**Slick_eZine** RR: Paradise Lost - circa 1960 A.D. (c) 2008 Rich Martin<http://rr.mailspaces.com/discussion/contacts/Rich%20Martin>
Permission to repost in full, or in part, is granted. In other words, please feel free to forward to a friend or list. If you received this from a friend, you can subscribe by sending email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or just check the archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SLick_Ezine/messages >From the Home of Rich & Peggy Martin *The problem with stealing from the rich to give to the poor is **you end up killing the geese that lay the golden eggs.* Rich Martin _______________________________________________________________________ * * *RICHS RANTS** * **In their attempt to shift the blame for the meltdown from the guys who whose re-election motto has been "a mortgage for every pot", Congress are now attacking the captains of industry, aka Wall St. Everyone from low-life Congressmen to Bill O'Reiley are taking cheap shots at the auto execs that flew to the Congressional hearings in corp jets, playing the class card Vs them. Very effective propaganda, no doubt. Hey, dummy! Can you say sub-prime mortgages repackaged by Fannie Mae and sold worldwide hidden in derivatives? Let's keep that in mind. The problem wasn't caused by their highly-paid, some say over-paid, congressional fall guy targets. Besides don't you think that virtually every large corp provides such air service for their execs as a perk? Who wants to be belittled by a govt TSA worker on a power trip while another is going thru his/her baggage looking for toothpaste? Certainly not the CEOs of Fannie & Freddie. Bet none of the Inquisitors have to put up with that indignation. I have not flown since 911, not because I fear Muslim terrorists. I have a healthy respect of the domestic govt types. They are in a much stronger position to do me harm. I steer as far away from those guys as I can. I have no desire to become one of their statistics. Besides, I hear being tazed isn't all it's cracked up to be. One of our know-it-all ignorant representatives went so far as to say we might be better off with just 2 American automakers! As Bill O'Reilly would say, he's a Pin Head. It's "thinking" like this that caused the problem American industry finds itself mired in today. In just ten years, circa 1960 - 69, the number of independent auto manufacturers shrank from nearly 2 dozen to less than a half dozen. Meanwhile, the unions shrunk even further, to one single, really big & powerful union representing many workers performing a variety of functions, in various locations and for different corporations. Yippee! Isn't there a lesson to be learned here? The auto industry is regarded by many as the vanguard in this movement, hitting its low point later in the 70's, and we know why. Decades of excessive compensation over a decade or two with unrealistic huge raises every union contract. And we know how it happened. Basically, the union talks would go this way. The UAW would strike one of the 3 competitors, demanding big raises; talks could go one for weeks or months. As it watched it's 2 rivals sales climb, it saw it's balance sheet shrink. The target corp would eventually surrender to the union terms; and then the union would threaten the other 2 with a strike if they didn't capitulate to similar terms. This went on for years with no noticeable ill effects. Employee compensation grew immensely, and despite higher car prices, they continued to sell a record number of cars. Even the stockholders were singing "happy days are here again". It was win – win. Auto makers no longer had to compete on price because their biggest cash outlay, wages, were basically the same for the whole industry. Instead, they competed on appearance and image (merchandising). Some bragged about zero-to-sixty while others sported high mpg or a built-in roll bar offering additional safety. The '60 Plymouth Fury did 160/mph, but basically there was little difference between a standard Ford, Chevy or Plymouth . Likewise, the Cadillac, Lincoln and Chrysler were very similar in price at the high end. Most took residence in the junk yard before their 10th anniversary. This is typical of what happens to all monopolies everywhere. First they buy, merge or destroy their competitors; then they consolidate and reap the benefits of being the sole provider of their goods or service. Without competition, they raise prices, cut corners, R&D and even customer service. The technical term for this condition is "becoming lazy". They have no need to improve their product or maintain customer service. They are going to get their share of the market, year in and year out, irrespective of what happens in the factory. It was all very predictable. As the American auto mfgrs raised prices and lowered quality, foreign competition rose from about 3% of the market (mostly $1,500 VW Beetles) to 10%, then 20% of the market, and so on. The cost of increased transportation was largely offset by the need not to offer group insurance. It was this competition that caused a renaissance in American high quality autos which we enjoy (and Congress complains about) today. Look around at the monopolies we must tolerate today. It's not just the USPS and DMV, it's utility companies, broadcasting, news providers, the telephone and cable company, the bus, train & airlines. It's your bank (3 banks hold 32% of all deposits), and the one-size-fits-all school you send your children to. Ma and Pa grocery stores have gone the way of home visits by doctors. Groceries are sold by natl chains by the basket full, or from a convenient store selling gasoline. Restauranteurs aren't far behind and are faced with a new threat of spreading their wealth. What is obvious is: merging the existing corps is not only more of the same, it is counterproductive. If the auto industry, or any other industry is going to grow and be self-sufficient, they must have competition. It is the catalyst that allows capitalism work. The right thing to do with the auto industry, for them & US, is to let them fail, go Chapter 11, and then emerge as 9 or 10 separate competitors of relatively equal size---and let the games begin. I'd go so far as to set tariff on foreign autos during the incubation period. Then repeat the process in the TV/radio/electronic industries. Set a tariff on bicycles and little red wagons until they can compete. Go industry by industry, until the day, we are once again truly independent of any foreign nation. Do you know the USAF is buying planes abroad? How dumb is that? Diesel engines, ship building and steel need to be domestically produced once again---like it was when I was an Airman Recruit in the USN. Yes, I loved flying. Now some may say "you can't turn the clock back". True. But we can as a nation struggle to become masters of our own lives. We can stop hitting our heads on that same brick wall thinking it won't hurt so much next time. We can change our priorities from being big enough to compete on the world stage (Bill Clinton's words) to being competitive at home. *STEAL FROM THE RICH…* Many small minded American voters thought that when Obama said he wanted to "spread the wealth" he was going to be giving to, or taking from, them; fewer realized he was talking in much larger terms. Global terms. And now Obama is in the very best position to fulfill that promise, President of the richest world on Earth. Africa , in particular, is in for some mighty big windfall profits. The only question is: will the payments be direct or pass thru the U.N. so they can take the credit and their cut? *The BAIL OUT* It is a mathematical certainty, as the US Treasury spends a trillion or two of what we don't have, the US dollar will take a nose dive, reducing the purchasing power of a govt fixed income check less and the introduction of the Amero more palatable. *SOCIAL SECURITY* Every 10 or 20 years or so, out public servants dutifully report that Social Security is about to go bankrupt, so they need to raise the rates, caps and/or cut services. We've all seen this happen numerous times. Last time, they promised US a Lock Box, remember? *THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO, HUH?* Critics are complaining Obama hasn't named who will replace Paulson as Treasurer. Used to be, the US Treasurer was largely a ceremonial post for ex-pols like Gov Connolly , TX . The guy who's signature is on the currency. Can you name another U.S. Treasurer, huh? When did it *change*? Why? *REAL NEWS* *CHANGE* – Secty of the Treasury Out of the frying pan, Henry Paulson, CEO of Goldman Sachs, 1st bail out recipient. http://michellemalkin.com/2008/09/22/why-henry-paulson-must-be-contained/ and into the fire, Timothy Geithner, CEO of the Fed, NY http://www.newyorkfed.org/aboutthefed/orgchart/geithner.html * NAFTA http://www.chomsky.info/articles/199401--.htm Abortion* - http://www.durareal idad.com/ <http://www.durarealidad.com/>** Environment - http://www.redcounty.com/sarasota/ *Update:* William Jefferson http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/11/17/1677904.aspx *Update:* Another Dem gets a pass http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/nyregion/18garcia.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion The infamous Birth Certificate - http://www.f2a.org/NewsStory.cfm?Story_ID=2794 *And* http://usatodayadforobamarecords.blogspot.com/2008/11/final-report-on-obama-birth-certificate.html Here's a link for anyone curious about what President-elect Obama was doing since graduating from Harvard in 1992. http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article YOUR AD HERE The Boy Scouts of America . National HQ . 1329 Walnut Hill Ln . Irving, TX 75162 . (972) 580-2263 . http://www.scouting.org/ *THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO, HMMM IN THE NIGHT *Used to be when kids riding bikes in tandem saw a police officer, they would yell to each other. Rider One: What are pennies made of? Rider Two: Copper Rider One: What kind of copper? Rider Two: Dirty copper. And no one was arrested and no one's feelings were hurt. It was just plain fun. Would you say times have changed, hmmm? *REMEMBER WHEN... *… you told the kids to be in when the street lights went on. *LAST THOUGHT* You got the govt you deserve. *LAST WORD* Turn your speakers up http://home.comcast.net/~nw-fla/tribute_flag_B_thompson.htm *Things you can't say aloud---because the answer might scare you.* How cum so many political leaders are so stupid they can be easily stampeded into passing the reigns of govt financial accountability to a fast talking banker and still get re-elected? -- *THE TRUTH IS* A. Powerful. C. In the eye of the beholder B. Irrelevant D. All of the above. *TODAY'S BLAST FROM THE PAST* – The Selected President http://lists.topica.com/lists/SlickPlus2/read/message.html?mid=905909658&sort=d&start=0 ................................................... ------------------------------ The only thing worse than Waco is the ongoing cover-up. http://www.documentarywire.com/waco-the-big-lie/ http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4298137966377572665 http://www.myspace.com/bdsda http://www.movie-forumz.org/showthread.php?t=35645&highlight=waco ------------------------------
