Big 3 Bailout - The Senate Bails On It

Talks in the Senate collapsed after the UAW refused to make wage cuts until 2011.Yeah, it would really help over 2 years from now. They just don't get it or have a death wish.

Instead of taking less they will possibly lose their jobs althogether.

Real smart guys

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not.

Blame the workers while management fleeces the company - the Republican way.

This double standard between blue collar and white collar workers is disgusting.

"Blame the workers while management fleeces the company - the Republican way."

The worst thing is that the auto execs aren't as far out of line as the Wall St. execs are. These guys stole over 3x what Congress was voting to give teh automakers.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081212/bs_nm/us_madoff_arrest

The market plunge should be fun tomorrow unless Bush makes noise to prop it up. The Hang Seng and Nikkei both plunged after the vote.

Demonization is something Roxy would never do. NOT!

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Just wait until tomorrow. The Nikkei and Hang Seng plunged after the vote and Dow futures are already down more than 300 as I type.

http://money.cnn.com/data/premarket/

"Gestapo" and "two party" are mutually exclusive terms, jag.

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Updated On: 12/12/08 at 12:56 AM

I can't wait to see the GOPers' heads explode when Bush ponies up TARP money for at least GM & Chrysler.

Pure capitalism only works if everybody plays by the same rules. Worldwide the reality is that no one plays by the same rules. Almost all of the foreign auto companies are getting or have access to funding packages from their governments.

Unions are not antiquated. Unions are the only factor keeping wages and benefits up at non-union companies. It's the union responsible for winning middle class wages, 40 hour work weeks, safety in the plants, and other benefits. Read how the auto plants are run and workers are treated in Japan if you believe otherwise.

While the union movement may have assisted those efforts, current day unions have no relevance to the enforcement of those laws.

Wanna bet? Go with the immigration officials any time they raid a workplace and check the working conditions.

As for the Japanese plants, at least they are run profitably

so were plantations using slavery

I certainly don't have a pension, nor will I have healthcare benefits when I retire

Neither do the autoworkers under their most recent contract, yet most foreign companies in direct competition with US companies in common markets do have provisions for health care and pensions for their employees without having to carry the entire (if any) cost as the US companies do. Do US workers have to go without health care and pension benefits in order to be competitive in the world market while other workers have the advantage of those benefits?

Updated On: 12/12/08 at 07:53 AM

It is NOT OK for the government to pay off the bloated big butt U.S. carmakers.

In perspective, the 35,000 workers "let go"* by by Bank of America won't very soon be re-hired. I know for a fact that financial outfits know dingdang well what they're doing when they fire people. And what will they do? What the news doesn't tell you is that they hire folks who will WORK FOR LESS!

(RE-"let go* Heh-going WHERE, boobalah?. Great euphemism.)

And sure, and BTW many of the massive layoffs we hear about are not permanent. Big flaw of the media. They love spreading gloom. Many businesses DO bring people back as well as replace them with people who will work cheaper.

DEEEE-TROIT HAD BEST SH*T-CAN THE UNION ENTIRELY!!! And much of carmaking is AUTOMATED. The union flunkies watch the automation.

I have no sympathy for the U.S. auto industry whatever. They unions have been raping the carmakers and hence the economy for many years. "Generous Motors" is what one fat cat told me who was a GM supplier. This guy was an auto parts-fetcher for such a supplier. He was paid very, very well.

So skimming the cream from the top applies to the suppliers as well. If you've ever had your plastic car side panel hit in an accident? Yes folks, that's plastic in my recent big buck$ Buick yet. I got the estimate from the body shop. The biggest part was replacing that hunk of plastic! However this old farm boy here did some schlemming and cutting. And I didn't need no new steeeenking panel. Just a slight dent shows. "We just can't fit it back into shape," said the body shop.

And we buy a brand new top line car every ten years. After that, it's impractical to keep. Deeee-troit ain't making any dough-re-me from us.

You're right, danmag, it is all the unions fault for thinking American workers deserve to be able to live and support themselves and a family for working hard for most of their life. And things like Ford paying CEO Alan Mulally $28 million for 4 months of work has nothing to do with it. But, no, it's the blue-collar workers' fault!

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Unions exist for a reason, danmag. Without them, workers WILL be exploited and abused.