Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Dying for A Drink...or Maybe Killing for One?

Some of what I wrote below is excerpted from a blog article I wrote earlier this year. But here it is almost New Year's Eve, and I feel compelled to beg all of you to please drink responsibly. Please don't drink and drive. Please don't take your life, or that of my family or friends, because you just couldn't put down either the alcohol or the keys!

I know, you don't feel impaired. Maybe you'll feel like a super hero who can do anything after the booze gets into your bloodstream. Or you'll feel quiet and pensive, but still feel you're okay to drive. Or, maybe you're one of those people who believes they "never get drunk" so they just go on drinking, and never really appear drunk, at least so they think.

But somewhere, after you get behind the wheel of that metallic monster that turns into an unguided missile, all sensibility and reason loses contact in your brain. The neurons fire wrong and your logic fails. You think all is wonderful as you swerve down the road, cursing other drivers for coming too close, or driving too slow. Maybe you even notice the fools are all heading the wrong direction on the freeway...just before impact! The impact that changes everything forever, for you, for the other party, for your family. Maybe ends life as you knew it, and maybe life just ends...for you or someone else.

Tell me...how would you feel if you were drunk driving, and your wife and child were in the car with you, and you had a really bad accident? In your haste, you failed to properly restrain your child in their safety seat, and they were ejected and were killed. Your wife is horribly disfigured, and you, the drunk, come out with minor injuries. How would you live with that? It happens, all too often, folks, all too often. My spouse sees it in the Emergency Room, and I saw it on the streets before the people made it to the ER...or the morgue!

Then what about the person you kill or maim in the accident who was simply there, doing nothing wrong? The innocent victim you deprived of their life, or if they live, a decent life, all because you didn't know when to stop drinking, or when to have a designated driver.

From my August 2008 Blog: Alcohol and drug policies are the law of the land. But many people don’t seem to understand the absolute necessity of a driver behind the wheel, who is not impaired by any substance. When you’re traveling at 70 to 90 feet per second down the highway, you simply cannot allow any substance to cloud your thinking, nor your reaction time. But, in all too many cases, we find alcohol and/or drugs related to the accident. Alcohol can act as both a stimulant and a depressant. It stimulates the psyche into doing things that might not otherwise be considered, and it depresses common sense, that usually overrules foolish and dangerous acts. And, that is frequently where the problem starts. Many people believe they can use alcohol or drugs and drive safely. That’s because they have lost much of their cognitive sense when they are impaired, and believe they can do nothing wrong. Some even believe they are invincible. Believe me, I have been at enough wrecks in my career to assure you there is no such thing as an invincible driver. Serious injury, and often death, does occur in virtually every alcohol or drug related accident. And, unfortunately, it often happens to the innocent victims of an impaired driver. Some people believe coffee can ward off the effects of alcohol. Not so. Drinking lots of coffee after you drink, or take drugs, creates a wide awake impaired person. Just as dangerous, but usually more determined than ever, that he or she is okay to drive.What are the consequences for drinking and driving? Well, that depends upon how much you have had to drink, state laws where you are caught, and how much damage or injury you cause. Recent studies have found it can cost up to $10,000 for a first offense conviction of driving while impaired or drunk driving. Much of that money goes to an attorney to keep you out of jail, if they can. You’ll lose your license, perhaps for good! And wait until you get your insurance bill, if you can even get insurance. Nobody wants a drunk or drugged driver on their policy. NOBODY!. Then, let’s look at your livelihood. Even if you get your license reinstated, if you drive for a living or have to drive a company vehicle at any time, NOBODY wants a drunk driver on their payroll. How can you expect a company to trust you with a $75,000 truck and trailer, and a $100,000 load, when you drink or take drugs? You can’t, and they won’t! Face it, you can really ruin your life by drinking, or taking drugs, and driving. Add to the economic impact the injury and misery an accident causes, and it’s a pretty dismal picture.

About 40 years ago, I knew a man who used to drink and drive. Although it’s not his real name, in deference to his family, I’ll call him Bill. He was in his early twenties, the prime of life. He had a new job, a new car and a good family life. One night, Bill stopped off for “just a few” drinks, then proceeded to get in his car and drive on the freeway. He hit a bridge abutment at an estimated speed of 75 miles per hour. Bill became an instant statistic. He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair, having his family feed him through a tube, wiping the drool from his chin, and changing his diapers. He remained that way, unable to communicate with the outside world, a prisoner of his deteriorating body, until he died 25 years later. Imagine that, if you can. The anguish of a family over having their husband, and father, vegetate in front of them for 25 years. If that’s not enough, think about Bill’s mind, if it was even the least bit functional. The anguish of living every second, every minute and every hour trapped in that horrible situation, unable to get out. Wanting to tell his family how sorry he was, and how he wanted to go back and live that day over again. No, he wouldn't take a drink, ever again. And, this was a single car accident. Bill didn’t injure an innocent family in another car. Bill just destroyed his life, and with it, devastated the lives of his family, forever. In my career, I’ve seen too many Bills. I’ve helped extricate and resuscitate people, after alcohol or drug impaired drivers have struck them. It’s not a pretty sight. It’s heart breaking to notify a family their loved one has been killed, or maimed, in an accident. It’s even harder to tell them their loved one, or the other driver, was impaired. Law enforcement and insurance carriers will continue to make, and support, every effort, to get the drunk, or drug impaired driver, off the street. But, as a human being, a father and a grandfather, I ask each and every driver to think of the consequences of taking that drink, or those drugs, and getting behind the wheel. It’s a chance we both cannot afford for you to take.

Botton line is if you drink..don't drive. If you drive..don't drink. Don't be fooled into thinking the chart you get with your registration or driver's license will keep you sober if you only drink according to body weight. Driving while impaired can come under the .08 limit for many due to medications, body mass vs. body weight, metabolism, food consumed, etc. Don't take a chance. Plus, stainless steel may be in for fashion, but those made by Peerless and Smith & Wesson really aren't comfortable when worn behind the back!

Please Drive Safe, Sober and Sensibly. Thank you and be safe out there!

Happy New Year 2009!

Monday, December 29, 2008

Why Shop at Ralph's Supermarket and Deal with Attitude and Bad Service?

In preparation for Christmas dinner, we shopped at our local Ralph's Supermarket. Ralph's is owned by The Kroger Company and is a relatively prolific chain out here in California. Their prices, we have found, are higher than some other markets, so we shop there for convenience as it's only a few blocks away, and also for items that can be purchased with cents or dollars off by using the Ralph's Rewards card.

As most of you know, shopping turns into a high-cost trip that fills your grocery cart with needed and frivolous items, but what the heck, it's almost Christmas, so let's get that spiral sliced ham, especially since we can save some money using our Rewards card. We fill up our basket with what should have been about $158 dollars in items total, but wait...there is a problem. The ham won't scan. The cashier tries to enter it manually, but it seems either she can't get it to take, or it simply won't go. So, she sends the bagger back to the meat department for a new label that will scan.

Here's where the trouble begins......

The bagger comes back with the ham and now the price is higher than when she left with it. Same ham, and the new label is pasted over the old one! When I questioned why the price was higher, nobody could tell me why, and the cashier started getting an attitude. I told her I was not paying an up charged price simply because they put a new label on the ham. So, she makes a big show of trying to punch in numbers and swiping the ham across the scanner again...and finally says my total is over $163. At that point I thought she finally had gotten it right. We paid and left.

Then as we're driving home, we discover the cashier screwed us. Yes, screwed us by charging the full price for the ham, by somehow overriding the Ralph's Rewards reduced price on the label. In return for her inability to scan the ham and not accepting a higher price for a new label (San Diego County Weights and Measures will love that!!) she simply charged us full price to get us out of her line.

I called the store twice to speak to the manager. Terminal hold, followed by rollover to terminal ringing both times. Finally called their corporate offices and spoke to a customer service person, who didn't seem all that concerned, but said she would place $5.00 on our Rewards card to make up for the overcharge. Big freaking deal. We'll use that card to get the money off and never shop Ralph's again.

As for the Rewards Card, Ralph's allegedly sent our $9.00 reward to our daughter who lived with us up until several years ago. But sent it to this address. We never saw it and we still get some of her mail. Personally, I don't think they ever sent it as she has a completely different card number. Great excuse that doesn't fly!

Don't stores get it? With times getting tougher, consumers not only have a choice where to shop, they're more likely to exercise it faster and tell others about their experiences bad or otherwise. We've suggested to numerous people they not shop at Ralph's and they agree. The new store is beautiful and it seems they let it go to their head and they're just not equipped to handle customer service like a normal business. This is not our first poor experience at this Ralph's, but it will be our last. We'll be headed over to Stater Brothers for our future shopping. No cards and no bull.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, et al

Merry Christmas to all and a safe and joyous holiday. Happy Chanukkah. And, Happy Kwanzaa starting December 26. If I have forgotten a holiday, remember I am not politically correct, but believe everyone needs to believe in something.

Most important is to believe in yourself, and to believe that in the end, everything will play out according to the grand plan. We have a fate that, I believe, is pre-determined at birth, and while we make decisions that create bumps and twists in the road, that plan remains generally unchanged. If you think that's not so, look back at your life, the decisions you made, and things that have happened, and see if there has not been a deep underlying reason for them. The moves, jobs, locations, and so much more. Found your love, your soul mate, marriage, divorce, cross-country, never left your hometown?

Whatever the plan, it always was there. Just my opinion, for what it's worth.

My wish for all of you is that your plan brings you love, health and happiness and a safe holiday season!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Don't Be a Good Samaritan Says the California Supreme Court!

On December 18, our illustrious, albeit assinine state supreme court out here in the Granola State decided that Would-be Good Samaritans can be sued, for trying to do the right thing.

As one reporter stated, "Proving that no good deed goes unpunished, the state's high court on Thursday said a would-be Good Samaritan accused of rendering her friend paraplegic by pulling her from a wrecked car "like a rag doll" can be sued.

California's Supreme Court ruled that the state's Good Samaritan law only protects people from liability if the are administering emergency medical care, and that Lisa Torti's attempted rescue of her friend didn't qualify.

Justice Carlos Moreno wrote for a unanimous court that a person is not obligated to come to someone's aid.

"If, however, a person elects to come to someone's aid, he or she has a duty to exercise due care," he wrote.

Torti had argued that she should still be protected from a lawsuit because she was giving "medical care" when she pulled her friend from a car wreck.

Alexandra Van Horn was in the front passenger seat of a car that slammed into a light pole at 45 mph on Nov. 1, 2004, according to her negligence lawsuit.

Torti was a passenger in a car that was following behind the vehicle and stopped after the crash. Torti said when she came across the wreck she feared the car was going to explode and pulled Van Horn out. Van Horn testified that Torti pulled her out of the wreckage "like a rag doll." Van Horn blamed her friend for her paralysis.

Whether Torti is ultimately liable is still to be determined, but Van Horn's lawsuit can go forward, the Supreme Court ruled.

Beverly Hills lawyer Robert Hutchinson, who represented Van Horn, said he's pleased with the ruling.

Torti's attorney, Ronald Kent, of Los Angeles didn't immediately return a telephone call.

So, when the car in front of you crashes and burns, and the people are trapped and being incinerated, drive on past, because if you stop to help, and they find an attorney who says you injured them in your extrication efforts, you're screwed. Never mind that they would have died in the crash and or fire, but that you were not rendering medical care, so you might be liable.

Certainly, the correct thing to do when possible, is not to move a person until fully trained medical help arrives. But when there is concern that a greater danger is imminent, that there is exigent circumstances such as fire or explosion, or impact by other vehicles, you have to react to preclude further injury. There used to be, until now at least, what was known as the "reasonable person" test, in which the question was "did you do what a reasonable person would have done under the same or similar circumstances?" I don't know the exact details of the case above, but obviously the defendant had reasonable cause, in her estimation, to believe the car was going to burn or explode, and did what she believed was the right thing to do at the moment. And the person she rescued was a friend. Man, with friends like that, you don't need any damned enemies in my book!

What a bunch of bullsh*t this is. How much "medical care" can the average citizen actually render when they go to the aid of a person who is in a wreck? My spouse and I are perhaps different, having had medical training, but still I am now hesitant, since you're still liable to be sued, and if the court thinks you might have exceeded, in the most minute detail, the boundaries of that medical training, you're going to lose. And, even if you're not found guilty, the legal costs could ruin your life, cost you your home and life savings and everything you worked hard for.

This is the reason doctors don't stop at accident scenes. Because if everything doesn't go perfectly, some lawyer will say they didn't do enough, did the wrong thing, or otherwise caused more harm to the victim. In other words, drive on by, doc. Save yourself a lawsuit!

It's come to the juncture where citizens have to watch fellow humans suffer irreparable harm and even death in accidents and other situations, for fear of lawsuits. Doing the right thing makes you a victim in this state, if not this country. But what if you just stand back and watch someone die, or suffer horrible injuries, when you could have helped them out? Is there any repercussions there, save the terrible moral weight placed on your mind and spirit that you didn't do the right thing for them, but did the right thing for you? Not where accidents are concerned it appears.

Only in America, or perhaps California, could the judicial system ruin your life for saving another person's life. No wonder we've become such a hard-nosed society with a total disdain for our fellow man. You'd get less flak for kicking an accident victim as you passed by, than trying to help them, or so it seems.

As America continues on the fast track down the tubes and the judiciary lubes the tubes with bullsh*t!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Corporate Travel 2009

I don't know who the original author of this was, but it started out as several paragraphs about fifteen years ago, and I've added to and embellished upon it over the years to fit the mission. Here's this years tongue-in-cheek "corporate travel" memo:

DATE: December 19, 2008

TO: All Employees

SUBJECT: TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS


In conjunction with our planning process, the following guidelines are to be implemented for all levels and strictly adhered to. All planning for 2009 should reflect these new policies. These changes are effective immediately and I have asked Accounting to monitor compliance.

TRANSPORTATION:

Hitchhiking in lieu of commercial transport is the preferred choice. Luminescent safety vests will be provided to all company employees prior to departure on company business trips. Bus transportation will be used when hitchhiking is not possible. (Temperatures below -30, winds over 90 mph, or rain/snowfall in excess of 10 inches per hour) Airline tickets will only be authorized for purchase in extreme circumstances, and the lowest fare will be used. Cargo class is best. For example, if a meeting is scheduled in San Diego, but a lower fare can be obtained by traveling to Detroit, the meeting will be relocated to Detroit. Also, if convenient arrival/departure times are not favorable to obtain the lowest pricing, your entire schedule will be changed to allow you to shuttle cross country, and meet the flight times of the lowest cost airline.

LODGING:

All employees are encouraged to stay with relatives, friends or mere acquaintances while on company business. If weather permits, public areas such as parks, roadside rests and parking lots should be used for temporary lodging sites. Bridges and tunnels may provide shelter during periods of inclement weather. During extreme cold, the use of homeless shelters should be investigated. Home Office company meetings will be scheduled for the winter months, to take advantage of Father Joe's Mission, where lodging and meals are available. (Casual dress suggested)

MEALS:

Expenditures for meals will be limited to the absolute minimum. It should be noted that various grocery chains, such as Harvest Ranch, Von's, Ralph's, Costco and Sam's Club, often offer free samples of promotional items. Entire meals can often be consumed in this manner. Travelers should also become familiar with indigenous roots, berries and other protein sources available at their destination. If restaurants absolutely must be utilized, travelers should frequent the ones offering "all you can eat" salad bars. This will be especially cost effective to employees traveling together, as a single plate can be used to feed an entire group. Employees are also encouraged to bring their own food while on company business, Cans of tuna fish, Spam and Beefaroni can be conveniently consumed at your leisure, without the unnecessary bother of heating or other costly preparation. NOTE: This is not to imply that foraging at dumpsters is prohibited. However, be aware that illness resulting from such foraging is at your own risk and expense.

ENTERTAINMENT:

Entertainment while traveling is strictly discouraged. If such extravagances are required on customer/agent contacts, the contact should be encouraged to "pick up the tab." Such action will save company money and also convince the client that we are concerned about spending money on a good product, not on useless frivolities. If it is absolutely necessary to take a client to lunch/dinner, the "all you can eat" salad bar is again a good choice. Coupons for "buy one _ get one free" and reduced prices on fast food should also be used when possible. The hospitality provided to our clients who visit our facilities shall be tasteful, yet cost effective. In lieu of extravagant dinners, a picnic bench will be placed in the parking lot near the dumpster, and a garden hose will be made available so that liquid refreshment can be provided for our guests.

COMPANY VEHICLES:

Drivers are encouraged to plan their travel so they may take advantage of free car washes from early morning lawn sprinkling. Making productive calls on rainy days will also assist in reducing the cost of car washes. New vehicles will be ordered in two-tone color combinations of brown/beige to reduce washing requirements.(Those personnel in areas of red clay earth concentrations will receive red/beige color schemes.) For those personnel operating in urban areas, company cars will not be provided. Rather, a bag of bus/subway/trolley tokens will be issued monthly to reduce waiting at token booths. Bicycles may be rented in the event of bus/subway/trolley strikes, or to access risks that are over five miles walking distance from the bus/subway/trolley station. Van pooling is encouraged, as many times the van driver can get you within several miles of your survey location, and you can then "check out" the neighborhood as you walk through. This is especially helpful when in areas where, if you were issued a company car, it would be stolen anyway.

MISCELLANEOUS:

All employees are encouraged to employ innovative techniques in our team effort to save corporate dollars. One enterprising individual has already suggested that money could be raised during bus, train or airport terminal layovers to defray travel costs. In support of this idea, "Red Caps" will be issued to all travelers prior to departure, so they may earn tips by helping other travelers with their luggage. Small plastic roses will be made available to all employees, so that sales may be made as time permits. Please note that each baggage cart returned is worth a quarter, so hustle, and we can make this program work.

Have a Happy and Productive 2009!

Is it ALL the UAW's Fault?

First up, Bush bailed out GM and Chrysler today, and that will keep the plants running for another four months or so. Secondly, the UAW is still unhappy because it requires them to makes some concessions. More whining from Gettelfinger as he says: "We will work with the Obama administration and the new Congress to ensure that these unfair conditions are removed," said Ron Gettelfinger, president of the UAW.

A reader stated it's not all the UAW's fault that the automakers are in the tank and I couldn't agree more. But I still charge that the arrogance of Ron Gettelfinger, the head of the union, in stating they will make no concessions when standing in the face of God, the government and the American public, was absolutely idiotic and showed the greed of the union.

Maybe the top brass do make millions. Maybe they should make ZERO until the companies make a profit. But, again, someone has to run the store and it doesn't appear from what I've personallly seen, that anyone out there on the shop floor is qualified to do so, if their build-out of the average American vehicle is any indication.

Americans loved their cars! We have had a love affair with American iron since before Henry Ford made the automobile affordable to the masses. Nobody, save a few who were possibly considered eccentrics in the 50's and 60's, wanted anything built anywhere other than in America. Oh sure, there was the ubiquitous VW beetle, but that was an icon that simply became associated with a generation, and sales of that vehicle along with the VW minibus never impacted Detroit or Dearborn a bit. Neither did the smattering of Saab's and Volvo's that found their way into the country, along with what was likely a handful of German cars. To see a foreign car was so much an oddity that everyone wondered what they were!

If the UAW built cars here in AMERICA that were built well, I don't think the public would have turned to foreign cars in the first place. The Japanese, Koreans, Germans and others would never have gotten the hold on the market that they have. But, the cars being built here were abyssmal. Simply put, foreigners built them better. Of about 30 full-size Fords, either Crown Victorias, Custom 500's or similar I've owned or driven, only 4 were made in the US, and those were pure junk, always in the shop. One spent more time in the shop than on the road and was finally traded in early. The others came from Canada and were great cars with virtually no problems. And, pardon me my Canadian friends, they were built by foreigners! Not US autoworkers! (Yes, I know the CAW has about the same costs and benefits as the UAW, but they must take pride in what they build!) The only decent GM car, out of the dozen or so I've owned, was made by foreigners in Australia, a 2005 GTO! The build, fit and finish on that GTO was stated to be the mark that all GM should be striving for. And it had to come from a foreign country. What a helluva shame.

Does anyone remember the expose' that 60 Minutes, or another investigative television program, did back in the 70's on the auto industry? They followed vehicles being made and interviewed autoworkers who complained that their jobs were demeaning, and even though their pay and benefits at that time was far above what an average American made, still produced cars that were problematic. Hidden cameras followed vehicles to the lots where they found transmission bolts missing and loose, installed by the same workers whom they interviewed earlier. Point being that nobody learned anything from back in the 70's, and management allowed labor to keep producing junk. And people kept buying junk until the light bulb went off. I guess it's funny, but the light bulb that Ford used as a "better idea" campaign, that went off in peoples' heads was the better idea to buy a foreign car that actually lasted a hundred or two hundred thousand miles.

I knew supervisors who worked at vehicle assembly plants who used to receive deep discounts on their new cars. Nothing wrong with that. But they would tell me they would tag their own cars, so the car would have to go back through the line at that time, so they knew it would be a good car. Those were supervisors, for God's sake; people who were supposed to assure EVERY car was good, yet they had to send their own car back through to assure it was okay? They KNEW the cars coming out were junk. The jokes about not buying cars made on Monday or after a holiday were more than jokes...for many it turned out to be nightmare.

So, try and tell me, who has owned more American cars than almost anyone I know, other than possibly a collector, why the autoworkers are not largely responsible for the demise of the American car industry. The only other way I can place all the blame on management is to say they are 100% at fault for not throwing the union the hell outta Dodge...and Chrysler, and Ford, and GM years ago. Years before it became the driving force that literally ran the companies.

Finally, when you talk about fairness in an industry, and the tail wagging the dog, why would an autoworker really care about being laid off with a deal like the "jobs bank" program? According to what the government has revealed, this program which was negotiated by the UAW and the automakers, allows laid-off workers to receive about 95 percent of their pay and benefits for years. And you wonder why American car pricing isn't competitive?

The dealers lots are full and nobody is buying. Interest rates are down, but when it's a choice between a roof over your head, food on the table or a car, the car loses. The love affair with American Iron appears to be over. I don't know whether the kids will ever have the same type love affair with the foreign cars, and I don't think a turn around is possible in the Big 3 in four months. Sadly, all I see in the future is a foreign car in the driveway, and that makes me very sad. It would make my father and grandfather sad too, but sometimes life and history just can't be changed.

Monday, December 15, 2008

The REAL corporate plan for older workers!

Dear Employee:

As a result of the reduction of money budgeted for department areas, we are forced to cut down on our number of personnel. Under this plan, older employees will be asked to take early retirement, thus permitting the retention of younger people who represent our future. Therefore, a program to phase out older personnel by the end of the current fiscal year, via retirement, will be placed into effect immediately.

This program will be known as SLAP (Sever Late-Aged Personnel). Employees who are SLAPPED will be given the opportunity to look for jobs outside the company.

SLAPPED employees can request a review of their employment records before actual retirement takes place. This review phase of the program is called SCREW.

SCREW (Survey of Capabilities of Retired Early Workers). All employees who have been SLAPPED and SCREWED may file an appeal with upper management.

This appeal is called SHAFT (Study by Higher Authority Following Termination).

Under the terms of the new policy, an employee may be SLAPPED once, SCREWED twice, but may be SHAFTED as many times as the company deems appropriate.

If an employee follows the above procedure, he/she will be entitled to get: HERPES (Half Earnings for Retired Personnel's Early Severance) or AIDS (Assistance Incentive Direct Subsidy).

As HERPES and AIDS are considered benefit plans, any employee who has received HERPES or AIDS will no longer be SLAPPED or SCREWED by the company.

Management wishes to assure the younger employees who remain on board that the company will continue its policy of training employees through our: CENTRAL RESOURCES ASSISTANCE POLICY (CRAP). We take pride in the amount of CRAP our employees receive. We have given our employees more CRAP than any company in this area. If any employee feels they do not receive enough CRAP on the job, see your immediate supervisor. Your supervisor is specially trained to make sure you receive
all the CRAP you can handle. They are experts at administering CRAP!

And, once again, thanks for all your years of service with us.

Doesn't this sound all too true? Sure sounds like my last employer!

Friday, December 12, 2008

The Arrogant, Greedy UAW Union Balks at Saving Themselves

I can't believe it! Or maybe I can believe it. Greed rears its ugly head and the face of greed is the United Auto Workers union, at the talks to salvage the future of the American auto industry.

The UAW brass refused to accede to wage and benefits cuts in 2009, and would only consider them in 2011 when their current contract runs out. In effect, they walked out of this meeting literally sealing the fate of hundreds of thousands of workers, who will be laid off permanently if the companies go bankrupt.

The buzz all across America is that the union is so arrogant and greedy that they would rather risk having the majority of their members lose their jobs permanently than agree to wage and benefit cuts. They think they're so powerful they can dictate to the government what the terms will be and it will be their terms or nothing. The Republicans walked out and I applaud them. Screw the union for their greed and arrogance!

Personally, I think the companies should go bankrupt if only for one reason...to be able to renegotiate their contracts between labor to a reasonable figure. The union has been the tail wagging the dog in the auto industry for far too long, and it's time somebody says "enough" and moved on. According to the Arizona Star "GM says its total hourly labor costs are now $69, including wages, pensions and health care for active workers, plus the pension and health care costs of more than 432,000 retirees and spouses. Toyota says its total costs are around $48." Is it any wonder the US automakers aren't competitive anymore?

Maybe it's not that we're not making attractive vehicles, but that the cost of putting them together, albeit shabbily in so many cases, has cost us the lead in the car business? While we were the envy of the car buying world in the 50's and 60's, now we're a laughing stock at best.

So, go ahead UAW. Fight for every last dime of that $29.78 the average automaker makes per hour, plus benefits such as healthcare, retirement, guaranteed layoff pay and everything else. And when all shuts down, and everyone is sitting jobless, as their homes foreclose, their new employee cost cars are repossessed, and they look for food at Detroit's soup kitchens, wondering how the hell this could happen to one of the biggest unions in the nation, just look at each other and your leadership and say..."we did it to ourselves...we arrogant, greedy bastards. We wanted everyone else to concede and give, but we wouldn't concede a dime. And now it's payback time and it's too late."

Of course, you won't think that way. It will all be someone elses fault. The car companies, the government, the taxpayers, the public for buying foreign cars, the oil companies, or anyone else but your leadership and you.

Enjoy the ride, for it's likely to be a short one. And build some decent cars as they might be the last ones you ever build with an American marque. I'm keeping my 2007 because I'm sure it will be a classic the way things are going now......

Update: From Friday's news conference by Ron Gettelfinger, Head of the UAW on the possibility of White House intervention into the current stall in negotiations: "I'm not even sure what this means, how much they're talking about, any terms or conditions that are associated with it," Gettelfinger said.

He said he doesn't think the union will be forced to negotiate wage cuts or other terms with the White House for the industry to get federal aid.

Once again, reinforcing the greed and arrogance. Standing on the corner with a tin cup, the begging man throws back the coins and only wants to hear the crisp dollars sliding into the goblet!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Diversity and Reversity

We're constantly being bombarded and bomblasted with the idea that we must embrace diversity. Fact is that I do embrace diversity, and I think I do it pretty well. But I am tired of getting it shoved down my throat that we must bow to every other ethnic culture to make them feel at home here in America, and then be criticized if we do not.

First, this is NOT their home if they are not from here or do not live here. They are guests and I expect we should treat them politely like guests. However, we don't need to learn their language or customs or ways of life so as not to "disrespect" them while they are here in our country for either a visit, or while here on an illegal immigration entry!

This crap about "Push 1 for English" is polarizing Americans faster than corporate America is sucking Congress' tail for a bailout! This is America, for God's sake, and we don't need to push anything to speak on the phone in our native language! If someone needs to speak in another tongue, let them push some other number, not the English speaking American! If the goal is unity, why are all these things done to keep polarizing the population, and fostering discontent? Is there some sinister plot to assure there will never be any harmony between peoples, so those who preach diversity will always be employed?

Diversity is good. Harmony between peoples of race, color, creed and national origin is good. Making another bow to accept and become part of the culture of another is not good, and is unacceptable in our society as a whole. Sure, we make exceptions. We eat ethnic foods and exchange customs and embrace some changes as our own. That has happened for centuries in this melting pot we call America. But we're not going to speak a foreign language simply to make someone feel at home, or look the other way because eye contact is unacceptable in their country, any more than we would self-mutilate ourselves because it's a custom in some third world country either.

So, get real with this diversity deal. If people want diversity, they will embrace it. But don't try shoving it down their throats because it won't work in the long run. People will resent it, resent the people it's supposed to accommodate, and make more enemies than friends. You see what's happening with the immigrants in California and other areas, and how diversity isn't working very well right now?

The bottom line is that people are sick and tired of being told to embrace change, and accept and embrace the culture of a group of immigrants who will not accept or assimilate our culture! That is a bunch of crap! If people come here, that need to assimilate into our society, like our grandparents and great grandparents did, and not expect us to become part of a foreign society that they bag along with them!

Bottom line: Welcome to America. If you don't plan to be an American, go the hell home, and don't expect us to become foreigners to accommodate your whims and needs!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Gasoline for a Buck?

There is speculation that gasoline could be selling for a dollar or less by the first of the year. I know, that seems far fetched, yet can you believe that the price of a gallon of gasoline is now at the lowest price in 5 years?

Yet the oil companies are still making money? Exxon-Mobil posted the biggest profit in history in the third quarter of 2008! And the local gasoline stations, get this...are actually making more money in some cases, than they did when gas was $4.50 or more per gallon. They are not passing along the full price cuts to consumers as they receive them, preferring to pocket the extra profits for themselves. Maybe a windfall for awhile? Or maybe making up for some lost profit earlier in the year?

They had better be careful, because consumers are looking for bargains in this poor economy, and the station charging twenty cents a gallon more just because they're near the interstate can screw the tourists all they want, but the locals will not buy there. And, the tourist season doesn't run for 12 months. Plus, people have a long memory when it comes to what they perceive as price gouging. So stations who are not passing the discounted prices along might find their pumps vacant when supplies are all too plentiful and their customer base dries up. And their business along with it.

Still, a dollar a gallon? That's the price gas was in 1979, thirty years ago! There also was a time from about the middle of 1986 to the middle of 1987 when gas prices also dipped to a U.S. City Average of around a dollar, but again, that's 22 years ago.

Now the question will be...can we continue to conserve and act rationally (pun intended) and save fuel, so the price will stay down, supplies will remain plentiful and we'll continue to be ecologically positive at the same time? Maybe the crisis will push the car companies to create better fuel economy cars that still give us the room and performance we want, like the imports seem to do so well.

(As an aside, why can a 6 cylinder automatic BMW 3 series go like a rocket and still get 28 MPG on the highway and we can't get the same performance and fuel economy from an American made counterpart? Maybe the government will finally make Detroit answer that question with the "Bailout or Bridge Loan" or whatever they choose to call it)

At least one thing is looking up, America. That is until BIG OIL figures out how to tell everyone there is an oil shortage somehow and puts the squeeze on the pipelines. The first hurricane, earthquake, skirmish, war, shutdown, multiple refinery offline problem, or anything else they can use for an excuse to get those prices up, will be thrown at us as soon as they can to get their profits even higher.

For some reason I don't trust them with the ability to treat us fairly, as they have been hosing us for all too long at the pump already!