Tag: Jobs

Countering the False Rumor that Auto Workers make $70 an Hour

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I am sure that you’ve heard about the Rumor or the Conservative talking point that the Detroit Auto Workers make $70 an hour. The Conservatives will try and tell you that if you figure in all thier benefits, it totals that amount.

There’s only one little problem with that, the math, is quite frankly, wrong.

Jonathan Cohn at TNR Explains:

Well, here’s one reason: The figure is wildly misleading.

Let’s start with the fact that it’s not $70 per hour in wages. According to Kristin Dziczek of the Center for Automative Research–who was my primary source for the figures you are about to read–average wages for workers at Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors were just $28 per hour as of 2007. That works out to a little less than $60,000 a year in gross income–hardly outrageous, particularly when you consider the physical demands of automobile assembly work and the skills most workers must acquire over the course of their careers.

More important, and contrary to what you may have heard, the wages aren’t that much bigger than what Honda, Toyota, and other foreign manufacturers pay employees in their U.S. factories. While we can’t be sure precisely how much those workers make, because the companies don’t make the information public, the best estimates suggests the corresponding 2007 figure for these “transplants”–as the foreign-owned factories are known–was somewhere between $20 and $26 per hour, and most likely around $24 or $25. That would put average worker’s annual salary at $52,000 a year.

So the “wage gap,” per se, has been a lot smaller than you’ve heard. And this is no accident. If the transplants paid their employees far less than what the Big Three pay their unionized workers, the United Auto Workers would have a much better shot of organizing the transplants’ factories. Those factories remain non-unionized and management very much wants to keep it that way.

So, where did this wild figure come from? Jonathan continues:

But then what’s the source of that $70 hourly figure? It didn’t come out of thin air. Analysts came up with it by including the cost of all employer-provided benefits–namely, health insurance and pensions–and then dividing by the number of workers. The result, they found, was that benefits for Big Three cost about $42 per hour, per employee. Add that to the wages–again, $28 per hour–and you get the $70 figure. Voila.

Except … notice something weird about this calculation? It’s not as if each active worker is getting health benefits and pensions worth $42 per hour. That would come to nearly twice his or her wages. (Talk about gold-plated coverage!) Instead, each active worker is getting benefits equal only to a fraction of that–probably around $10 per hour, according to estimates from the International Motor Vehicle Program. The number only gets to $70 an hour if you include the cost of benefits for retirees–in other words, the cost of benefits for other people. One of the few people to grasp this was Portfolio.com’s Felix Salmon. As he noted yesterday, the claim that workers are getting $70 an hour in compensation is just “not true.”

I highly recommend that everyone that comes here, go read the rest of this great article. Because it really puts to bed some of the more idiotic rumors and false information. I mean, I have been raising hell about this whole bailout, but it is mainly because of the utter stupidity that is being parroted by the Far Right and by some of the not so far right. I will say this, that if this is the best that right can do, towards the middle class. They can forget about getting elected in 2010 or 2012. Of course, based upon what I’ve noticed as of late, there is not much hope of that happening anyhow.

I would suppose that there are those who might think, that I do not think that there is any problems with the Big Three. Trust me, I do. I also realize that the unions did get a bit greedy in the last 20 or so years. But, I also know this, that the errors that the present management and management in the past made at General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are NOT the fault of the Employees. Nor do I believe that the employees of these fine companies should be punished for the incompetency of these companies. Nor do I blame the employees for the missteps of the Union officials, who were out for their own agendas.

It is just a plain and simple, the Republicans and some Libertarians think that punishing the middle class and allowing those who simply go to work and do their jobs to lose their jobs is perfectly acceptable. I am not one of those people.

In a personal level, my Dad never, ever made more than $21 an hour at his job. He worked for general motors for 31 years. He drove a Hi-lo, otherwise known as a Forklift. He worked for those people faithfully, rarely took off sick, he would work as many hours as they asked him to. Sometimes double shifts, he even worked triple shifts, before they outlawed it. My Father earned his retirement, and now, I have to contend with idiot Republicans, Conservatives and some Libertarians; who want to punish my dad for G.M.’s stupidity. It just is not right.  As far as his benefits go, he’s got some good benefits, but they’re not as nearly as good as they used to be. He used to pay zero for Doctor’s visits and Prescriptions, he now pays a large co-pay for doctor’s visits and prescriptions. I think my Dad has earned every last bit of those benefits, and those Conservative who would want to punish my Dad, I will say to you, what Keith Olbermann said about those in the Bush Administration who knowingly send your Nation’s troops into battle for their second and third terms, despite the fact that some, if not all, are suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome; they can go to hell.

It just seems very hypocritical of this Nation to give Wall Street 700 hundred BILLION dollars, for a damned bailout that did not even really work; but you let the big three ask for a bridge loan and the whole world is like “Detroit can go to hell!” It just does not make any sense to me at all.

Matthew Yglesias and Washington Monthly

Ed “The Tool” Morrissey continues to live up to his name

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It seems that my Favorite Madison Avenue Conservative, Ed “The Tool” Morrissey continues his one-man venomous crusade against the middle class, Detroit Auto Workers and the U.A.W.; of which my Father is a member.

He blathers on, in his rather idiotic posting, at the Neo-Con rag called “HotAir” which sums up Ed to a tee. He writes:

The UAW chief, Rich Gettelfinger, has a courageous proposal to resolve the standoff:

“In a news conference in Detroit, Ron Gettelfinger, president of the United Auto Workers, said the Big Three CEOs should consider resigning if that would help win backing for a bailout.”

Why doesn’t Gettelfinger offer his resignation as well?  Why wouldn’t the UAW offer to help by restructuring its contracts with the Big Three, which shoulder far greater labor costs than its competitors, making them less competitive?  It takes a big, big man to offer someone else’s resignation.

Once again, I have to straighten out the four-eyed Neo-Con idiot:

  1. His is name Ron Gettlefinger, not Rich.
  2. He has done more work in his entire life, than you’ll ever hope to accomplish.
  3. Why don’t you do the blogging world a favor and offer your resignation from HotAir.com and from Blogging in General? Better yet; just drop dead. God knows, the world would be a much better place without idiotic morons like you around, that’s for sure.

Sorry folks, I know that sounds a bit harsh, But when this son-of-a-bitch decided to start his crusade against the Detroit auto workers, he declared war against me personally and my Family. Because of this, I will continue to write rebuttals to this idiots writings, until he personally apologizes to me or decides to stop writing insulting Blog postings about my Father, who is a retired auto worker and U.A.W. Member.

I refer to Ed as a Madison Avenue Conservative, However, I know he is not a rich man. But he has the mentality of your typical Neo-Conservative Republican. Of course, for Ed; it is easy to have this attitude. I mean, when you’re basically living off your wife’s disability check and plus getting a nice check from that Neo-Con shill that he works for. It is easy for him to take the positions that he takes.

Meanwhile, people like me, who live in the real world; who have all of $45 in our bank accounts. We know what would happen to this area, if the big three did collapse. This entire area would become desolate, families and individuals would begin to leave in masses. Like they did back in the 1980’s when that big recession hit. Jobs would become nonexistent, like they did during the great depression of the 1930’s.  Thankfully, my Dad’s pension would be protected by the Federal Government, due to laws passed many years ago. But those men and women working those production lines would not be. The unemployment claims would bankrupt our state.

But people like Ed and Mitt Romney, they don’t care. They’ve got their money. They could care less what happens to us middle class folk. Here’s where the jobless rate hits home with me. I have not had a “Day Job” since 2005. Due to high gas prices and a bum car, that either needs to be sold or fixed; I cannot afford to drive to the job offers that I see in the listings, that are up to 50 or more miles from my house. My car has a bad “A Arm” in the steering. I cannot drive the car on the highway, I would be risking smacking the wall at 60 MPH, if I did. Not my idea of good time!  Besides, the car is quite old, as in 1990 kind of old. The money I would be putting into that car would far exceed the value. So, at this point, I am stuck. Unless I find something around here locally. But that market, is a part of the market that’s dried up around here. This is why I am a full time Blogger. It is all a can do, at this point.

Hopefully now, you will understand why I feel the way that I do about Ed, and his idiotic nonsense towards this area.

Update: To the commenter named Joel, who wrote a rather idiotic comment, accusing me of Ad-Hominem attacks. Well, the way see it. Ed has taken it upon himself in engaging in Ad-Hominem attacks against The U.A.W., The US Auto workers, which includes my Dad; and the middle class in general. So, the way I see it, what’s fair is fair.  I am sticking up for those who have no voice, and if that upsets you. Tough Shit! I’m sure there’s plenty of Neo-Conservative Blogs out there, that you can read that just brim with Anti-Union Propaganda. This is not one of those Blogs.

Quote of the Day

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Who killed the U.S. auto industry?

To hear the media tell it, arrogant corporate chiefs failed to foresee the demand for small, fuel-efficient cars and made gas-guzzling road-hog SUV’s no one wanted, while the clever, far-sighted Japanese, Germans, and Koreans prepared and built for the future.

I dissent. What killed Detroit was Washington, the government of the United States, politicians, journalists, and muckrakers who have long harbored a deep animus against the manufacturing class that ran the smokestack industries that won World War II.

For once in my life. I am in 100% agreement with a Republican. Click the link to see who it is.

I get e-mail from Senator Carl Levin

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This just arrived in my inbox:

Dear Paleo Pat,

Immediate support is needed to shore up our automotive manufacturing sector and to preserve the more than 2.5 million jobs directly and indirectly linked to the U.S. auto industry. This morning, I testified in front of the House Financial Services Committee to emphasize the need for Congress to take swift action on behalf of our nation’s automakers. Standing idly by as the financial crisis decimates our domestic manufacturing capabilities and pulls our fragile economy further into recession is unacceptable.

Throughout the world, the dire financial crisis continues to spur governments to provide assistance to their manufacturing industries, which are not able to obtain the credit they so vitally need to continue operations. Both Germany and the European Union are studying the possibility of providing support for their automotive industries. Australia has provided more than $4 billion in funding for its vehicle manufacturers. Automotive manufacturers in China are already voicing their expectation of financial assistance from their government as well. “The Chinese government will undoubtedly support us,” says She Cairong, general manager of JAC Motors, a Chinese automobile manufacturer. This quote appeared in a New York Times article this morning, highlighting China’s consideration of a plan to provide assistance to its domestic automobile companies.

The spotlight is now focused on Congress, which is considering the possibility of rescuing the industry from an economic downturn not of its own making. President-elect Obama has called the U.S. auto industry “the backbone of American manufacturing” and said that the failure of our domestic automakers would be “a disaster” for our economy. President Bush, Speaker Pelosi, and both the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate agree that bridge loans for our domestic automakers are necessary at this time. I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Senate and the Congressional Leadership to come up with a plan that would provide auto manufacturers with the bridge loans they need to weather this financial storm.

You can read the transcript of my testimony before the House Financial Services Committee by clicking on the following link: http://levin.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=305099

]. During these difficult times, I am doing everything within my power to convince the Congress to provide the bridge loans for the domestic auto industry that the President, the President-elect and the leaders from both houses of Congress support.


Sincerely,
Carl Levin


A Picture of our Economy

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A Picture of our Economy

A Picture of our Economy

(H/T to ParaPundit)

New York Times has the story:

But the inventory glut in Long Beach is not limited to imported cars. There has also been a sharp drop in demand for the port’s single largest export: recycled cardboard and paper products.

This material typically goes to China, where it is used to make boxes for new electronics and other products that are sent back to the United States. But Chinese factories reacting to sharply falling demand are slowing production, so they need less cardboard. Tons of paper are piling up recycling businesses around the port, the detritus of economies on hold.

Long Beach is an important port, particularly for the West. It is where imported products arrive and filter through the tributary of trucks, trains and retailers into the hands of consumers. But now, products are just sitting.

“We’re supposed to move things, not store them,” Mr. Wong said.

Roughly 20 percent of the nation’s container imports last year came through Long Beach, putting it close behind the largest container port, Los Angeles. This year, shipping volume at Long Beach is down 10 percent from 2007, and nearly all major ports around the country have seen similar declines. Veteran port workers say the slowdown since mid-October is like nothing they have ever seen. And it is having a cascading impact on other businesses and workers. – Read the rest

Go read the rest of the story. But it’s not only cars, it’s everything. I think Obama might just come; too little, too late. 🙁

Mitt Romney throws himself out of the running for President in 2012

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(H/T to Liberal Values)

I saw this and I could not pass it up.

I’ve already Blogged about another Madison Avenue Conservative who thinks that the Detroit auto worker is a piece of shit. (Who, by the way, removed my trackback, like the little fat coward fuck that he is…) Strike that, it’s still there. My bad. Was looking in wrong place. 😀

Now have another Madison Avenue Conservative coming out against the American Auto worker. Mitt Romney, the idiotic Mormon Freak is now opening his mouth towards the Detroit Auto Worker.

Mormon freak boy writes:

IF General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye. It won’t go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed.

Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself. With it, the automakers will stay the course — the suicidal course of declining market shares, insurmountable labor and retiree burdens, technology atrophy, product inferiority and never-ending job losses. Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check.

I love cars, American cars. I was born in Detroit, the son of an auto chief executive. In 1954, my dad, George Romney, was tapped to run American Motors when its president suddenly died. The company itself was on life support — banks were threatening to deal it a death blow. The stock collapsed. I watched Dad work to turn the company around — and years later at business school, they were still talking about it. From the lessons of that turnaround, and from my own experiences, I have several prescriptions for Detroit’s automakers.

First, their huge disadvantage in costs relative to foreign brands must be eliminated. That means new labor agreements to align pay and benefits to match those of workers at competitors like BMW, Honda, Nissan and Toyota. Furthermore, retiree benefits must be reduced so that the total burden per auto for domestic makers is not higher than that of foreign producers.

That extra burden is estimated to be more than $2,000 per car. Think what that means: Ford, for example, needs to cut $2,000 worth of features and quality out of its Taurus to compete with Toyota’s Avalon. Of course the Avalon feels like a better product — it has $2,000 more put into it. Considering this disadvantage, Detroit has done a remarkable job of designing and engineering its cars. But if this cost penalty persists, any bailout will only delay the inevitable.

Second, management as is must go. New faces should be recruited from unrelated industries — from companies widely respected for excellence in marketing, innovation, creativity and labor relations.

The new management must work with labor leaders to see that the enmity between labor and management comes to an end. This division is a holdover from the early years of the last century, when unions brought workers job security and better wages and benefits. But as Walter Reuther, the former head of the United Automobile Workers, said to my father, “Getting more and more pay for less and less work is a dead-end street.”

You don’t have to look far for industries with unions that went down that road. Companies in the 21st century cannot perpetuate the destructive labor relations of the 20th. This will mean a new direction for the U.A.W., profit sharing or stock grants to all employees and a change in Big Three management culture.

The need for collaboration will mean accepting sanity in salaries and perks. At American Motors, my dad cut his pay and that of his executive team, he bought stock in the company, and he went out to factories to talk to workers directly. Get rid of the planes, the executive dining rooms — all the symbols that breed resentment among the hundreds of thousands who will also be sacrificing to keep the companies afloat.

Investments must be made for the future. No more focus on quarterly earnings or the kind of short-term stock appreciation that means quick riches for executives with options. Manage with an eye on cash flow, balance sheets and long-term appreciation. Invest in truly competitive products and innovative technologies — especially fuel-saving designs — that may not arrive for years. Starving research and development is like eating the seed corn.

Just as important to the future of American carmakers is the sales force. When sales are down, you don’t want to lose the only people who can get them to grow. So don’t fire the best dealers, and don’t crush them with new financial or performance demands they can’t meet.

It is not wrong to ask for government help, but the automakers should come up with a win-win proposition. I believe the federal government should invest substantially more in basic research — on new energy sources, fuel-economy technology, materials science and the like — that will ultimately benefit the automotive industry, along with many others. I believe Washington should raise energy research spending to $20 billion a year, from the $4 billion that is spent today. The research could be done at universities, at research labs and even through public-private collaboration. The federal government should also rectify the imbedded tax penalties that favor foreign carmakers.

But don’t ask Washington to give shareholders and bondholders a free pass — they bet on management and they lost.

The American auto industry is vital to our national interest as an employer and as a hub for manufacturing. A managed bankruptcy may be the only path to the fundamental restructuring the industry needs. It would permit the companies to shed excess labor, pension and real estate costs. The federal government should provide guarantees for post-bankruptcy financing and assure car buyers that their warranties are not at risk.

In a managed bankruptcy, the federal government would propel newly competitive and viable automakers, rather than seal their fate with a bailout check.

Hey, Mormon freak boy! Care to share how many workers your asshole father laid off, while he was the President of American Motors? Do you also care to share with the rest of the country of how much of a disaster your daddy’s term as Governor of the State of Michigan was? Especially with his aborted run for President of the United States?

I did agree with some of what he wrote like this:

Second, management as is must go. New faces should be recruited from unrelated industries.

[….]

The need for collaboration will mean accepting sanity in salaries and perks. At American Motors, my dad cut his pay and that of his executive team, he bought stock in the company, and he went out to factories to talk to workers directly. Get rid of the planes, the executive dining rooms — all the symbols that breed resentment among the hundreds of thousands who will also be sacrificing to keep the companies afloat.

However, when freak boy writes stuff like this here:

The American auto industry is vital to our national interest as an employer and as a hub for manufacturing. A managed bankruptcy may be the only path to the fundamental restructuring the industry needs. It would permit the companies to shed excess labor, pension and real estate costs. The federal government should provide guarantees for post-bankruptcy financing and assure car buyers that their warranties are not at risk.

Yeah, let’s kick all the fucking retirees to the damned curb, let’s get rid of all the fucking unions and let the god damn workers work for minimum wages and not give the middle class to have a chance to have a piece of the American dream. All the while the big three make all the damn money and we the middle class American worker gets screwed. Two Words Romney; fuck you! 😡

Classic Madison Avenue, snobby nosed, fiscal Conservatism, the classic Republican attitude of, “I’ve got mine and screw you.”

That mother fucker Romney had better not run in fucking 2012, he wouldn’t get fucking vote one, at least not from this Moderate Libertarian Conservative, not at all. It just so happens that if the big three here in Detroit crash, the whole fucking area will collapse. But that mother fucking Madison Avenue asshole doesn’t care, he’s got his fucking millions. So, it will not affect him.

The State of Michigan has been in recession since around 2001 or so. unemployment is though damned roof, if we let these companies fail, which they will do, if we do not bail them out. If that happens, the economy will go into a full blown nose-dive and this area will become another damned Russia, people will leave in mass and there will be massive bread-lines, it will make for an horrific event.

But the fucking asshole Madison Avenue Conservatives could give a fuck less, they’ve got theirs. Which is why I could never, ever call myself a fucking Republican, Ever!

I am not a fan of Nationalizing of anything, but we’ll prop banks up, and keep the wealthy rich, but to hell with the middle class auto worker. What idiotic bullshit! 😡

Some people, like Mormon freak boy Mitt Romney ought to be seen and not heard. Period!

It is official: Ed Morrissey is a tool

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I’ve held my tongue long enough.

It is official in my book. Ed Morrissey is nothing more than a Republican tool. Not to mention a Neo-Conservative, Pope-Worshiping tool.

I just got done reading Ed’s rather idiotic ramblings about how we should just allow Detroit’s big three to drop dead and die.

You see, there’s a small problem with that, My Dad was employed by G.M.; He’s retired now; and when you insult G.M., The UAW, and the workers at G.M., you are insulting my Father.  The last time some ignorant son-of-bitch insulted my Dad to my face; I ended up breaking his collar bone, in three places, cracked about 5 of his ribs and broke about 5 of his front teeth. Oh yeah, I was that angry. 😡

My Father and I, we’ve had our disagreements in the past and there’s been times, when he’s really ticked me off, but you let someone badmouth my Dad and it’s on. It’s a southern thing, and I highly doubt that you damned Yankees would even understand it at all. Politics is one thing, but family’s another and Ed just crossed into the “Fuck off and Die” category with me, when he took occasion to basically say that my Father and all of the Father’s at General Motors, Ford and Chrysler were nothing but pieces of shit. Yes, I am taking it personally.

I guess I’ll use this opportunity to say this publicly, I won’t be returning to Ed’s daily show. Because you see, when you insult my father, I tend to take that a bit personally and it tends to make me a little angry. No, let me rephrase that, that makes me a whole bunch of angry.

There was a period, when I thought that Ed Morrissey was one of the more level-headed Conservatives, needless to say, I was very wrong in that estimation of him. The truth is, Ed’s nothing more than your a-typical “well to do” Conservative, who’s attitude is “I’ve got mine and screw you” attitude, which is so-typical of your Republicans and most Conservatives.  Much like that slant-eyed bitch that he works for.

So, Ed, if you happen to read this…. On the behalf of my Father and Family, who also worked for G.M….. two words fat boy, fuck you and the fucking horse you rode in on, asshole.

Someone’s gotta say it!

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I am, without apology, a moderate. For most political matters, I’m pretty much cut and dry. But when it comes to personal matters, I tend to lean more towards a moderate, compassionate stance.

This is one of them matters.

I happen to be reading my RSS feeds and I was rather alarmed by the coldness and dismissive tone of this Blog entry.

The entry which I happened to come upon by reading Lew Rockwell’s Blog. Some smart mouth jackass by the name of Philip Greeenspun says, basically, “To the hell with G.M. let them go bankrupt.”

Mr. Greenspun, on the behalf of my Father, a 31 year G.M. Employee and Retiree of General Motors, Cadillac Motor Car Division; and a United Auto Workers Member and everyone else in both of those organizations, who have done more physical labor, than you’ll ever hope to perform; I personally invite you to take a long, extended vacation……IN HELL.

There are just some issues where my Libertarianism stops and my Americanism or Nationalism starts. This is one of those places.  😡

Important Announcement From the Blogs 4 Borders Crew!

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Jake Delivers a sobering announcement about the Blogs 4 Borders BlogBurst. 🙁

….and here I am unemployed and cannot help. 😥

If you want to help Jake get his show on the road, click here to send him a message. Or go to his YouTube site and leave him a message there.

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More of Obama’s Audio on the Energy Industry

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(H/T to Capt. Ed over @ HotAir)

The Video:

The Quote:

The problem is not technical, uh, and the problem is not mastery of the legislative intricacies of Washington. The problem is, uh, can you get the American people to say, “This is really important,” and force their representatives to do the right thing? That requires mobilizing a citizenry. That requires them understanding what is at stake. Uh, and climate change is a great example.

You know, when I was asked earlier about the issue of coal, uh, you know — Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Even regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad. Because I’m capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, you know, natural gas, you name it — whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, uh, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers.

They — you — you can already see what the arguments will be during the general election. People will say, “Ah, Obama and Al Gore, these folks, they’re going to destroy the economy, this is going to cost us eight trillion dollars,” or whatever their number is. Um, if you can’t persuade the American people that yes, there is going to be some increase in electricity rates on the front end, but that over the long term, because of combinations of more efficient energy usage, changing lightbulbs and more efficient appliance, but also technology improving how we can produce clean energy, the economy would benefit.

If we can’t make that argument persuasively enough, you — you, uh, can be Lyndon Johnson, you can be the master of Washington. You’re not going to get that done.

Sorry, you cannot spin that.  Obama, in essence, is saying that he will cause one industry to collapse. All so he can promote his own agenda of “Green” energy. The problem with that is this, there are no tested, proven and ready alternative forms of energy, yet.

Ed from HotAir weighs in:

Energy prices skyrocketing will leave the economy in tatters, as we saw earlier this year.  While no one doubts the need to start transitioning to better sources of energy, the manner in which that gets done means the difference of whether it gets done at all.  A stagnant or receding economy does not produce scientific breakthroughs, especially when government both increases taxes and imposes steep cost burdens on energy.  That cuts into both manufacturing and R&D, because as profits fall, fewer dollars go into research — which means that all of these wonderful developments would get delayed, or go unrealized altogether.

We need to plan for the transition better than what Obama proposes.  We need to use our own reserves of oil, natural gas, coal, and shale to cushion the economy while we develop the alternatives and build the infrastructure to deliver it.  That’s what John McCain proposed in his Lexington Project.

Price shocks on energy is the last thing this economy needs.  It would be worse than the taxes Obama promises to impose on investment, and would have the same depressive effect.  It’s an utter disaster.

Not only this, but I also believe that if Obama does this, Jobs will be lost. I guess Obama believes that stealing one man’s job, top create another is just perfectly fine. 🙄

That would be like shutting down an auto plant, and putting people, who have worked at an auto plant for some 30 years, out of a job. Just so that a company could start a car plant, making electric cars. Yeah, sure, new jobs are created, but what about the people working for the auto plants, that do not make the Electric car? Why allow them to suffer?

Just more things to keep in mind, when voting, come Tuesday. Because Obama believes in spreading the wealth, except it comes to those working in the coil industry.

If I were the Unionized Coil Miners, I would raising the roof about this!

Others: : QandO, PoliGazette, Little Green Footballs, Soccer Dad, Chicago Boyz, Silent Running, Ed Driscoll.com and Tapscott’s Copy Desk

shocking audio: Obama said he will bankrupt the coal industry…

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This is not new, but it is still something to think about when you vote on Tuesday.

First the Video:

The Quote: (H/T to News Busters)

Let me sort of describe my overall policy.

What I’ve said is that we would put a cap and trade system in place that is as aggressive, if not more aggressive, than anybody else’s out there.

I was the first to call for a 100% auction on the cap and trade system, which means that every unit of carbon or greenhouse gases emitted would be charged to the polluter. That will create a market in which whatever technologies are out there that are being presented, whatever power plants that are being built, that they would have to meet the rigors of that market and the ratcheted down caps that are being placed, imposed every year.

So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it’s just that it will bankrupt them because they’re going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.

That will also generate billions of dollars that we can invest in solar, wind, biodiesel and other alternative energy approaches.

The only thing I’ve said with respect to coal, I haven’t been some coal booster. What I have said is that for us to take coal off the table as a (sic) ideological matter as opposed to saying if technology allows us to use coal in a clean way, we should pursue it.

So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can.

It’s just that it will bankrupt them.

Now had John McCain had said something like that, the Liberal Media would be all over it. But it’s Obama, so it’s okay.

Remember this on November 4.

Others: Weekly Standard,, DBKP, Democrat=Socialist, Ed Driscoll.com, Neptunus Lex, Macsmind, Jules Crittenden, Right Wing Nut House, Political Byline, Michelle Malkin, Wizbang, Babalu Blog, The Campaign Spot, Shopfloor, Doug Ross, Stop The ACLU, A Blog For All, Don Surber, BizzyBlog, 24Ahead, Wake up America,  Moonbattery, Dirty Harry’s Place, Scared Monkeys and  and more via Memeorandum

Blogs for Borders for 10/27/08

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From my friends over at Freedomfolks.com:

The weekly vlog/podcast on illegal immigration and border security. In this weeks edition…

The shadow campaign? Did you know there is another whole election campaign going on right under your nose? In another language?

Is America Balkanizing? We take a look.

100% Preventable! Americans continue to pay the bloody price for open borders. In this edition elderly Americans are preyed on by an illegal alien while a previously deported drug dealer shoots two NYC cops! When will the madness end?

Download for your Ipod here.

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If you’d like to sponsor a show contact us here.

This has been the Blogs For Borders Video Blogburst. The Blogs For Borders Blogroll is dedicated to American sovereignty, border security and a sane immigration policy. If you’d like to join find out how right here.

Dude, where’s MY Union?

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I was reading this morning over on a Liberal blog, about the return of the middle class and unions. As a Moderate, I will confess, I have no quarrels with unions. But as a bit of a Conservative, I do criticize them and their double standards.

This entry at firedoglake by someone calling themselves Joe Fish is of interest:

As a member of a union that I have to wonder about sometimes (ALPA, the Airline Pilots Association) I think it’s certainly worthwhile to talk for a minute about the Employee Free Choice Act and the role of unions in building a stronger middle-class and hence stronger America. Why do I wonder about ALPA? More on that in a minute…

A quick and simplistic review for those not old enough to remember the ultimate Federal Union Buster, Ronnie Reagan and his most excellent (in his mind) PATCO adventure. In 1981 the air traffic controllers union decided to go on strike and the controllers were fired by Reagan for violating a federal law banning strikes by governmental unions, although previous strikes by other governmental unions like the Postal Workers had not been punished by terminating their employees. Reagan’s views of unions was the same as virtually every other major republican figure of the 70’s and 80’s; that unions were the creation of the devil and the antithesis of American/Free Market capitalism and thus should be put down like Old Yeller… with a single shot to the head, but without the emotion.

This, of course, is a stretch of the truth and a bit of poetic license. Reagan was forced into the position that he was put in, by the union. Reagan knew that if the air traffic controllers had struck, commerce would have been interrupted and it could have led to a shut down in the economy. Reagan saw that and took action. One must remember, the economy was still shaky from the disastrous Presidency of Jimmy Carter.

Where does this apply to me? My Father is a U.A.W. member, I am very appreciative and grateful for the many great things that the Unions did for him. I am here today, because of that. I am also, as a history buff, very aware of the role that the unions had in the forming of this area here. However, as a man, I must ask the unpopular question, asked by many of the children of the Union members:

What exactly has the unions done for me?  The sad, but truthful answer is, nothing at all. Has the union ever approached my Father and offered me a job in the plant, where my dad worked, No. The closest thing I ever came to getting a job offer from the Union, was G.M. sending me for a test to see if I had the smarts to work for the company. Me and 10,000 other people. The test I took, there were people at this testing session with 2 year college degrees, who were having trouble with it. Needless to say, I never got a call to work for the company.

The sad truth is that the unions have simply become protectionists. There was a time when the unions had a legitimate role in defending auto workers from the out of control hiring and firing polices of the auto companies here in Detroit. But because of the greater control and stricter labor laws in America. Unions have lost their value. Not to mention the various trade agreements, passed by the Democratic President Bill Clinton, which was viewed by many unions as a “selling up the river”, caused the unions to lose their foothold in the organized labor movement.

This is not to say that I think that unions should be eliminated, not at all. I think if the unions want to be brought back into the mainstream and taken seriously again, the Democrats need to work to make them strong again. Like renegotiating trade agreements and if said countries will not, Op out of them. This was a early campaign promise of Obama. I wonder if he will honor it? This would cause the unions to become strong again. Also, giving tax breaks to companies who hire new blood, without all the restrictions, would be a bonus as well.

So, until this, I ask the question; Dude, where’s my union?

Blogs 4 Borders! 10/13/2008

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Jake snuck this one out on me or I didn’t see it, one of the two! Doh

——————-

Our weekly vlog/podcast on illegal immigration and border security issues. In this weeks edition…

The subprime meltdown: a basic issue of fairness?

You do the math: California calls for $7 billion bailout, where’d the money go?

100% Preventable! Americans continue to pay the bloody price for open borders. When will the madness end?

Download for your Ipod here.

Make sure to visit this weeks sponsor….

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If you’d like to sponsor a show contact us here.

This has been the Blogs For Borders Video Blogburst. The Blogs For Borders Blogroll is dedicated to American sovereignty, border security and a sane immigration policy. If you’d like to join find out how right here.

Blogs 4 Borders! 09/29/08

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I missed this on Monday. Hopefully I will remember next week….

Our weekly vlog/podcast on illegal immigration and border security. In this weeks edition…

Vigilance Dispatch: Everyone is talking about the massive bailouts. How has illegal immigration fed into the financial crisis that Washington plans to fix using our taxpayer dollars?

100% Preventable! Americans continue to pay the bloody price for open borders, when will the madness end?

Blogs For Borders 09/29/08

Download for your Ipod here.

Make sure to visit this weeks sponsor….

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If you’d like to sponsor a show contact us here.

This has been the Blogs For Borders Video Blogburst. The Blogs For Borders Blogroll is dedicated to American sovereignty, border security and a sane immigration policy. If you’d like to join find out how right here.

Here are some books that I highly recommend that everyone read, related to this subject:

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A very interesting video on our Nation’s banking system

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This video, made by the Ludwig Von Mises Institute, makes the case of why the United States of America should go to a 100% gold standard.

I highly recommend that everyone watch this video.

Also, I recommend everyone go to my bookstore and check out the section on the gold standard.

Trackposted to Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Rosemary’s Thoughts, A Blog For All, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, Shadowscope, Leaning Straight Up, Cao’s Blog, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, , Allie is Wired, Faultline USA, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, The World According to Carl, Walls of the City, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, Wingless, Dumb Ox Daily News, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

 Linkfest Haven, the Blogger's Oasis

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Bob Barr, The Right Choice for America…..

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Bob Barr For President 2008

So far, Bob Barr has raised $836, 686, 52.

Join Bob Barr’s effort to retake America. Donate today

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A movie that every American should watch, before voting

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(H/T to AP at Hotair.com)

This movie, if it caught on in the Media would ruin Obama’s chances of being elected President.

Trailer 1:

Trailer 2:

Wow…. I don’t think Barry will have to worry about snipers. He’d better worry about this movie.

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Blogs for Borders! 08/11/08

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Our weekly vlog — podcast on illegal immigration and border security. In this weeks edition…

You Do The Math: Do employers know they’re hiring illegals? We investigate.

MJ responds to a charge of…sexism?

100% Preventable! Americans continue to pay the bloody price for open borders. When will the madness end?

Download for your Ipod here.

Make sure to visit our sponsor….

Click on image

If you’d like to sponsor a show contact us here.

This has been the Blogs For Borders Video Blogburst. The Blogs For Borders Blogroll is dedicated to American sovereignty, border security and a sane immigration policy. If you’d like to join find out how right here.

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Trackposted to Mark My Words, A Blog For All, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, Shadowscope, The Pink Flamingo, Cao’s Blog, Democrat=Socialist, and Stageleft, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Linkfest Haven, the Blogger's Oasis

From the “WTF?!?!” File: Illegal Immigrants come to OUR country illegally, and get deported by Hospitals and Illegal Aliens want to BITCH?!?!

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This is unbelievable.

NYTimes.com:

High in the hills of Guatemala, shut inside the one-room house where he spends day and night on a twin bed beneath a seriously outdated calendar, Luis Alberto Jiménez has no idea of the legal battle that swirls around him in the lowlands of Florida.

Shooing away flies and beaming at the tiny, toothless elderly mother who is his sole caregiver, Mr. Jiménez, a knit cap pulled tightly on his head, remains cheerily oblivious that he has come to represent the collision of two deeply flawed American systems, immigration and health care.

Eight years ago, Mr. Jiménez, 35, an illegal immigrant working as a gardener in Stuart, Fla., suffered devastating injuries in a car crash with a drunken Floridian. A community hospital saved his life, twice, and, after failing to find a rehabilitation center willing to accept an uninsured patient, kept him as a ward for years at a cost of $1.5 million.

This story reads like a cheap dime novel. The poor immigrant. The whole dice. I got four words for this one:

Give me a Break and Cry me a river

The facts are in this story is simply this. This young man choose to come our Country in a unlawful manner and was hurt in a accident and became a HUGE burden on our Health care system here in America.

…and you know what? The Hospital took care of business:

What happened next set the stage for a continuing legal battle with nationwide repercussions: Mr. Jiménez was deported — not by the federal government but by the hospital, Martin Memorial. After winning a state court order that would later be declared invalid, Martin Memorial leased an air ambulance for $30,000 and “forcibly returned him to his home country,” as one hospital administrator described it.

As they should have, the story goes on to say that, as this little criminal began to heal up, he began to act like a total ass in the hospital too. All because he was supposedly “Depressed”.

You know, I am just going to tell it like it is here. These filthy illegal immigrants come into our country unlawfully, and then when they’re hurt. They EXPECT us to care for them, and let the AMERICAN PEOPLE foot the bill! That, my dear readers is totally unconscionable.

As a Christian man, I do feel a bit of sympathy for his situation, but I do not have one ounce of sympathy for the fact that he was deported. Because HE DID NOT BELONG IN THIS COUNTRY IN THE FIRST DAMN PLACE!

Nice try by the Communist Liberal New York Times to try a paint a sob story, but this Conservative is not buying it, not one damn bit.

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Constitution Party Presidential Candidate Chuck Baldwin Says “The Religious Right Is AWOL From The Real War”

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I am reposting this here, because I believe that it is an important read:

The Religious Right Is AWOL From The Real War
By Chuck Baldwin
July 23, 2008

This column is archived at
http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2008/cbarchive_20080723.html

I want to begin this column with one of my all-time favorite quotes. It
comes from the great German reformer Martin Luther. He said, “If I profess
with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of
God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at
that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be
professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier
is proved; and to be steady on all the battlefield besides is mere flight
and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”

Luther’s trenchant statement reminds us that today’s Christians, especially
our Christian leaders, are conspicuously absent from the field of battle.
Oh, they may host large crowds in their gatherings; they may deposit
multiplied millions of dollars in their financial accounts; they may receive
thunderous applause from politicians, but they have fled the battlefield at
the point of attack.

For the record, the real battlefield today is not abortion. It is not
homosexual marriage. It is not Social Security. It is not al Qaeda. It is
not taxes. It is not inflation. It is not electing conservatives. It is not
posting the Ten Commandments. It is not even the high cost of gasoline. That
is not to say that those issues are not important and not deserving of our
best efforts and attention, because they are. But those issues do not
represent the major battlefield today.

The battlefield where the devil has amassed his greatest forces and is
thrusting his deadliest armies is the surrender of our national sovereignty
and independence, and the creation of global government. And it is our own
political and corporate leaders that are facilitating this chicanery.
Furthermore, by refusing to oppose this surrender, our Christian leaders are
complicit as well.

Obviously, the surrender of our independence has been ongoing for some time.
However, under Bill Clinton and especially under G.W. Bush, the pace has
quickened exponentially.

Doubtless, the biggest reason President Bush has more aggressively hastened
the pace of America’s merger into supranational government is because he
enjoys widespread support among evangelical Christians. Absent opposition
from Christian leaders, G.W. Bush has virtually had a free hand. And please
know this: before Bush was a Republican, before he was a “conservative,”
before he was a Christian, he was and is a globalist, as was his father and
grandfather before him.

Because our national Christian leaders are content to revel in the lap of
political cronyism with President Bush (and the Republican Party), they have
abandoned their positions as watchmen on the wall. Instead of being watchmen
and heralds of truth, they have become political lackeys and toadies for the
GOP.

Now, just yesterday, James Dobson declares that he “might” support John
McCain. This in spite of the fact that only a few months ago Mr. Dobson
promised, “I cannot and I will not vote for Sen. John McCain as a matter of
conscience.”

Ah, but that is just the problem: when it comes to groveling before the GOP,
our Christian leaders have no conscience. Hence, James Dobson is now
publicly saying he “might” support McCain.

The ones who are doing the yeoman’s work in trying to warn the American
people to what is happening in regard to the surrender of our country’s
liberties and independence are people such as Congressman Ron Paul and Dr.
Jerome Corsi.

Many of you know Corsi as the man who co-authored the Number 1 New York
Times best-seller, “Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against
John Kerry.”

Jerome Corsi holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University in political science. He
is not some fringe-radical (not that Harvard hasn’t produced its own
radicals). Religiously, my understanding is that Corsi is either a Roman
Catholic or Episcopalian. However, Corsi is doing what James Dobson, Tony
Perkins, et al. should be doing, but aren’t: he is sounding the trumpet of
truth for the real battlefield.

In a nutshell, Corsi warns us that G.W. Bush is secretly working to merge
the United States into a trilateral government with Canada and Mexico. Corsi
maintains that back in March of 2005, President Bush, Mexican President
Vicente Fox, and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin entered into an
agreement that binds the three countries into a regional or hemispheric
government.

Corsi insists that this is one of the central reasons why Bush is so adamant
about granting amnesty to Mexico’s illegal aliens. Bush is simply following
through with his commitment to Fox and Martin.

Corsi also notes that this new hemispheric entity already has a name. It is
called the North American Union (NAU), and it is being created without any
input (or even knowledge) from our legislative or judicial branches of
government. The official name of the agreement made between the three
leaders is the “Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America” (SPP).
Obviously, the new NAU is modeled after the already established European
Union (EU).

Folks, please be aware that President Bush has already committed the United
States to a regional or hemispheric government. When completed, this
regional government will control everything relative to the “security” and
“prosperity” of this new North American Union. That includes everything
relating to travel, law enforcement, trade, education, military matters,
etc. So, what is left out? Nothing.

Please remember, too, that all of this is being done without any input from
the American people or their elected representatives at the state or federal
level. I would even dare say that the vast majority of congressmen and
senators are completely oblivious to the fact that this is even happening.
With the attention of the American people (and Congress) focused on the
Middle East, Bush and his cabal of elitists are moving forward with plans to
surrender our national independence and merge our country into a regional
government. Friends, this is the real war; this is the real battlefield.

When America loses its sovereignty and independence, we will lose all of our
fundamental liberties. The Constitution will be meaningless and irrelevant.
The Bill of Rights will be moot. The principles of religious liberty, the
right to life, and the Christian foundation of our country will be passé.
And, as I said at the outset of this column, our national leaders,
especially our Christian leaders, are totally absent from this battlefield.

The surrender of our national sovereignty and independence is where the
battle currently rages; it is where the devil is at this moment attacking
(to quote Luther). But where is the Religious Right? They have flinched and
fled in the face of battle. They would rather hold onto their precious perks
of power within the ivory towers of partisan politics. Luther is right:
their actions are disgraceful.

Chuck Baldwin’s Website
Chuck Baldwin for President 2008 – Official Campaign Website

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A article that I think everyone needs to read.

Posted on1 Comment

I think all Americans should read this.

“Obama ain’t black.”

I turned to look over my shoulder to see who had uttered that ridiculous statement.

“Pardon Me?” I squinted at the dark-skinned man who had just interjected himself into my over-coffee conversation with my buddy, Kevin.

“Obama ain’t black.” He said again more matter-of-factly as he walked around the porcelain dividing wall and stood at our table where he could be more active in our conversation.

“My name’s Andree,” he said as he extended his hand. “I couldn’t help but hear what you boys had been discussin’ and I don’t mean to stick my nose in where it don’t belong, but I couldn’t leave without settin’ you straight. Obama ain’t black.”

I looked at Kevin as he shifted nervously in his seat, not sure how to take this visitor to our table.

“Well, have a seat Andree,” somewhat trying to judge the book by its cover. “I’m Dave, but most folks call me Coach, and this is Kevin.” Kevin extended his hand politely.——- Click the link to read the rest of Conveniently Black by Dave Daubenmire (via NewsWithViews.com

I will simply say the following, that it is pretty telling when Obama is doing better in White America, out in places where blacks are in rare supply, than he is in the more urban communities.

I don’t have much to add to this article… Because Dave says it all in this article. Enjoy.

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The Truth about ANWR

Posted on4 Comments

(H/T and Thanks to Senate Conservatives)

Tell everyone you know about this video. It is important that everyone know, how the Democrats are lying about ANWR.

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Chuck Baldwin officially launches his campaign website….

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I received some great news this morning in my e-mail inbox. Dancing

Pastor Chuck Baldwin has officially launched his Campaign website.  

I am voting for Chuck Baldwin because he more represents the American values that I, as a Christian, as a Libertarian and as a Constitutionalist, hold very dear.

He might not win, but I will know that my vote went for someone who still believes in the old Paleo-conservative values that I hold dear. I will also know, that my vote did not go to a third term of George W. Bush, a Neo-Conservative, Globalist, Shill or a Socialist, Marxist, Liberal. 

This notion that if you don’t vote for John McCain, that your vote is a vote for Hillary or Obama is the biggest lie and the great travesty ever heaped upon this Nation. Heaped upon it by warmongering bastards who want to send this Nation into a pit that it will never get itself out of.

I ask you today, Libertarian, Constitutionalist, Conservative, Republican, wake up and realize that this Nations only hope, is found in this man.

Check out his Website, Forum  and go to his "Money Bomb" page.

Let’s get American back on the right track, vote for Chuck Baldwin