The Leader, at the end of his press conference today quoted this famous American "truism" in a different context. Back in 1953 when Charlie Wilson, then GM's Chairman first used the phrase at his Senate hearing concerning his nomination for Defense Secretary, he was excoriated by the political left in the harshest of terms. Not so this morning as the United States taxpayers became the owner of GM thanks to the Obama Administration. To call the Leader's little speech today crap would be boarding on the statement of an untruth but I suppose that suggestion is better here that to suggest the same in regard to the President of the United States. It was simply appalling. How the hell anyone can believe this...ah...crap is beyond me. "GM will be run by its management and an independent board of directors..." Yeah, until the decision as to what kind of cars to make and where to make them comes up. Then, as Mr. Gettlefinger admitted on TV the other day with nary a query from the adoring press, it will be made by the UAW and the White House. "GM will make the kind of cars the American people want..." Gang I live in the midwest and regularly drive 200 miles to visit the grandkids over some of the most heavily traveled highways in this country. I do not want to travel those roads in a Fiat Cinque Cento or in an Obamamobile. And that view is not going to change in the future---like after the 2010 elections--when the federal gasoline tax is raised to a level deemed sufficient to FORCE consumers to buy the kind of cars The Leader wants built. A bad day. By the by, where does he find those people to stand behind him during these moments? This some kind of, "got your back" thing?" Shouldn't they be working?
Now POTUS is one thing, but I think I can call Paul Krugman more or less a liar. You know the Leader's mob is getting worried about how things might turn out when they start finding new people to blame for what is about to happen and Krugman is more than happy to prostitute himself once more to the cause. If this doesn't work, we can blame Ronald Reagan. His column today in the Times is a compilation of half-truths, misrepresentations and outright lies. Time and space prevents one from commenting fully so all I can do is suggest that the column be read, keeping in mind a few inconvenient facts (from Mr. Krugman's standpoint) while so doing. Among these might be the Viet Nam War (guns and butter), The Great Society, Jimmy Carter, the Community Re-Investment Act, the difference between debt as a percentage of GDP (GDP rose tremendously during Reagan's administration) and the actual number and the fact that the major regulations placed on financial institutions in the Depression were overturned by Bill Clinton and his Sec of Treasury, Bob Rubin who went on to even greater accomplishments at Citicorp. Liar, liar, pants on fire!
On the left side, the leading article is entitled, "Owning G.M." In this, the editorial board of the Times states, "The administration's insistence that it has no intention of getting involved in the day-to-day decisions of General Motors is a reasonable response to concerns that the vagaries of the political process could run the company into the ground." The Times has always been more concerned with words than actions. They continue: "The decisions of G.M.'s new managers should not become entangled with the government's other policy priorities--such as maximizing employment in the United States or reducing job losses in Michigan." In other words, it should not be the decision of management to build fuel efficient cars in the most economical place but to insure that they are built in Michigan at a couple of billion dollar tool-up cost under labor rules and costs that insure every vehicle made is sold (if at all) at a dead loss. Stupidity such as this is breathtaking (one of the Time's favorite words) even for the Times.
Finally in the Observer section, someone named Cohen uses the Pringle case in England to support the nomination of Ms. Sottomayor to the SC. and the cause of liberal jurisprudence. I often wondered why the Times does not have a section for comic strips. With writings like those found today, there is no need.
Sorry, got wound up over the events of the day. I'll get back on track tomorrow.
Reagan didn't do it. Greenspan did it aided by all the regulators such as "government-sponsored" bodies like the rating agencies who created gold AAA ratings for junk.
ReplyDelete