The Chyrsler Bankputcy: Will the Obama Administration hear the voice and will of the People?
“The Big Three” is now a historical term. When those words are spoken now, it will reflect an era that American demand was at a level that could even fathom three giant American automakers.
Well, times have changed. People have changed. American belts have tightened as we realize what we actually need to survive. The reset switch was pressed, and, the people have responded with returns to conservative roots. Well, at least some of us have. The people running our government aren’t hearing the roar of the crowds. I think Chrysler was a sign to government that the American people want fairness without government intervention, even if that means failure. We as a people needed Chrysler in bankruptcy long ago. Bailouts take the trust out of the financial system that we are all signed on to. Without that trust, those pieces of paper in your wallet are just that, pieces of paper.
People want failure. There are systems in check that allow us restart a corporation or have it be sold, to minimize loss to investors. That’s how it’s supposed to be handled to protect the people. Throwing billions into a hole of debt and pretending that the system is better just doesn’t make sense.
Demand for goods and services have come down to levels that represent the American public’s true level. The surplus of goods and services will have to come down to it. Artificial attempts to try to spend our way out, to an undesired level, doesn’t make sense. We don’t want it there anymore. In a few recent news clips, I’ve seen people saying that it is looked poorly upon to even look like you are spending money. After the excesses of the “Bling Era”, Americans are trying to at least look like they are being thrifty. It’s the new cool. I’m glad. I like being thrifty. I like cooking food from scratch. I like growing food. My wife learned to knit, and, makes gorgeous blankets. There is a reason why we passed this stuff down to each other through the passages of time. We need to be self-sufficient. It is part of being human.
If you don’t know how to sew, cook, knit, or, grow food, go find someone from “The Greatest Generation”, before they all leave us. Spend some time with them. Learn. I am so glad that I was able to spend so much time with my grandfather before he died in ’91. We talked for hours upon hours about family, life, travel, war, and, love. I think that I was his favorite, because, I asked him questions. More importantly, I listened to his answers. Everyone else wanted to be Grandma’s favorite. Don’t worry, she taught me how to cook, sew, crochet, and, cross stitch too. She said it was important. It’s really nice to get to use those skills across the road of life. It amazes me at how many times I’ve used them as grown man.
The micro industry of automobile manufacturers really fits into the homemade ideals that are catching on. You can already go on Etsy.com and buy handmade toys, clothes, and, many other things trendy. The concept of buying cheap electric vehicles from smaller manufacturers is right in line with it. The massive switch to everything green really doesn’t fit in with keeping huge production facilities operating. Green implies not being afraid to do it yourself. Perhaps, it is the evolution of the Industrial Revolution. Maybe we’re not supposed to live our lives in cubicles. Personally, I think being human is best done outdoors.
This new economic reality is a good reason to plant some vegetables in your yard, or, on your balcony. We have 5000 years of recorded history that point to us growing our own food. Why did some of us stop? I get a real connection to life when I work soil with my hands. Cultivating food for my own use gives me a real appreciation for the history that brought us to this age.
Part of the charm of doing things yourself is that you realize how much work goes into things. Things have value when you create them yourself. When the connection is made between time and value, money takes on greater importance. The sense of loss when you finally lose things that you had to make, become tangible. It is that sense of value that makes me sick when I think of the graft and waste that is happening in government right now.
This brings me back to Chrysler and the bailouts. Why do we continue to waste money in bailouts? Why was Obama so upset that the 30% of share holders that aren’t TARP banks didn’t agree to the terms offered, and, take the hit too? It’s really the American investor that said no. We don’t want to accept less than what is fair, even if it’s fairness in failure.
I think that it was important to Obama’s political capital, not considering the union vote. If the TARP banks that hold 70% of the investment in Chrysler were to take a hit this large, it would be another hit to the TARP program that has Americans disgusted with loss of taxpayer money. That translates into the current administration taking a political hit over waste. That’s political capital gone in a fight to convert us to a more socialist state.
It will affect the people’s appetite for more waste. Those that believed that intervention could save a business that that had died, are now going to realize that all government did was prolong the death by wasting our treasure. Conservatives were disgusted long ago. Independents and Liberals are realizing everyday that this waste is unacceptable. Any more just cannot be afforded by the American people. The Federal Government needs to tighten its own belt, and, reign in out of control spending.
To visualize how much our federal budget is out of line, take our four quarters, and, place them in your hand. Now take one of those quarters and give it to China. It’s really theirs, and, from other countries too in fairness. That leaves three in your hand. Who is really doing the buying in our country if the Government continues to spend at these levels? They are only really doing three quarters of it.
It almost looks like America is being sold to me.
