The big failout part 2

November 22, 7:18 PMAuctions and Antiques ExaminerWalt AuctionWally

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You don't mind tax $ going to help CEOs fly in comfort, do you?

I'm upset, I'm really ripped and fit to be tied.

The heads of Ford, Chrysler and GMC were in Washington begging for the U.S taxpayer to bail them out. How do you think that might work for you if you tried a stunt like this?

I know what I would get if I went with my hand out around my neighborhood asking for people to pay for my mistakes - a swift kick in the ass and a door slammed in my face. And it's exactly what I would deserve.

For years American auto consumers have put up with inferior quality, gas guzzling, overpriced junk. If we dared point out that a car from another country was better or more efficient, well, we would be told that was un-American.

We were told that it would cost too much money to make American cars more fuel efficient and that although we demanded them, we didn't really want them and would never buy them.

SUV after SUV glutted the market, with each of the big 3 trying to outdo the other in absurdly luxurious ways.

Recall after recall, we stewed. We fumed as the customer service departments either outright ignored us or put us on hold indefinitely.

On this I speak from experience. I have a Chrysler van that I purchased for my business less than 2 years ago. I got it with 30,000 miles on it, it was about a year old when I purchased it. Since I purchased it, I've replaced almost the complete front end. Brakes twice, check engine light stays on and the blinker and high beam lighting system in the steering column is junk!

Also, it was scheduled twice for a recalled part that STILL hasn't been replaced yet because at both times I scheduled it, they didn't REALLY have the part in stock. I live an hour and a half from the dealer, they couldn't have called to tell me the part wasn't in before I drove down there?

Let's look at some of the possible reasons for lack of quality control and customer service. Shall we?

The CEOs of these once great companies have stripped pension plans and turned there backs on the factory line workers that made them profitable in order to cut cost and raise themselves up in the eyes of shareholders.

These same CEOs like so many corporate thugs, have assembled  golden parachutes for themselves that  are multi million dollar rewards for failure, but even that's not enough. The smell of 25 billion dollars has them at the taxpayer trough again like the greedy little piglets they really are.

Again, the U.S. taxpayer is warned of impending financial doom if this failout package is not passed. This they say, is 100% critical to the well-being of the U.S. economy.

Yeah, the last time I heard that one, I learned that the SOBs from AIG were partying on the bailout funds they just got from their pay pal Henry Paulson. What a crock!

Are we that stupid as a nation to fall for this, or do they just think we're that stupid? I'm waiting to see which it really is.

But wait, this time, maybe these CEOs have learned their lesson, maybe they're sincere and I'm just a doddering fool, ranting on something I know nothing about.

Could be, I'm just an average guy. I mean what do I know about mega corporate finances?

Well, I do know this. I know that when  CEOs come into town sniffing for billions of bailout dollars, they may not really need it as bad as they say the do if they've just landed in PRIVATE JETS!

What  is THAT all about?

Then we find out that some of them fly back and forth to weekly meetings on a private jet. But I digress,  I can't blame them for not wanting to drive the highways in the junk they've built!

Meanwhile the Japanese and some other foreign companies have made more reliable, longer lasting, fuel efficient vehicles. I've heard that the benefit packages their CEOs get are the same as the ones the workers get.

I've also heard that there is a limit to how much money they can make over the average worker. And that their pay is performance based. That's Patriotism, real Patriotism.

This is not a left or right partisan point of view. These are the facts as I see them and I think leaders on both sides of the aisle in congress are to blame for letting this kind of behavior go on the corporate world.

If you would argue they are not to blame for this rampant behavior, then I would argue that they are not responsible to dictate that our tax dollars go to this big failout.

In short, I'm just one guy, I can't fight congress and I can't stop my tax dollars from going to these snake oil salesmen. If I tried to do that, I would go to jail.

But I can promise this and I will. I will not buy another car made by one of the big 3 ever again.  You don't have to wait 4 years to vote, you vote every day with the dollars you spend.

Be Patriotic and send these clowns a message, stop buying their overpriced junk. Put your hard earned dollars into the coffers of companies that deserve them.

You, Mr Congressman & Mrs Congresswoman, I will see in the voting booth.

Thanks for reading,

AW