Saturday, February 7, 2009

Selling out the American Worker ... and the Stimulus Stagnation .... (STIMULUS PACKAGE PT.1)


President Obama 3x times in the last week has addressed Congress telling them that the way our Government does thing's can turn crisis into catastrophe. This is what they dont understand ... when they let this stimulus proposal ... just stagnate and hit snag after snag. CNN' Campbell Brown said ... "Only a member of Congress can make a Wall St executive seem like a sympathetic figure these day's". The Mayor of Lansing (MI) was addressing a economic's/ business analyst panel of CNN ... and told them that our government aligned with those like the investment banker's/ firm's of Wall St, have sold out the American Worker by outsourcing our standard of living with our new unfair trade policies. These analyst's sarcastically snickered of Mayor Virg Bernero of Lansing ... when he was expressing anger and outrage ... telling him he wasnt looking at the entire picture ... and was reacting to the poor shape Michigan was in with it's 10.6% unemployment compared to the nation's 7.6%. But Bernero, Brown, and Obama ... are all telling the truth.

The stagnation we see ... on trying to pass this new stimulus plan is just politic's as usual in our Capitol, and is the reason why I said earlier that our new President will run into many obstacle's. You see ... he is trying to act fast in an environment that is not used to acting fast on anything ... or getting much of nothing done except bickering back and forth between the left and the right. For Pete's sake, what do these folk's need to act more responsibly and actually get thing's in motion? The Congress is quick to point a finger at the bailout recipient's like AIG for instance when they went on lavish trip's to resort's after getting rescued by our tax dollar's, while they themselves just went on a luxurious "retreat", first the republican's and 2nd the democrat's. Sure they pay their own room's and food. But the transport and security cost's for this can run well over the $100,000 mark to the taxpayer's. Not to mention ... one of their last expenses we got stuck with on this R&R crap ... was a $40,000+ internet bill. And even though this was nothing but an unwinding vacation of golf, drinking, and tennis ... what they are not telling us, is that they actually dont pay crap. Sure they spend their own money and contribution's money ... but they write it all off with the nifty tax legislation law's that they create and utilize. I mean ... do they need to take these types of gathering to relax and communicate? Cant they just get a dozen boxes of chicken like we do ... and eat in the Capitol ... or outside in the Mall? And work out at the gym there?

The President has been questioning some of these work ethic's and action's well before he was campaigning for the Presidential nomination, while he was a Senator, and back when he was a community organizer. I done a little background homework on this guy ... and seen that this is a guy that get's thing's rolling ... and thought how fun that will be to see him lead a government of slacker's and con artist's. These folk's on the Hill need to wake up and get in touch with reality. Most of these folk's dont see or feel any crisis ... when do they go out in the public and sit down with folk's and look at the situation American's are stuck with?, besides when campaigning for votes? How can one that doesnt feel or see anything that is going on constructively make decision's for those they know nothing about? What our government has done aligned with these mega investor's is sold out the American people ... without even realizing the damage they done ... simply because none of them have to feel the repercussion's of what they do.

These expert analyst's told Mayor Bernero of Lansing, that he is upset, and it can cloud his vision ... and that Lansing/ GM isnt producing car's that sell, and that the new industry for America may very well be the "service industry" and not necessarily in manufacturing. Look ... we all know how Japan and German automaker's have engineered some of the finest car's on the globe, but we dont see the downplay that has been being fed to us on American car's. GM and Ford both ... have some of the finest performing car's these day's. Guess what the No#1 2008 Motor Trend car of the year was?...the Cadillac GTS. Also Michigan has been working overtime the last few year's on diversifying their economic's and industry. This is why I said in earlier post's ... do not downplay Michigan and Detroit ... because they have a competitive spirit and action in motion ... especially in the "green- tech" industry ... and can be one of the biggest comeback story states in our near future. As far as the expert's comment's on America becoming a service industry ... as the "new" industry of America. I think Mayor Bernero sum's it up perfectly when he asked them ... "What ... for American's to serve each other hamburger's?"

General Motors of Arlington,Texas (Dallas Area) for instance is one of the few having to not lay- off worker's or cut hour's ... as a matter of fact, this assembly plant which only makes SUV's and truck's are hiring right now and adding to their workforce. Now ... there is a catch to that ... we are not hearing about. They are privately offering employee's buy out plan's as well ... which in 2008 was around $50K cash to employee's, and 2009 changed to around $25K and a $25K voucher to buy a GM car ... reconstructed to of course only benefit the company on taxes and federal assistance if needed. So ... you may wonder about all the new hires they are bringing in ... and that it will mean job's to other American's. Well that's the thing, the new crew's they are wanting to bring in ... are recruited from foreign countries. How do I know this? From talking first hand with worker's from the line, then putting 2 and 2 together.

The GOP opposition to the stimulus plan ... is only about wanting to cut the"pork" from the plan. What their definition of pork is ... appear's to be anything and everything that would go first and directly to the American people. They actually complained that the last stimulus check they mailed us during the Bush Administration was not even spent as they expected by us ... and that many American's took the $600 and deposited it in the bank ... or ratholed it! Can you believe that? that is a slap in the face to American's ... to complain what American's done with that measly $600 they gave back to us. Their idea of stimulus ... is strictly old school trickle down economic's of cutting taxes strictly for business, as the incentive for business to hire ... borrow ... and bank's to loan. Well ... that's fine and dandy ... however ... as I pointed out, the economic climate of now is far different than 1970/1980. We have gave billion's in tax money to investment banker's already ... and Donald Trump cant even convince them to loan on mega work's he has in motion with his associates ... what does that tell you? Do they actually think that by giving these break's to only business in these times will be incentive to hire and create new job's? Especially without no term's of condition's? and in time of mega loss experience from these businesses annually? I dont frankly think that will do much of anything ... but direct more of our tax revenue into hand's that wont spend much of it as well.

To be surprisingly frank here ... "surprised" because I cant believe how outright un- supportive of the working people of America ... the republican's have been ... and still managed to get almost as much of the popular vote as the democrat's despite 8 year's of supporting Bush/ Cheney policies. Is that the republican's proposal's and trimming the package and spending ... does nothing for the nation as a whole ... on health care reform, infrastructure, assisting homeowner's who purchase and pay taxes dearly, or even one incentive or break to an American worker besides "maybe" cutting half their payroll tax deduction for several month's ... for $20 buck's or so a check ... or giving us a tax break summer on gas tax ... to let us get another $50- $70 buck's for the summer ... they are not only inconsiderate bastard's ... but also cheapskates of the highest level. Another thing ... that we are not yet seeing ... is that it is only because of our "lack" of spending that our gas prices have took such a decline. The pinch to come ... is that ...I  will bet my Dallas Cowboy's training short's ... that when this economy does start to level some ... OPEC will already be in motion to shaft us on petro pricing. What they are proposing and constructing ... is the recipe to turn America simply into a new large Third World atmosphere. That's ... the REALITY!

PS: I would also like to add ... that to those economist's who just keep saying that American car's are not selling ... are not looking at the entire picture either, or at least ... not presenting it. The fact is, that ALL manufacturer's of the industry are seeing heavy losses ... especially the Japanese. What the biggest problem the way I see it is ... is that these large banking institution's that we have gave billion's to in tax revenue to stimulate our economy and save their asses from total failure ... are NOT loaning money! The fact is ... that most people that buy new car's ... do so with "loan's" and obtaining debt ... something these banker's dont seem to know much about obviously. Makes one wonder what their priorities are, building a healthy economy ... or just ignoring the economy and industry totally?




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