, there needs to be some big changes in the way these companies operate so that they can be profitable in the future and also bring out new technology.  But they are asking for a low interest loan not necessarily a bailout. 

Does the union need to make some concessions?  Probably so, but this is a longer term issue.  Congress needs to deal with the emergency at hand and fast.  These other issues can be delt with in the near future.  They are pretty complex issues and so they will take some time to work out,  But certainly this can be done early next year.  The loan needs to be made early next week, that is how serious the situation is.   Thank goodness we have men like Carl and Sander Levin in the congress to represent the Michigan.  They understand how serious the situation is and haw bad the economy is in Michigan and how bad it will become not only in Michigan but in the whole country if loan money is not forthcoming.

Does anyone remember when Chrysler got bailed out back in the 70s.  Lee Iacooca used the loan to turn the company around saved jobs and paid the government back early and with interest.  We should do the same for General Motors.  GM was the largest corporation in the world at one time and has been a piller of economi strength for decades.  This company has done a lot for this country and now it needs help, we should make the loan and save the company.  It will be paid back with interest just like with chryser in the 70s.  Our country doe not need to be dependant on foreign auto makers like we are with oil.  What would happen if we have another big war, where will we get the trucks jeeps tanks etc. from Japan or Korea? 

What about all the people that work for GM and all the retirees.  What will happen to them not to mention the overall economic impact on the midwest and the nation.  If a loan is what it takes to save GM then we shoud make them a loan.  If GM goes down this county will never be the same and the U.S. auto industry will never recover.  We will be a weaker nation and more volnerable to our enemies.  The terrorists are loving ourr economic crisis and are probably thinking up ways to make it worse.  We need a strong auto industry in this country for many reasons not the least of which is national security. 

I have heard and read recently that some peope equate President Elect Obama’s plan for redistribution of wealth to be a christian endevor.  It is being equated with love of neighbor and helping those less fortunate in the christian sense.  While I feel certain the Mr. Obama has these christian ethics at heart and does love his neighbor as evidenced by his desire to serve others in public office I don’t see the redistribution of wealth by the government as being christian.  People are given the oportunity to work hard and succeed in business and other occupations in this country.  If some one is successful and accumulates some wealth or at least some savings for their family or their retirement the propect of having it taken away by the government is unsettling to say he least.  The successful people may have a christian duty to help those less fortunate by sharing their wealth and success but to have the government orcastrate it is not christian.  In fact socialistic countries have pretty much all turned away from christianity and have been dismal failures both economically and socially.  The free enteprise system that we have in this county is not by any means perfect but at least all are free to use their god given talent for upword mobility.  Using the govenment to redistibute wealth in this country will hurt our economy by hamperng the free enterprise system by taking some of the incentive out of buiding successful businesses which in turn create jobs for those less fortunate people.

If Palin’s campaign staff thinks they are saving their reputations by trashing her they should think again.  There stories are to crazy for belief which gives her credibility when she denies them.  These people are really doing themselves in with all of this BS.  They could help themselves better if they would just let everything go and move on. 

What is the point, the election is over, McCain lost.  Why do they need a scape goat, it is not going to change the results. 

I think this all rings kind of hallow just like the criticism she got during the campaign.  They (the media and Obama people) could not come up with any real dirt on her and her family so they had to use any trivial matter they could.  The McCain staff are doing the same now, it is really petty.  I hope McCain is not directly involved in this because it would be really unbecoming. 

Remember the day Palin was announced as the running mate, MNSBC had the editor from the Anchorage Daily Ledger on for about an hour.  The guy just went on and on about what he said were problems with Palin.  His biggest criticism was that he ran into her at the iditarod dog race and she was with one of her daughters but there was no security team with her, so obviously she does not know how to be Governor.  What this guy was saying was absolutely stupid and meaningless.  What it meant was he did not have any real criticism to bring up.  It is the same way now, the campaign staffers are using the cloths issue against her because there is nothing real to use against her.  The whole thing is stupid, she has a great future in politics.  She is a natural and her family and conservative values are perfect for this country.  In fact I believe Mr. Obama has many of the same values.

While Obama did it, I don’t know why he would want the job but the American people have spoken.

Lets hope he is up for the job.  He has a tough road ahead of him with a very shaky economy and two wars to deal with and only four years to prove himself. 

If the big test comes as Biden predicted lets hope it is not on U.S soil.  It will probably have to do with nuclear weapons and it will involve Iran or Russia. 

The U.S. will never leave Iraq completely because of the oil so the extremists will always have an excuse for attacking U.S. interests.  I hope he can pick a strong Secretary of State and Defense he will need it an he better not go after the defense budget.  Cuts there would send the wrong message. 

Well at least this election was decisive with no question as to the winner.  The Democrats are in charge, God help us.  I hope they can exercise some restraints on big government sending.  We don’t need any new big programs especially regarding health care.  Somethings are just better left to the private sector and health care is one of them.  I think the government should try the tax credit idea, but also set up some co-ops where people can group together to get a good price for a health policy without setting up a new bureaucracy.  We certainly don’t need another Medicare on our hands.

What it means to go green?

When we hear “going Green” what comes to mind? Traditionally “going Green” is associated with the liberal end of the political spectrum. Indeed, this may be how the movement got started. But, in reality “going green” is a lot like being patriotic. Anyone can be patriotic no matter where they fall on the political spectrum. The same holds true with “going green”. Anyone can go green and more and more people are taking the necessary measures.

What does it mean to go green? I think for most of us going green means protecting are personal environment by making it safe clean and healthy. Our personal environment is where we spend our time and where we have some control or ability to make changes. For all of us this is our homes, but it can also include where we work and where our children go to school. The place to start is in the home because this is where we can have the biggest impact.

At home we can all take measures to make the environment safe buy removing anything toxic or in anyway dangerous to the people who spend time there. These are most often the people we know and love. These will be items such as chemicals, outdated or expired consumable products, especially food items or medicines. Keep anything necessary that could be dangerous under lock and key or at least out of the reach of children, such as prescription drugs. If you have fire arms keep then locked in a cabinet, use trigger guards and keep ammunition in a separate location. There are many things that can be done in the home to make your environment safer for those you know and love. Just sit down and think about it and many things will come to mind that can be done to make your home environment safer, cleaner and healthier.

Let’s not forget the subject of indoor air pollution. There have been numerous studies that cite indoor air pollution as one of the most serious health issues we face. If you smoke you are creating a potentially unhealthy situation for others in your home. We all need to take steps to clean up our home environment. Once the home environment has been improved it becomes easier to expand efforts to the larger environment by doing little things like recycling and car pooling and not topping off the gas tank when we fill-up.

To “Go Green” start by doing little things that can become habit and in the long run have a big impact

Al Gore, but he did not run, so the Democrats have a totally inexperienced untested and far left wing candidate.  This is scary.  When all of those middle class tax payers get their $300 or $400 dollar tax break it will suddenly hit home how cheaply they sold their votes for and how damaging the left wing tax policies have turned out to be.  We will not have another decade like the 90s just because we elected a democrat.  Lets not forget NAFTA and huge shift of basic manufacturing jobs that have left the country because of it.  We are now seeing the consequences of left wing economic policy that was put in place in the 90s.  The best years this country has had in a long time were the Regan years.  President Bush has had to face unprecedented events (9/11 and katrina) that no other president has had to face.  Recently,  the US took a huge load of uranium out of Iraq, they did not publicize it because they did not want it hi-jacked.  Remember the weapons of mass destruction issue.   Notice how Obama has moderated his approach to the war.  He is beginning to realize that the US is going to have to play it out or there will be disastrous consequences for Iraqi people not to mention our oil imports.  The democratic voters are going to be surprised when things don’t happen the way they expect.  Reality will set in and all the things you have been told will be impossible.  You are being told what you want to hear until the election is over, you’ll see. 

By the way has anyone else noticed that Al Sharpton has been unseen during the election until just recently.  The Dems must really feel they have it in the bag if they are letting Al out. 

With the Democrats poised to win big on November 4th, the redistribution of wealth mentality about to be thrust on us, the answer seems to be yes.  

With a democratic house, senate and white house we are likely to see a huge economic disaster the likes of which we have never seen before.  A tax increase on businesses during a recession?  A tax increase on business and on individuals making over 250,000 is exactly the wrong thing to do during a recession.  Why,  because it will cause small businesses to contract rather than expand.  Which in turn will cause job losses rather than job growth.  The spread the wealth around mentality will not work in America.  It has not worked anywhere else in the world, why would it work here. 

 What do you think a national health care plan, run by the government will be like?  Just look at medicare, a bottomless pit of money, enormously wasteful and inefficient, and you see the disastrous results of government run big money programs.  Their is no incentive for medicare to be efficient because it is a bottomless pit of money with very little accountability.   No matter what happens there is aways more money to throw at the problems.  Lets not forget that medicare has been in existence through both republican and democratic administrations.   This proves waste and inefficiency is inherent with big government no matter which party is in power. 

A radical swing to the left is going to hurt a lot.  Wake up America you are about to allow a disaster to happen.