[DeTomaso] NPC: REALLY NO PANTERA CONTENT, US Auto industry Bailout Opinion

RFogle1 at aol.com RFogle1 at aol.com
Tue Dec 9 10:07:34 EST 2008


The interesting thing about corporate influence is that it does not seem to  
apply either to small business, or local elections.  I have favored one  
mayoral candidate over another in elections where my business is located,  but I do 
not live, so I have no vote.  On several elections now, I  have sent company 
checks to offer financial support to those candidates I wished  to support, 
these candidates had also solicited me for support, only to  have the checks 
returned with a request to contribute in the form of a personal  check.  Maybe 
it's Ohio election law, I've never tried to send a $100  in the form of a 
company check to a US Senator.  Anyone know what  happens?  I'm betting your money 
just disappears,  poof!    
 
Oh yea, I'd be a great guy to help Slacker Larry turn his two cars into  
one....  Whenever I work on anything mechanical, I ALWAYS have parts left  
over.... 
 
Ron in Akron (It's the missing tools that keep you awake at  night)
 
 

 
In a message dated 12/8/2008 4:59:15 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
teampantera at yahoo.com writes:

Well  said Ron.....excellent analysis.....
PS Get over to Slacker Larry's house  and try and make 1 Pantera out of the 2 
he has in his garage  ;-]>

MD

RFogle1 at aol.com wrote:  
Michael,  your right on the money... Unions were great, until we had to 
compete  with the rest of the world. Companies in other countries don't have  
union wages and legacy costs to contend with. Until US companies deal  with 
that, 
they (and we) are screwed! 

I think that things  started to go downhill for Joe the plumber when the US 
Supreme Court  decided that campaign contributions were the same as free 
speech 
and  therefore protected by the Constitution. Large corporations were then  
able to garner more influence in Washington than the passive, and slow  to 
catch on, voter. Big companies seem to get what they want. Large  companies 
have 
been ruling the roost for many years. In general, the  past 10 years or so 
have not been good for small business. As a small  business person I have 
found it increasingly more challenging to stay  profitable. I think were 
going to 
see some thinning of the heard in  large corporations as credit becomes an 
increasingly larger issue. I'm  now starting to see some of the larger 
players 
in my industry beginning  to lay off people. It sucks to be them right now : 
) I am hoping that it  creates opportunities. Our business has always grown 
during the  recessions. 

Last new vehicle purchase was an F-350, also two Accords  with final assembly 
in Marysville, Ohio. It's interesting, there are  just a ton of Accords on 
the road in Ohio. I think a lot of people don't  have any problem supporting 
local workers or a local product. It's a  shame that profits leave the 
country 
in the case of the Honda's, but  I've owned three new F-350's and they have 
all had one issue or another.  Paint bubbles on the roof at 37 months on one, 
ball joints that last  31,000 miles, failed wiper motor at 26 months. I will 
continue to buy  the Ford trucks because I've had pretty good success with 
them holding  value, and I don't see a better option. I think that people are 
fed up  with products that are of marginal quality. When I was growing up, 
the  
American cars my parents owned never really lasted more than 100,000  miles. 
That may have changed in recent years, but I've owned Honda's  that were 
solid 
and dependable with 215,000 miles, and nothing more than  recommended 
maintenance. I bet when a foreign company gets serious about  light duty 
trucks, 
Ford will be forced to clean up its act on the petty  quality control items. 
It's really hard to change people's attitudes.  

Ron in Akron (Yes, I live close to Larry) 




In a  message dated 12/8/2008 2:43:34 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
michael at michaelshortt.com writes:

140 million on Viagra in 2007,  $75 an hour for labor on the line.

No word from Honda, Toyota , BMW  or Mercedes plants in US beating,
maligning, abusing or underpaying  workers and they haven't asked for any
money either.

Unions served  a purpose when child labor was an issue as well as unsafe
working  conditions, etc. Nobody denies the role that Unions played in  making
employers accountable, but it has been out of hand for  decades.

The problem you mention with immigrant labor is another  issue entirely,
personally, I say kick the bastards out. US Jobs for US  Citizens.
Try to get a job in another country, unless you provide a  needed skill set
they don't have, they don't want you there except on  vacation to spend your
cash and then get the hell out, we should be that  way as well. The borders
are a joke.
But you can't except to remain  competitive paying super high wages to people
for jobs that simply can't  support it, that's the problem NOW, aside from
the fact that the products  are shoddy, ( keep it to yourself, but the number
one selling car is a  Toyota ), I drive a Dodge Magnum everyday and it is my
third daily driver  that was sort of American made, both of my former
Excursions also had  Maple syrup in their veins ).
I still get a kick out of all these leather  clad biker dudes on Harley's
chanting "Yeah, Yeah, USA" riding a bike  made in Canada while I get dirty
looks on my Honda VTX made in OHIO!
I  wanted to buy American, previous to that all my new cars were  European
made.

It's a world economy and opening up to the world to  free trade screwed us,
two ways to stop it, impose increased tariffs on  imported goods ( poop
hitting the fan on that one ) or learn to be  competitive and make an equally
decent product that people want.

I  used to pass the Ford plant in Atlanta, you could see the employee  parking
lot from I-75/I-85
and it was full of cars that were NOT  Fords, what the hell were those people
thinking?
Now they don't have a  job, wake TFU!

We spent 200 years colonizing the freaking planet and  telling these people
how they were savages and how they should live like  us, then we set them up
in business ( Occupation of Japan and everyplace  else since then ) and now
they kick our asses on a daily basis.
Maybe  we coulda just been happy being "Civilized" and kept it to our  selves.
But Nooooooooo!
Some A hole thought, Hey I can sell more  widgets to these people and they
will never be smart enough to make their  own widgets....Doh! Now they make
the widgets and we buy theirs, because  our Widget factory is closed down
because the GD janitor made $45.00 an  hour and gets 8 weeks of vacation a
year, the same guy who didn't even  finish high school.

That's another issue,, work with me on this one,  THERE ARE JOBS with a
Finite Value, just because you are too stupid,  lazy, dumb, ignorant to learn
another skill doesn't mean that your job  should pay more that it is worth!
If you want to flip burgers that's fine  with me, but don't expect to make
more in twenty years than you make  today ( given inflation growth of course
) just because you've been there  twenty years! But that's not how the
unions or many other Americans see  it.

We created this monster, Nixon just had to open up China, Now  look at you! (
as Tony Montana said to the dead assassin who wanted to  blow up the little
children, you stupid F! ) Look out you  now!

They watched American movies, they ate American food, they  wanted to be
American, so you know what, they got off their lazy 3rd  world asses and they
made the effort and now they are beating us at the  game we created.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, we got lazy, we stopped  caring about quality
and service and just lived with the status quo. Even  being arrogant enough
to buy their products instead of ours.....maybe  because they were BETTER and
cheaper.

To constantly defend the  loopy, crazy, lack of brains path that our
industrial and political  leaders have guided us down is to simply a lack any
intelligence  whatsoever.

This is the bed that we made and now we are lying in  it.

Michael in Savannah










On  Mon, Dec 8, 2008 at 2:09 PM, j g <notstock at yahoo.com>  wrote:

> man are you wrong about unions.
> Unions came about  because management historicaly has always exploited
> workers for the  managements benefit and could care less how many 
undesirable
>  workers died or suffered because of their greed . That still goes on  today
> under the outsourcing and visa programs for workers from  underdeveloped
> countries . Why did Boeing and other aircraft  companies end up with
> unionized engineers?? because the workers were  being abused mentally
> ,economically and in some cases physically  ,this lead to collective
> bargaining and helped produce a fair wage  and safe working conditions that
> are just moraly right  .
>
> I worked for the big three at one time . The attitude from  management was
> all about how much they could extract in blood from  the worker , Still is
> that way in most companies based on the  English model of accounting ,
> (remember Bob Cratchit from a  Christmas carol that has been and still is 
the
> exploitive issue  rather then the moraly correct way to deal with employees)
> that is  why jobs are exported to countries where the worker can become
>  exploited for managements bonus gain , now they are faceless. That is  also
> why companies Like Sun micro, microsoft, hewlett packard, Texas  
instruments,
> all use H1bs and L1A visas and import slave labor  (legal by congress and
> taking well paid, educated US jobs i might  add, not like the poor less 
than
> minumum wage guy from south of  the border doing jobs no one wants) FACT 
Sun
> and Others were  actually found in court to be purposely violating US law
> with  regards to age and visas and fined as a result .
>
>  jg
>
>
>
>
> --- On Mon, 12/8/08,  michael at michaelshortt.com <michael at michaelshortt.com>
>  wrote:
>
> > From: michael at michaelshortt.com  <michael at michaelshortt.com>
> > Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] NPC:  REALLY NO PANTERA CONTENT, US Auto Industry
> Bailout OPINION
>  > To: kenn_green at yahoo.com
> > Cc: "Pantera Forum"  <detomaso at realbig.com>, "Asa Jay Laughton" <
>  asajay at asajay.com>, notstock at yahoo.com
> > Date: Monday,  December 8, 2008, 11:19 AM
> > Even the movie business has been hit  hard, so many
> > productions in Canada,
> > Romania,  etc.
> > and unless your state is willing to pay these MF's  with
> > incentives, you can
> > forget them coming to  your town.
> > So many of the stars could stop it, Tom Selleck  shoots all
> > those cowboy
> > films in Canada, all he  would have to do is say NO, but he
> > doesn't.
> > The  entire movie, Cold Mountain with Jude Law and N. Kidman
> > was  shot in
> > Romania, supposed to be the South during the civil  war.
> > They could have
> > said no, but they  didn't.
> >
> > The fact is that Movies get 6-75% of their  revenue outside
> > the USA now, it
> > is a world market  and the minute that these idiots opened
> > up Red China  and
> > then compounded it with NAFTA, we were screwed.
>  >
> > You can't buy an American Made TV, haven't been
>  > able to do that is 25 years.
> >
> > Sooner or later  it will be cars and most other appliances,
> > shipping  costs
> > are the hold up, nothing more, let then develop  nuke
> > container ships and we
> > are so F^%$ked it  won't be funny!
> >
> > High Point, NC is the world  Furniture Capital in name only,
> > most of it is
> > now  made overseas, only upholstered goods are still made
> > here and  only
> > because shipping is too expensive ).
> >
>  > The unions have killed the car industry and for them to
> >  make "Concessions is
> > a freaking joke, they are simply NO LONGER  NEEDED, theses
> > companies need to
> > bust the unions  and Bankruptcy can do that, but the unions
> > give big to  the
> > politicos and that ain't gonna happen.
> > so  these loans are just toilet paper money going down the
> >  drain.
> >
> > After these idiots pump trillions into the  economy by
> > printing more money
> > with nothing to  back it up, look for runaway inflation in
> > the next few
>  > years, remember Carter ( loser, worst president ever ) ,
> >  when a car loan was
> > 15%-22% if you had GOOD CREDIT.
>  >
> > It's coming.
> >
> > This is a service  economy, if you make something ( aside
> > from big jets  and
> > military equipment), you are screwed! If you provide  a
> > service, you might
> > have a chance.
>  >
> > Save this email, I told you so.
> >
> >  BTW, this is always followed by a war to thin the herd and
> >  cause a demand
> > for more stuff to fix the stuff that got blown  TFU. Of
> > course, we'll fit
> > the bill for that too,  and then even little Paki kids will
> > have better
> >  water, schools, books and communications than those who
> > live in  New Mexico
> > and West Virginia.
> >
> > Michael  in Savannah
> >
> > On Mon, Dec 8, 2008 at 12:01 PM, Ken  Green
> > <kenn_green at yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
>  > > By "gut reaction" I was only referring to
> > closing the  borders to foreign
> > > products. Most of my engineering career  was in
> > aerospace, and the secutity
> > > clearances  pretty much blocked foreign employment, at
> > least where I  worked,
> > > although the jobs that only required a  confidential
> > clearance were probably
> > > open to  non-citizens.
> > >
> > > I agree with you that  there is a big problem, and I
> > mostly blame it on the
>  > > bean counters running companies here, The gal (Carly
> >  Fiorina) recently
> > > booted from HP had a degree in  philosophy?? Figure
> > that one out. The board
> > >  said she did a great job, the stock only lost half
> > it's value  and laid off a
> > > bunch of employees under her leadership. I  can't
> > see that as success, I
> > > still can't  understand why McCain thought she was
> > so great???
> >  >
> > > I think most of the people running the  biggest
> > companies don't even think
> > > of  themselves as American any more. They view the
> > companies they  run as
> > > global, and if they can move a job outside the US,  and
> > increase their mega
> > > buck bonus as a  result, it's off to China.
> > >
> > > If anything  saves our country, I think it will be
> > small to medium  size
> > > businesses where the owners (or at least those  with
> > still a controlling
> > > share of the stock)  care about building something and
> > creating jobs.
> >  >
> > > Ken
> > >
> > >
> >  >
> > >
> > > --- On Mon, 12/8/08, j g  <notstock at yahoo.com>
> > wrote:
> > >
>  > > From: j g <notstock at yahoo.com>
> > > Subject:  Re: [DeTomaso] NPC: REALLY NO PANTERA
> > CONTENT, US Auto  Industry
> > > Bailout OPINION
> > > To: "Pantera  Forum"
> > <detomaso at realbig.com>, "Asa Jay Laughton"
>  > <
> > > asajay at asajay.com>,  kenn_green at yahoo.com
> > > Date: Monday, December 8, 2008, 8:05  AM
> > >
> > > This is more than Gut reaction , I  have particularly
> > been present to
> > > discussions  by government representatives that have
> > said ,to  general
> > > managers
> > > and personel managers  how to hire hib or l1a jobs
> > and how to skirt the
> >  > law
> > > requiring a U.S. posting and review. The worst i  have
> > ever heard said "is
> > > by hireing l1a or  h1b visas you can at any time
> > terminate the sponcership
>  > > so the
> > > worker can be controlled to work the  hours and
> > conditions that benefit the
> > > company  and if they complain the company just pulls
> > the sponcership  to
> > > eliminate a problematic worker." I have seen a
>  > document by the defense
> > > logistics arm Of the Gao that  particularly tells
> > defence contractors to
> > >  hire
> > > irish and english engineers over US born because  they
> > are easy to get
> > > clearences
> >  > and since they do not know the real economic situation
> > in  the US are
> > > willing to
> > > relocate at half  the US pay rate , speak english and
> > become at the  graces
> > > of the
> > > company so do not complain  about the harsh
> > > working conditions or wages that a US born  free agent
> > would for fear of
> > > deportation ,  This allows defence contractors to
> > reduce their labor rate  on
> > > government bids.
> > >
> > >  Jg
> > >
> > >
> > > --- On Mon,  12/8/08, Ken Green
> > <kenn_green at yahoo.com> wrote:
>  > >
> > > > From: Ken Green  <kenn_green at yahoo.com>
> > > > Subject: Re: [DeTomaso]  NPC: REALLY NO PANTERA
> > CONTENT, US Auto Industry
> >  > Bailout OPINION
> > > > To: "Pantera Forum"
> >  <detomaso at realbig.com>, "Asa Jay
> > > Laughton"  <asajay at asajay.com>,
> > notstock at yahoo.com
> > >  > Date: Monday, December 8, 2008, 9:23 AM
> > > > I think  most of us have the same gut reaction
> > that you do,
> >  > > but the big problem I see was shown by the cars
> > that  US
> > > > auto makers made before the Japanese raised  the
> > bar. I
> > > > don't know how you protect  American jobs and
> > industry
> > > > without  corporations (run by the bean counters)
> > settling
> >  > > into mediocrity. But it does seem that the
> > global  economy
> > > > has not benefited the American worker  much.
> > > >
> > > > Ken
> > >  >
> > > > --- On Mon, 12/8/08, j g
> >  <notstock at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > >  > From: j g <notstock at yahoo.com>
> > > > Subject:  Re: [DeTomaso] NPC: REALLY NO PANTERA
> > CONTENT, US
> >  > > Auto Industry Bailout OPINION
> > > > To: "Pantera  Forum"
> > <detomaso at realbig.com>,
> > > >  "Asa Jay Laughton"
> > <asajay at asajay.com>
> > >  > Date: Monday, December 8, 2008, 6:06 AM
> > > >
>  > > > how about we cancel all h1b and L1a visas, all
> >  green cards
> > > > , then force
> > > > "made  in the usa" content legislation
> > for all
> > > >  industries just like
> > > > europe, china, india, japan and  all of asia do as
> > well .
> > > > i know that  here in dallas 30 plus percent of
> > texas
> > > >  instruments engineering
> > > > jobs are l1a or h1b visas yet  we have enough us
> > born
> > > > engineers to fill  the same
> > > > positions that are qualified out of  work.
> > > > to say restructure is jargon for "build
>  > overseas
> > > > " and put americans
> > >  > out of work.
> > > >
> > > > How about  full employement for americans first .
> > > >
> >  > > that will put jobs back here in the usa and kepp
> >  our
> > > > economy moving,
> > > >
>  > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> >  > > --- On Fri, 12/5/08, Asa Jay Laughton
> > > >  <asajay at asajay.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > >  > > From: Asa Jay Laughton
> >  <asajay at asajay.com>
> > > > > Subject: [DeTomaso]  NPC: REALLY NO PANTERA
> > CONTENT,
> > > > US Auto  Industry
> > > > Bailout OPINION
> > > > >  To: "Pantera Forum"
> > > >  <detomaso at realbig.com>
> > > > > Date: Friday,  December 5, 2008, 10:21 PM
> > > > > This is POLITICAL,  but NON- PARTISAN. (no
> > stumping
> > > > >  candidates, not
> > > > > speeches, no jokes)
> >  > > > If this gets me banned... oh well, I've
> > said  my
> > > > peace.
> > > > > This is -MY-  opinion. If you AGREE, I would
> > strongly
> > > >  > encourage you to
> > > > > WRITE your congressman (or  woman)
> > > > > This is about the AUTO BAILOUT  being
> > considered in the
> > > > U.S.
>  > > > > Congress
> > > > > If you are NOT  INTERESTED, DELETE NOW
> > > > >
> > > >  >
> > > >
> >  ***************************************************************
> >  > > > The REAL way to Bailout the Auto industry:
> > >  > >
> > > > > Two sections:
> > > >  > - Why Congress should NOT give any money to
> > the
>  > > > automakers
> > > > > directly
> >  > > > - How the money -should- be put to use and
> >  why
> > > > >
> > > > >
> >  > > > Why Congress SHOULD NOT give any money
> > directly  to the
> > > > > automakers:
> > > > > -  This will only put money in -their-
> > pockets
> > >  > > - It will NOT reduce inventories
> > > > > - It  will NOT make room for more
> > manufacturing
> > >  > > - It will NOT benefit anyone down-line
> > > >  (dealerships,
> > > > > parts makers, etc.)
> >  > > > - It will NOT prevent layoffs
> > > > > -  It WILL ALLOW the Big Three to payoff
> > the unions
> >  > > even
> > > > > if it can't
> > >  > > give out work.
> > > > > - It WILL ALLOW high  level corporate
> > employees,
> > > > > CEO's,  etc. to
> > > > > BAILOUT of the company with high  dollar
> > pensions,
> > > > bonuses
> >  > > > and severance
> > > > > packages. (It  happend with the banking
> > bailout, what
> > > >  makes
> > > > > you think it
> > > > >  won't with the auto makers?)
> > > > >
> > >  > >
> > > > > - How the money -should- be put to use  and
> > why:
> > > > > - GIVE THE MONEY TO THE  TAXPAYERS
> > > > > - A sight-draft type of check
>  > > > > - Can ONLY be cashed in at a Big
> > Three  auto
> > > > dealer
> > > > > - May NOT be  used to buy a foreign
> > car (made
> > > >  by
> > > > > anyone other
> > > > > than  a big three company)
> > > > > - May NOT be cashed at a  bank
> > > > > - Transferable (in case the  taxpayer
> > does not
> > > > or
> > >  > > can not drive)
> > > > > - Auto makers and  dealers may NOT
> > manipulate
> > > > MSRP
>  > > > > - Who get's them?
> > > > > -  Impractical for every taxpayer
> > > > > - 140 million  taxpayers as of
> > 2007 (IRS
> > > > data)
>  > > > > - $25 billion divided by 140
> > million  is
> > > > $178
> > > > > per  person.
> > > > > - Eligible group must be  narrowed:
> > > > > - $25 billion divided by a
>  > $20,000
> > > > sight-draft
> > > > >  per person is
> > > > > 1,250,000 recipients
> >  > > > - The number of recipients goes

=== message truncated  
===</detomaso at realbig.com></asajay at asajay.com></asajay at asajay.com></asajay at asajay.com></detomaso at realbig.com></notstock at yahoo.com></n
otstock at yahoo.com></asajay at asajay.com></detomaso at realbig.com></kenn_green at yaho
o.com></kenn_green at yahoo.com></detomaso at realbig.com></notstock at yahoo.com></not
stock at yahoo.com></kenn_green at yahoo.com></detomaso at realbig.com></michael at michae
lshortt.com></michael at michaelshortt.com></notstock at yahoo.com>



Mad Dawg Antenucci 
Team Pantera Racing 
The 1st & still the only vintage race team in open road  racing 
_www.teampanteraracing.com_ (http://www.teampanteraracing.com/) 



**************Make your life easier with all your friends, email, and 
favorite sites in one place.  Try it now. 
(http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000010)



More information about the DeTomaso mailing list