Recent comments

  • ....the proof is in the pudding as they say. He fucks this up his Presidency is dead before it starts.

    He also needs to demonstrate to the ReThugs that he will squash them like bugs if they get in the way.

    Will he...

    be able to...

    Let's HOPE!

    Reply to: Meet the new Boss's Board   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • But I'm not sure that "newbies learning on the fly" wouldn't be a *better* solution, given where dependence upon "traditional" trickle-up economics has gotten us.

    At least the newbies might come up with something creative and new.

    Reply to: Meet the new Boss's Board   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • They will merge autos and energy independence.

    Can the auto industry borrow AIG's lobbyist?
    BY ROCHELLE RILEY • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • November 11, 2008

    WASHINGTON -- No governor could have gotten a tougher crisis to handle than Gov. Jennifer Granholm has.

    The governors of Louisiana and Florida, where hurricanes have devastated the economy and lives, would disagree.

    But if the American auto industry fails -- and many people amazingly still don’t believe it’s possible -- IT WOULD BE AN UNNATURAL DISASTER OF DEVASTATING AND INSURMOUNTABLE NATIONAL PROPORTIONS. (Yes, I’m screaming that part.) And the governor can’t seem to convince people of the urgency.

    So this emergency couldn’t have happened to a nicer governor. And right now, Michigan doesn’t need nice: We need tough. --snip-- "

    Link: http://www.freep.com/article/20081111/COL10/81112001

    They're asking for another four years -- in a just world, they'd get 10 to 20 ~~ Dennis Kucinich

    Reply to: Manufacturing Monday: Week of 11.10.08   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • I see this through multiple views. 1. He already had these lobbyist connections in the campaign but also 2. putting people who already have experience in these jobs, at such a critical time instead of newbies learning on the fly...

    Reply to: Meet the new Boss's Board   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • So am I to understand, that what could be developing is a possible regurgitation of the previous Democratic Administration?

    Reply to: Meet the new Boss's Board   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • Won't Get Fooled Again

    Reply to: Meet the new Boss's Board   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • remember that until the early 1990's most health insurance companies were mutual firms, meaning that they were owned by policy holders, not Wall Street.

    During the 1990s, these insurance companies were changed from mutual companies, to conventional stockholder firms so that they could seek out private cash. It created really fucked up incentives.

    Like letting you customers die, because it made economic sense for the new owners.

    Remutualization is rarely discussed as an option, but maybe this should be on the table.

    Reply to: Manufacturing Monday: Week of 11.10.08   16 years 2 weeks ago
  • ...I see that. Now,

    ....who should be be working with?

    I'd sure like to know.

    Reply to: Meet the new Boss's Board   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • Is the same problem we're running into elsewhere- too many eggs in a single basket, relying on long distance shipping/transmission to get stuff done, rather than local production for local consumers.

    Having said that though, it's certainly an important part of the picture- especially given the overpopulated cities that ring that desert.

    Reply to: Manufacturing Monday: Week of 11.10.08   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • The White House is denying the New York Times report and says there is no quid pro quo.

    Reply to: GM just lost an insurer   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • without modification in the Korean trade deal on auto/truck tariffs is like "why bother" to save GM because they will then go under due to unfair competition anyway.

    They should use the press and demand Bush help GM.

    This Congress has no spine, although I believe it was ripped out by corporate lobbyists versus GWB per say.

    Reply to: GM just lost an insurer   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • This is where I believe the "get government out of our lives, low taxes" conservative Populism is coming from. When you see the incompetence of management going on in government, the waste and the corruption, who can blame anyone for not wanting to hand over more money to them?

    I seriously get this attitude.

    How about that one as a campaign issue. We have professional campaigners and corporate fund raisers running our government when we really need competent managers, administrators and usually those two personalities don't go together.

    We also have way too many lawyers in government. When they refer to a shortage in math and science skills, I always think of Congress itself. It would be damn useful if they could add two numbers together.

    Reply to: Manufacturing Monday: Week of 11.10.08   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • .....independence is:

     

    Right Here!

     

    Yet, I never hear Obama or anyone else ever mention it....

     

    I wonders why not?

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Reply to: Manufacturing Monday: Week of 11.10.08   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • I've just heard this said from some CEOs and a couple of Senators, so we need to research it out.

    Reply to: Manufacturing Monday: Week of 11.10.08   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • To replace those 15 million jobs.

    The first: If GM goes down, nationalize it to make all the same car & truck bodies it does now, but with small 4 cylinder generators and electric drive trains. If this guy's project is any indication, that small change in technology can result in 400% efficiency over the old tech.

    The second:  A Manhattan project to add solar, wind, geothermal, and deep water systems, based on location, to every building in the United States, with an aim to generating enough ambient energy on-site to have energy usage from the grid net zero, effectively using the grid as a giant battery.

    Between the switchover in tech in old auto plants, and the massive rennovation, you can create 15 million jobs overnight.  They won't be long lasting jobs- two to five years max and we'll run out of this sort of work- but they will be wealth-generating jobs.

     

    Reply to: Manufacturing Monday: Week of 11.10.08   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • I'd love to put it in my slashdot journal- free market costs 20% extra.

    Reply to: Manufacturing Monday: Week of 11.10.08   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • A simple switch to small engines & electric drive trains seems to be in order.  80MPG from this specific car model- with this tech you could get 45MPG from a hummer easy.  And it's well proven tech- GE has been using it for railroad locomotives since the 1950s.

    Reply to: GM just lost an insurer   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • NY Times 11/11/2008 reports that Obama will cave in to allow the Columbia, Korea Free Trade agreements in exchange for an auto bailout. At this time, we seem to have zero presidents at a time.

    "
    Mr. Bush indicated at the meeting that he might support some aid and a broader economic stimulus package if Mr. Obama and Congressional Democrats dropped their opposition to a free-trade agreement with Colombia, a measure for which Mr. Bush has long fought, people familiar with the discussion said.

    The Bush administration, which has presided over a major intervention in the financial industry, has balked at allowing the automakers to tap into the $700 billion bailout fund, despite warnings last week that General Motors might not survive the year.

    Mr. Obama and Congressional Democratic leaders say the bailout law authorizes the administration to extend assistance.

    Mr. Obama went into his post-election meeting with Mr. Bush on Monday primed to urge him to support emergency aid to the auto industry, advisers to Mr. Obama said. But Democrats also indicate that neither Mr. Obama nor Congressional leaders are inclined to concede the Colombia pact to Mr. Bush, and may decide to wait until Mr. Obama assumes power on Jan. 20.

    Separate from his differences with Mr. Bush, Mr. Obama has signaled to the automakers and the unions that his support for short-term aid now, and long-term assistance once he takes office, is contingent on their willingness to agree to transform their industry to make cleaner, more energy-efficient vehicles.

    A week after Mr. Obama’s election, and more than two months before he takes office, the steadily weakening economy and the prospect of many more job losses are testing his effort to remain aloof from the nation’s business on the argument that “we only have one president at a time.”
    "

    Reply to: GM just lost an insurer   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • Well, maybe in bankruptcy they can nationalize it, turn it into an institution with a mandate on gas powered, alternative cars.

    I'm also kind of bummed because I happen to like Chevy Trucks.

    I agree with you that sounds like death knells and this is going to rock the US economy worse than any of these banks....

    I'm so sick of the financial sector running this country.

    Reply to: GM just lost an insurer   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • with health care is costs. The US costs are a skyrocket graph in comparison to every other nation on Earth, with now inferior care.

    Something is very wrong with that picture even in comparison to private insurance countries like Switzerland, it's not even just the true universal single payer systems.

    Reply to: Manufacturing Monday: Week of 11.10.08   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:

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