Enough Already About "Greedy" Auto Workers

By Scott Cavanagh
For a good part of the past three months, there has been an ongoing debate in this country about what constitutes a "middle class" income. As President-elect Obama touted his plan to decrease the tax burden on average Americans while raising the tax rates of those making over a quarter-million annually, many on the right cried "class warfare." "Who decides what is middle class" seemed to be the prevailing argument of many conservatives--and they had a point. While it's hard to imagine households with an annual income of over $250,000 struggling to make ends meet with anything less than a bloated lifestyle, its pretty safe to say that those who make six figures in America 2008 are not rich--but instead constitute a certain level of the middle class that is finding it harder and harder to provide the same lifestyle for their families that their parents did--despite nearly double the income. There is a big difference, however, between those that make 100k and those who make two-and-a-half times that amount, but for argument's sake, let's assume that those making a quarter million annually are part of the middle class.

What does this line of thought have to do with auto workers and the proposed $25 billion bailout of their three parent companies? Plenty. For the past few weeks, speculation has run high that the big three U.S. auto giants would soon be hitting the government up for an aid package similar to the $700 billion one provided to the financial and credit industries. That scenario came to fruition this week when the CEOs of GM, Ford and Chrysler came calling, hat-in-hand, to Congress.

There are so many obvious reasons for everyone to be angry about this request--from the lousy and misguided product lines these companies have produced for over thirty years, to the lack of research into fuel efficient vehicles, to the outsourcing of jobs and plant operations overseas to save a few bucks while rewarding mismanagement with outrageous salaries and bonuses. Ford lost 33% of its market share last year while its CEO received a $16 million salary--and a $15 million bonus.

Of course, simply saying no to the survival of the entire U.S. auto industry is no easy decision. With literally thousands of interconnected businesses--from suppliers, and distributors to auto credit operations and dealerships--the collapse of the big three could cause a ripple effect unseen in American history. So, what do we do? It appears that really only three options are available to us: 1) give the money to the big three and hope they have a miracle comeback and are not back at the beggar's table in six months; 2) devise some sort of creative Chapter 11 bankruptcy that would allow the companies to reorganize management and labor contracts, eliminate debts and stay afloat; or 3) allow them to fall into Chapter 7--full liquidation.

If these were different economic times, this loan would simply be made and things would probably turn around quickly, as they did two decades ago with the Chrysler bailout. But these are anything but normal conditions--and only weeks after Congress handed the Feds $700 billion dollars to bailout Wall Street, handing out even another dime seems outrageous. But while everyone appears to be in agreement that giving these management teams another $25 billion would be akin to burning it all in a dumpster, nobody wants to oversee the Chapter 7 liquidation of one of the greatest institutions in American history.

Which leaves us with Chapter 11. While the majority of Democrats, including the president-elect, favor a conditional $25 billion loan that forces the car makers' hands on issues like fuel efficiency, environmental standards and executive compensation, more and more Republicans are making the case that a Chapter 11 action is the way to go. No more good money after bad; this time it would be a fresh start with less debt and a chance to reorganize efficiently.

Unfortunately, it appears that when all is said and done, the main target of this GOP restructuring talk is not the gas-guzzling, cheaply made ugly cars and ridiculous, terrorist-funding Hummers and SUVs spat out by these corporate dinosaurs over the past 20 years. It's not even the executive pay scale that allows for $20 million failure bonuses. The GOP's main focus: labor contracts. Wow, what do ya know? Yes, it's those greedy workers with their big salaries and benefits that are running these companies into the ground. If we could just renegotiate the contracts so they got paid like Wal-Mart workers, everything would be fine, and the stock price would soar and the rich would get richer and the CEOs could keep their jets--while the workers applied for food stamps.

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard a conservative economist or legislator talk about the bloated salaries and benefits of blue-collar auto workers, I could bail out the big three myself. Funny how nobody talked about how much the financial wizards at AIG and Bear Stearns were making before they handed them $700 billion, no strings attached. Did anyone ask them to take any pay cuts? How 'bout cuts in benefits? Hell, that cash is openly being used to pay multimillion dollar executive packages and holiday junkets. But $25 billion to the auto industry's blue-collar workers? Only if they accept cuts to those "bloated salaries" and benefits.

And its not just conservatives that repeat this baloney over and over again. In an open editorial about the proposed bailout, CNN's Campbell Brown echoed those same sentiments, stating that some in the auto industry "make as much as $30 to $40 an hour--with benefits!" What do you think Campbell Brown makes to sit in front of a camera and look pretty? Think it's more than $30 an hour? If it is I'm sure there is NO WAY she gets BENEFITS TOO!! That would be outrageous.

A $30-an-hour job pays $56,000 a-year. Is that rich? Does that person deserve a pay cut? I was under the impression that $250,000 was middle class. Which is it? What do these critics of auto worker pay propose they make? Should they have no health care, or retirement? Do any of these critics have jobs without health care?

It's a simple point. If $250,000 is middle class, then an auto worker raising a family on $56,000 does not deserve a pay cut--he deserves a pat on the back for being able to survive.
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America '08: One Big Dysfunctional Family

Posted by TDaddy
I took my six-year-old daughter to an NHL game last night. I always try to get there in time for the National Anthem -- especially when one of my children are with me. As I removed my hat and we sang "and the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there..." I looked at the flag and then back at my daughter and wondered what the soldiers defending Fort Henry in 1814 would think about these United States nearly two hundred years later. Surely, they would not recognize much. But, they would no doubt be proud to have defended what became and has remained the strongest democratic republic in history through which personal freedoms and economic opportunity have spread to most of the world.

Although my chosen political party lost the election last week and the balance of power is now firmly in the hands of Democrats, when I pause for the national anthem I can't help but feel a continued and abiding sense of pride to be a small part of this American experiment. The power wielded by the governing President -- especially when his own party controls the Legislature is immense. And yet the founders of this nation were brilliant enough to devise a system with sufficient checks and balances among the three branches that the majority party is never able to manage complete consensus - let alone rule as a the monarchs of England once did. Now, as we make the 44th peaceful transition of Executive federal power, we are vividly reminded of the reasons the rest of the world looks to us for leadership. Without the United States, this world would be a vastly different place. It is no small coincidence that dictators have been thrown out in much of the world and replaced by governments that necessarily provide more freedoms to their citizens including the right to chose their leaders and follow their own dreams. These world developments had their origin in the loud cry of human freedom exercising its strength and pride from America. Still, there are billions who live under tyranny, but we can take solace in the fact that the unrelenting force from the human desire to be free has spread from our nation and it will eventually find its home in more places as the oppressed hear about what freedom can be.

It is true that I have sharp differences with some of the stated policies of President-elect Obama's administration. However, those differences cannot diminish the pride I hold being an American and the hope I harbor for the future of this great nation. Every time we have a national election, my pride and hope is given new strength. Some 55 million voted for his opponent last Tuesday, and yet Mr. Obama will be OUR President. We are like a family: we honestly -- and sometimes brutally -- shout our differences at home, but we passionately defend each other on the streets of the world. Let us never forget the ties that bind together as Americans. I look forward to the next four years as an opportunity to freely speak my opposition to polices I believe go against the nation's best interests while at the same time putting my hand over my heart in support of this great nation. Our best days are still ahead of us.
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Obama Won for All the Right Reasons

Posted by Stephen Hart
I begin this post at 2:23 a.m., a little less than two hours after the conclusion of President-Elect Barack Obama's victory speech. Actually, "victory" doesn't do it justice; the word seems too much linked to a mere contest, even if the prize is leader of the free world.

His message to the American people and to all countries whose fate and fortune is intertwined with the United States (which is basically most of the globe) -- and the promise that he will bring to the White House -- transcends the term "victory." Because, as Obama himself said, the real winners tonight are us.

We won because Obama, whether you voted for him or not (or even like him or not ... and after his words at Grant Park in Chicago, you'd have to be completely stubborn or without a pulse not to feel even the slightest bit of hope), made us care about the process again. All you have to do is take a gander at voter turnout, and the videotape of lines wrapping around polling centers, to see that.

Of course, some people voted simply to try and prevent an African-American from becoming president.You didn't hear words of blatant racism from those people, just the usual read-between-the-lines catch phrases. Or they hid behind GOP talking points that were so old, you needed a can of Pledge to dust them off. I witnessed such conversations between like-minded voters while I was on line this morning. And I live in New York, not Alabama.

And yes, I'm sure some African-Americans were guilty of voting for Obama simply because of his ethnicity. Is that any better? Not really. Do they have more of an excuse? Well ... yes. After all, it's not like African-Americans have won a lot of these battles -- whether those battles were at the voting booth or in the court room or in any situation where African-Americans have been made to feel afraid or powerless.

I watched the night's election coverage in a small Obama headquarters on Staten Island, the most conservative of New York City's five boroughs. I watched it with a predominantly African-American audience that rejoiced every time a state was called for Obama. And I celebrated right alongside ... and the last time I looked, I wasn't black. (Although, to be honest, I truly couldn't appreciate the victory quite like my African-American colleagues; it's only natural, I don't have their perspective.)

Which got me thinking: Maybe the reason why we were all rooting so hard for Barack Obama is because his life reflects ours a lot more than John McCain's and his seven houses (or is it eight, I keep losing track), or George W. Bush and his silver-spoon, Air-National-Guard upbringing. If you don't think that's the case, then why did Obama win over more working-class white voters than McCain (or past Democrat nominees John Kerry and Al Gore)?

It's true that part of the reason I voted for Obama is because of his dynamic personality. I gave money (the little that I could afford) to the past campaigns of Gore and Kerry, but I didn't get off my butt and do anything else on their behalf. Obama, through his words and actions, motivated me to the point where I felt compelled to get involved. It was the essence of a grassroots campaign, and the organization and execution of Team Obama was the political equivalent of Vince Lombardi's Green Bay power sweep. It started when the campaign simply asked for small online donations ... $5, $10, $20. They made you feel that even such a small contribution was making a difference. After that, you were hooked. You started emailing and phoning the campaign asking what you could do. And when you volunteered, they couldn't have been more welcoming and encouraging. I have been voting in elections for 25 years and I never felt like that about any candidate.

You felt that way because the man simply exudes grace and class. He isn't the elite snob as he was portrayed by both Republican and Democratic rivals. But he also doesn't play to the least common denominator. He's smart and doesn't feel guilty about it, and he shouldn't. He doesn't flaunt his intelligence, but he also doesn't "dumb it down" for the masses. He gives well, thought-out responses and not just some five-second sound bytes that play well on the nightly news. I don't want a president who I can picture having a beer with. I don't think Barack Obama will be caught chewing his food with his mouth open at state dinners or giving back rubs to female world leaders.

The international community quickly and loudly weighed in with an overwhelmingly positive response for Obama. The 200,000 or so people who showed up to hear him speak in Berlin this summer had already told you that. And guess what ... the world's opinion of us matters. George W. Bush doesn't think so, and look at our current standing amongst our allies. This country will need global friends to help fight our battles -- whether they're in Middle Eastern deserts or on Wall Street.

But more than Obama's cult of personality, the bottom line in voting for a candidate is because you agree with his policies more than the other guy's. I believe Obama's economic plan is better for me; that he's more concerned with providing health care for all Americans; that he's more concerned with education. And, for all the hawks out there, Obama will make the military decision to concentrate our troops in Afghanistan rather than Iraq-- because wasn't the original war goal after 9/11 to capture Bin Laden?

Political talk shows can bring on all the analysts they want, and come up with all kinds of factors for McCain's loss (to me, he lost it the day he tabbed Palin as his VP). But throw out all the pie charts and graphs and exit polls and demographic numbers -- the bottom line at 4:21 a.m. on a Wednesday morning is that most Americans believed in Obama more than McCain.

It's change we can believe in. Here's hoping, and praying, that it comes to fruition.

Stephen Hart is a veteran reporter for the STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE and a regular contributor to BarkBackNews.
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FINAL HOWLS: Election Day Diaries

This election will be characterized by massive turnout, but not just because blacks and young voters will turnout in record numbers. Fear driven whites will also turn out in massive numbers in response to the prospect of a black man being president.

In the past, strong turnout by Republicans and conservatives has been enough to overcome the numerical advantage of Democrats. That won't be the case in this election. The surge in white voters will be impressive, and keep it from being a complete landslide, but it won't turn the tide of this election. For once everybody votes, and Obama wins.

If McCain loses he has no one to blame but himself. He was the perfect candidate to beat Obama: a reasonably conservative guy who could appeal to most conservatives, but with a well established reputation as a straight-talking maverick who would vote his conscience over party politics if it was for the good of the country. His resume, and most importantly character, could appeal to independents--especially independents who might be hesitant to vote for an untested black man in a time of crisis.

But McCain sold out. The country watched as he changed positions to pander to the right wing. We watched as he picked a supremely unqualified person to be VP because he thought she could win him votes. And we watched as he ran a slanderous campaign that simply lied about his opponent. His impressive reputation, which could have won him the election, was gone.
BoxCar John

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Obama Draws Record Crowd in Columbus

Posted by Scott Cavanagh
A crowd estimated at over 50,000 flooded the grounds of the Ohio Statehouse yesterday to hear Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama make one last appeal for their support on Election Day.

The rally felt a bit more like a religious revival or a concert than a political event--with dignitaries from Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman to Governor Ted Strickland serving as nothing more than Steve and Edie warm-up acts to Obama's Sinatra star power. The Illinois Senator did not disappoint. Blessed with perfect weather to augment his near-perfect delivery and diction, the Democratic nominee rifled through a series of topics in a relatively short time-focusing on some of the main stump speech standards (McCain's support of Bush policies, his lacking health care plan, etc.) that have been gaining traction with voters for weeks.

According to Coleman, the rally was the largest of it's kind in Ohio history.
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