On Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 3:54 PM, <Waistline2@xxxxxxx>
wrote:
> Rather than producing and
> selling 17 1/2
million new vehicles, as was the case for most of the past
> decade,
only 10 1/2 million new vehicles will be sold in 2008. The world
>
industry is off - depressed, by roughly 30% everywhere. This includes
>
Toyota, Nissan and Daimler America.
So what is the solution to this? At
least for environmental reasons,
it is highly desirable that the automobile
sector should shrink
worldwide. How can we accommodate this along with
maintaining a large
workforce? It seems shortsighted to keep propping up a
destructive
industry just for the sake of preserving jobs.
Comment
Seems to me that capital is solving the problem of
shrinking the workforce. For me, the increase in the productivity of the
America producers, from the time I was hired (1971) until retirement (2001) is
mind boggling. And yes Toyota does make a good product and remain much of the
benchmark, although the historic America company products are pretty good and
light years better than the products made in the 1970s and 1980's.
My support for the bridge loan or "propping up a
destructive industry," is because the Congress of America will not provide
basic housing, food, basic transportation,clothing or what is understood in
our society as basic socially necessary means of life, to the increasing
section of unemployed workers and under employed workers. Demanding
that none of the American producers be allowed to go bankrupt is a compromise,
due to the fact that the American working class has not developed a conscious
that allows it to demand socially necessary means of life as a sovereign birth
right.
The issue of automotive production, consumption and
driving and its total impact on the environment, is only marginally
related to wages, employment levels, retiree benefits and health cost.
Strategically, it seems to me that consuming 17 million new vehicles a
year in the American market is totally insane. Most people use their
vehicle to go to work and shopping. When the character and purpose of work is
changed then auto production, consumption and use will
change.
On the issue of the auto
bridge loan(s) one can always look around them and see whose company they are
in based on their support or non-support of the bailout. The recently reelected Senator from Georgia took the lead on opposing
the bridge loan. In the sense of history and continuity, this Senator is an
ideological fascist and harkens back to the old slave oligarchy
mentality. He opposes government aid in the form of tax dollars as bridge
loan - "on principle," but apparently support government aid in the
form of tax credits (millions of dollars) to the non-union automotive
producers in the Southern states.
Waistline