With the economy in shambles and politicians, economists, corporations, and groups postulating that they have the formula for what it takes to get us back on track, I haved decided that we need to stand up as a people and to put our ideas forward.
I am proud to be American. Many would say that pride is the reason much of the world is happy for our failed economy because somehow it is bad that Americans have been prosperous for so long, it is somehow only fair or right that we would eventually fail.
I for one disagree with that statement and say that as Americans we have to band together. We the people of the United States have to come together and stop allowing bureaucracy and politics and special interest groups and lobbyists and corporations run us! We have to stop drinking the k00l-aid, and I'm not just talking about Obama's kool-aid either.
My husband is a car salesman and I am a business owner and Collector for a financial institution. We are average Joe's here in America who are being squeezed right now. His job saw a dramatic loss in sales in October after the media told Americans to not even bother trying to get a car loan because banks were not loaning any money! All retail sales followed suit and we are beginning to see the job losses and other repercussions of the recession.
So now comes the uncertainty of a new Presidential Administration. The people voted for "change" but I'm cynical of the change making much of a difference on the dire circumstances of our nation.
The next administration is seemingly friendly with the American auto industry looking to provide them with more bailout money. How do we allow an industry that is the heart and soul of America to fail, but how do we continue to bail out the industry that obviously has a bad business plan?
Much of the problem came with regulations imposed by making the autmaker's in the US pay workers exorbitant pay as compared to the foreign automaker's who did not have to be regulated by unions. Yes many of the foreign automakers have chosen to make cars here in the US but those companies do not have to pay their workers the same amount of money or pay lifelong pensions.
A couple of ideas I am standing by are to put a cap on the amount of cars that can be imported from other countries or can be made here by importers, and to provide Americans with incentives to purchase American vehicles. Another idea that my state senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) has been promoting, is for the big dogs at the top 3 automakers to take salary cuts like Lee Iococa from Chrysler did back in the 80s. I think I read that Iococa took a 1 cent salary!!!
Why stop with the automaker CEOs though? What about AIG top dogs and other CEOs that are getting tax-payer bailout money?
Please write your legislators to let them know how you feel about this.
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