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Michigan Auto Union Reactions a Harbinger of Things to Come?
Some of the details escape me now because the incident took place in the early 1980s. Ford and Chrysler were struggling to make ends meet and Chrysler needed a government bailout to keep going. General Motors’ predicament in the 1980s wasn’t life threatening so it continued along its merry way without making significant changes.
I don’t remember which automaker it was, but in the early 1980s one of the Big Three asked its union workers in Michigan to take a pay cut so that it could continue to operate. The unions were told that if they didn’t accept a pay cut, the firm would move production to Texas.
The unions considered the request and unceremoniously rejected it. The company closed the plant and started manufacturing in Texas. That’s a perfect example of union workers in Michigan cutting off their nose to spite their face.
GM still hasn’t made the kinds of changes that it must make if it hopes remain solvent, and without government intervention GM would have gone down the tubes in 2009. Even with government support, the company’s future doesn’t look bright.
American taxpayers are the losers and so are auto buyers because GM cars and trucks are still overpriced. A quick look at Forbes’ list of the most overpriced cars in 2010 makes my point. During the first seven months of 2012, GM had an 18% share of the U.S. market — down 2% from 2011, and in the global arena, Toyota is taking GM to the cleaners.
Consumers aren’t confused. They know value when they see it, and more and more each day they don’t see value in GM products. Even the Chevy Volt that has attracted so much political and media attention is running far behind Ford’s C-MAX Energi in terms of energy efficiency, and the price differential between the two products is roughly $10,000 for comparable cars ($29,000 vs. $39,000).
As otherworldly as this sounds, consumers are being asked to fork over about 33% more money for a Volt than for a C-MAX Energi, and those who do are getting less energy efficiency in the bargain. Anyone who believes that GM can survive in the competitive market with product offerings like the Volt needs to have his head examined because consumers aren’t stupid. Over the long haul, they won’t pay more for less.
Unless things change at GM in a hurry, the Volt is heading for the trash heap of history along with all those Cadillac Cimarrons. The Cimarron was supposed to compete with BMW, Mercedes, and Audi in the 1980s, but it failed miserably. GM is on life-support right now, so it must change or it will die as a company along with the Volt. The government can’t keep it from happening because like it or not, in the end, the market always wins.
Facts are stubborn things, and they tell us that the 2009 GM bailout was a catastrophic mistake. Just look at the numbers. According to the Heritage Foundation,
“We estimate that the Administration redistributed $26.5 billion more to the UAW than it would have received had it been treated as it usually would in bankruptcy proceedings. Taxpayers lost between $20 billion and $23 billion on the auto programs. Thus, the entire loss to the taxpayers from the auto bailout comes from the funds diverted to the UAW.”
This is what President Obama had to say about all those silly people who claim that he used taxpayer dollars to pay off his auto union supporters in 2008:
“Or you’ve got folks saying, well, the real problem is — what we really disagreed with was the workers, they all made out like bandits — that saving the auto industry was just about paying back the unions. Really? (Laughter.) I mean, even by the standards of this town, that’s a load of you know what. (Laughter.) ”
In February, most of the auto union workers who attended the president’s speech probably continued laughing all the way to the bank, but the worm has turned. Michigan lawmakers passed “right to work” legislation, and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder (R) signed the bill. That means those workers won’t be required to join a union simply to get a job.
Union leaders know exactly what that means. Many of those workers will decide not to remain union members and union coffers will suffer. It’s as certain as the sun rising in the east.
And what was the diehard union activists’ reaction to the tidal shift in Michigan politics? Did they show any humility, any sense that they appreciated their circumstances?
The numbers that I’ve shown suggest that they might have been humbled a little, but they weren’t. Instead, they took to the streets like the brown shirts of a bygone era to force their will on the rest of us. These two YouTube videos demonstrate their reaction better than anything that I could write:
At this moment, the only people who seem to be unable to come to grips with reality are the president, Democratic members of Congress, union workers, and other useful idiots. Unfortunately, they represent the majority of voters in this nation, and thanks to them, President Obama has four more years in office.
Since the typical second term of a president is less successful than his first, can the nation survive four more years of Obama? That’s questionable given the fact that his first term was a disaster, but only time will tell for sure. This much is certain, though: if you are smart, you will begin to prepare for some dark days ahead. The auto unions’ reaction to changing conditions in Michigan may be a harbinger of things to come.
This SnyderTalk editorial first appeared in American Thinker.
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Ezekiel 36: 33-36
Thus says Adonai Yahweh, “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by. They will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’ Then the nations that are left round about you will know that I, Yahweh, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, Yahweh, have spoken and will do it.”
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His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important. It’s available in eBook format and in paperback.
- God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3: 15)
- “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.” (Jeremiah 16: 21)
- “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘Yahweh our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)
- Yeshua said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8: 58)
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To download the entire audio presentation, click here.
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Hosea 4: 6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
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IDF: Offices Searched in Ramallah Served Terror Group
PA to request ICC membership over Israeli settlements
Shapiro: Parties must negotiate land swaps themselves
Livni: The world is mistaken on settlements
FM: World would have no problem sacrificing us
State may destroy Bar Kochba era site for barrier
Egyptian army abruptly postpones ‘unity’ talks
France steps up struggle against religious radicals
Diplomat: US gives six Huey helicopters to Lebanon
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International Adult Torah Competition Returns to Jerusalem
Jews Warned Not to Wear Kippot, Stars of David in Copenhagen
Lawmakers Urge Obama to Close PLO Office in Washington
Greek Neo-Nazi MPs Attempt to Bring Guns into Parliament
Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood Slams US Over Al-Nusra
Iran: Proud of Our Support for Hamas and Jihad
Egyptian Army Calls for Meeting
Netanyahu Disgusted over New ‘Price Tag’ Attack
Netanyahu Disgusted over New ‘Price Tag’ Attack
Israel Forces PA to Pay Its Debts
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‘Europe’s policy on Israel like its Jewish policy in 30s and 40s’
Australia’s new beef with Israel
‘Non-Orthodox Diaspora Jews do not feel wanted in Israel’
Vandals desecrate Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem
Report: Israel operating spy bases in Eritrea
Germany may expand ‘Ghetto Pensions’ to Holocaust survivors
Supreme Court to deliberate Olmert corruption case in July
Egyptian judges say most will boycott referendum
US recognizes Syria’s main rebel group
France asks European Parliament to lift Le Pen’s immunity
The Hebrew Hammer will strike again
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Russia raids activists in ‘revolution’ probe
IDF Defends Policy of Restraint Following Multiple Stone-Throwing Incidents
Famed Archeologist Claims Possible Proof That Noah’s Ark Flood Actually Happened
Up to 200 Hurt in Attack on Syrian Alawite Village
Major Lending Effort to Boost Egypt Faces Delays
Facebook Shuts Down Taliban Recruiting Account
Iran Indicts 18 U.S. Officials
Iran: We Stole All Secrets From US Drone
North Korea rocket launch condemned
France says delay in Israel-Palestinian talks helps militants
Egypt’s opposition says will campaign for “no” on controversial constitution
Vladimir Putin warns foreigners not to intervene in Russian politics
Vladimir Putin calls on Russian families to have three children
Blast reported near Syria’s Interior Ministry building
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Daniel Pipes: Better dictators than elected Islamists—In just three months, Morsi has shown that his rule portends to be an even greater calamity for Egypt than was Mubarak’s.
Gallia Lindenstrauss and Iftah Celniker: Between NATO and Russia: The Pieces of Turkey’s Puzzle— It was one of the rare weeks since the outbreak of the Arab awakening that went well for Turkey. Between what was seen as a successful visit by Vladimir Putin to Istanbul on December 3, 2012 and NATO’s approval the following day of the deployment of Patriot missiles in Turkey, it seemed as if Turkey was currently playing its cards right. Unlike in previous cases, (1991, 2003) NATO responded rather swiftly to the Turkish request that Patriot batteries be deployed on its territory. This time it not only accepted Turkey’s request, but also managed to make Turkey feel that its membership in the alliance is not taken for granted, and that Turkey is a respected member. This is not a trivial matter when considering the degree of suspicion that exists betweenTurkey and some of its Western allies.
Bridget Johnson: Taken in Syria: The Quest to Find Austin Tice—As Washington has been consumed with the campaign, one American who dared to cover the crisis in Syria is in the hands of persons unknown. Four months after Marine-turned-journalist Austin Tice disappeared, most clues point to Bashar al-Assad, and sources believe Austin is still alive. The family is trying to get help from Washington.
Minister Gideon Sa’ar: We have proven what is possible— The standardized test results speak for themselves — Israel is on the rise.
Dror Eydar: Shavit’s Afrikaners— Fatah and Hamas don’t need their own writers, they have Haaretz.
Eli Hurvitz: Future children— The world is not stagnant; education can change the game.
Dan Margalit: A Harpaz Truce— Eizenkot’s appointment was made on professional grounds and should be cleared by the attorney-general, particularly because it enjoys unanimous support.
A. Jay Adler: When Is an Open-Air Prison a Terrorist Camp?—It is a term we hear a lot in the twenty-first century anti-Israel propaganda storm, flung wildly against the truth – that Gaza is an “open-air” prison. We hear it not only from Arab and Muslim anti-Semites and the committed anti-Israel ideologues, but from well meaning people on the left who speak out of compassion. They know of a…
Petra Marquardt-Bigman: Happy Holidays: Why Not Donate For a Daily Dose of Hate?—It’s this time of year – and it seems that even the anti-Israel activists from the Electronic Intifada (EI) don’t want to miss out on the holiday season’s charitable spirit: they are currently soliciting donations from their readers with the goal of raising $150 000 by the end of December…
Barry Rubin: The World Has Abrogated the Oslo Accords—The Palestinian leadership, abetted by many Western governments, has now torn up every agreement it made with Israel. In 1993, Israel signed an agreement with the PLO to make peace in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Yet by essentially unilaterally declaring the existence of an Arab Palestine, the world has abrogated that agreement.
Guy Bechor: Europe Obsessing over Israel-Arab Conflict to Avoid Tackling Real Mideast Problems—For more than 70 years the Israeli-Arab (or Jewish-Arab) conflict has been viewed as the focal point of the Mideast crisis, so much so that the term “peace process” is mentioned only in relation to Israel. Western governments have invested a lot of attention in this conflict, out of the naive assumption that when it ends and a Palestinian state is established, a cosmic calm will settle over the entire region.
Liad Porat: The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Its True Intentions towards Israel—According to the Muslim Brotherhood, Sinai is Egyptian territory upon which the country has not yet exercised its full sovereignty.
Amir Taheri: Iran’s Panic—The Iranian regime is preparing for another tricky presidential election in June. Though every such election is stage-managed, the 2009 election provoked uprisings that were crushed with massive brutality.
Walter E. Williams: Our Government-Created Financial Crisis—Suppose you saw a building on fire. Would you seek counsel from the arsonist who set it ablaze for advice on how to put it out? You say, “Williams, you’d have to be a lunatic to do that!” But that’s precisely what we’ve done: turned to the people who created our fiscal crisis to fix it. I have never read a better account of our doing just that than in John A. Allison’s new book, “The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure.” Suppose you saw a building on fire. Would you seek counsel from the arsonist who set it ablaze for advice on how to put it out? You say, “Williams, you’d have to be a lunatic to do that!” But that’s precisely what we’ve done: turned to the people who created our fiscal crisis to fix it. I have never read a better account of our doing just that than in John A. Allison’s new book, “The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure.”
Donald Lambro: Obama’s Cronies Shield Themselves From His Higher 2013 Tax on Dividends—Did you see the story about Costco borrowing $3.5 billion to pay a special $7 a share dividend to its stockholders before year’s end to avoid being hit by President Obama’s higher tax on investors?
Daniel J. Mitchell: The $822,000-per-Year Bureaucrat and the Death of California—Hopefully we’re all disgusted when insiders rig the system to rip off taxpayers. And I suspect you’re not surprised to see that the worst example on that list comes from California, which is in a race with Illinois to see which state can become the Greece of America.
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Blessings in the Book of Revelation is a book that you need to read, especially now. There are blessings throughout the Scriptures but Revelation is the only book in the Bible actually containing a specific blessing for reading it. It’s repeated twice, once at the beginning and again at the end. This is the reason that I believe Revelation should be the first step toward studying biblical prophecy. Though not easy to do, Revelation can be broken down and understood by anyone, not just the academic elite. So, Revelation’s blessings are for everyone. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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Other Books by Neil Snyder
- Stand! is a suspense novel that exposes the lies, corruption, and greed underlying the theory that man-made CO2 emissions are responsible for global warming. Professor Wes Carlyle and Karen Sterling, his research collaborator, carefully scan the audience for their would-be attacker—a member of the enviro-gestapo who has been following them for days. Wes spots his man in the back of the room leaning against the wall. Suddenly, another man in the audience steps forward and moves toward Karen at a menacing pace. With a vicious stroke, he swings a billy club at her head. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
- What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life? deals with a question that every Christian has to consider: what should I do with my life? Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
- Falsely Accused is a true story about a young woman who was accused of committing a double homicide. It’s about a travesty of justice, and it reveals Yahweh intervening in the life of a believer to rescue her from danger in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Everyone will enjoy the book, but young people in particular need to read it because the mistakes made that led to the problem could have been avoided. They were the kinds of mistakes that young people are prone to make. As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
