Quality Weenie

Republicans to American Auto Companies: Drop Dead

And here I thought it was jus the media that was biased against the American Auto Companies, now I find out that the Republicans are snubbing American Auto Companies for the Japs.

Now (it's) any company that makes a substantial number of cars and trucks in the U.S. and has a big payroll here, pays big taxes here and buys supplies here."

To bad that Senator Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn doesn't know that the Japs have very few suppliers here in the US, they buy most of their parts from Jap suppliers in Japan and also huge, huge tax breaks are given to the Jap companies to build their plants in states.

The president won't meet with the bosses of General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group. But he'll sit astride a Harley, visit a Nissan truck plant, herald the Toyota engine that won the Indy 500, campaign for Republicans and then have his press secretary swear there's no snub of Detroit.

Nope, no snub.

In any other major auto-producing nation, politicians don't ignore the concerns of their auto industry. Not in France and Germany, where nationalism infuses economic policy. And not in Japan or South Korea, where manipulating currencies and erecting trade barriers is acceptable to help the home team -- and Detroit isn't asking for either one.

All American Auto makers are asking for is fair trade and equal taxes on imports. But everytime our government tries that and Japan says they are going to stop allowing imports we piss our pants and back down.

Japan imposes strict trade barriers, limiting the amount of vehicles that can be sent in, huge taxes on the imported vehicles, subsidize the auto companies at home and abroad, subsidize their steel industry and subsidizes peoples pensions.

The American auto companies can not compete with peope who cheat and that is what the Japanese Auto companies are doing.

Added Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama: "The way (Detroit automakers) do business has to change or they won't be around. The competition has been brought to our shores. There is a lot that our automobile manufacturers can learn in the world."

There's also a lot that Red State Republicans could learn about the Detroit automakers and their legacy commitments to retirees and active employees, namely that they're not easily shed this side of bankruptcy.

But it's easier to ignore context, demonize unions, embrace the new guys from overseas who don't carry the same baggage and then give Detroit a condescending geography lesson -- as if the No. 1 player in China, GM, doesn't know the business is global.

Hattip: The Detroit News article

Posted by Quality Weenie at August 23, 2006 08:20 AM | TrackBack