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March, 2009:

A Second Look | White House questions viability of GM, Chrysler

Mar 30th, 2009
by Tom.
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via White House questions viability of GM, Chrysler.

GM CEO Rick Wagoner

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Monday that neither General Motors nor Chrysler has proposed sweeping enough changes to justify further large federal bailouts, and demanded “painful concessions” from creditors, unions and others as their price for survival.

Obama also raised the possibility of a controlled bankruptcy to help either or both “restructure quickly and emerge stronger” _ uttering the term that industry and union officials have warned repeatedly could lead to the collapse of an entire domestic industry.

So, while I was prepping this snippet, the story changed right before my eyes. It was updated and the original just disappeared. This is the new lead-in:

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is rejecting the turnaround plans from General Motors Corp. and Chrysler and setting tough, new deadlines for the two automakers to develop new restructuring plans.

In a White House speech, Obama said the companies _ and the auto industry _ must stand on their own, not as “wards of the state” supported by tax dollars.

Anyway, I have no heartache whatsoever with these two companies filing chapter 11 bankruptcy then undergoing a restructure. One that is guided, of course, by their biggest creditor- you and me. If you had taken the $17 Billion that Bush gave GM last fall and bought them out – every building, piece of machinery, stick of furniture, wall hangings, and every new car on every GM lot in America, you still would have had change left in your pocket.

Now they want more and I don’t blame President Obama one bit for stepping on their necks. People will suffer, sure, but maybe this company that was once the largest manufacturer in the world will start producing a product that America demands instead of what they want to push on us through advertising. No one buys their cars because their cars aren’t what people want.

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P.S. Changing subjects here. It bothers me a little that Huffington Post over-dramatizes and sensationalizes their headline stories. The HuffPo headline reads, in big bold caps:

OBAMA: CHRYSLER NOT TOO BIG TO FAIL

There was no such quote in the article, and the title of the article was something else entirely (see above). Is this practice honest?

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A Second Look | Geithner: Gov’t Must Not Let Up, Banks Need To Start “Taking Risks Again”

Mar 29th, 2009
by Tom.
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via Geithner: Gov’t Must Not Let Up, Banks Need To Start “Taking Risks Again”.

So what’s the most important thing he has learned in trying to fix the economy?

He says it isn’t the risk that the government does too much. Instead, Geithner says it’s the risk that the government does too little to try to help solve the financial problems.

Geithner says the financial markets cannot not solve all those problems — it’s up to the federal government to act and that’s what he says the Obama administration is trying to do.

I don’t understand why this is so difficult. The right-wing mouth breathers have argued that the government is spending too much, when the truth is that government is spending all they can to boost the economy. If anything, spending could be boosted up, fast tracked, (instead of the two year spread), and pinpointed to geographical areas that need it first, like Detroit.

What does the AP suggest they do? Tax cuts for the wealthy? Leave Geithner alone. Let him do his job.

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A Second Look | Jon Soltz: Obama Got Afghanistan/Pakistan Right

Mar 28th, 2009
by Tom.
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via Jon Soltz: Obama Got Afghanistan/Pakistan Right.

John Soltz, Co-Founder of VoteVets.org, served as a Captain in Operation Iraqi Freedom

For those of us who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, it was extremely important that the new president get the situation in Afghanistan right. Not just for America’s security, but for those troops still in Afghanistan, and those heading to Afghanistan to put their lives on the line in the war. With today’s announcement, President Obama has shown that he “gets it.” That’s why we at VoteVets.org are supporting the plan with a petition, which you can sign on to, right here.

There’s a lot to like about the plan. But, there are three key things I’m particularly focused on, that represent a stark departure from the previous administration. They show that this president not only has reasonable goals in the region, but a good idea of what it will take to get there.

Read his three key things here.

If John Soltz is happy with this then forget how you feel about escalation and trust the plan. Soltz has been there and seen first hand on the ground how a multifaceted plan that includes local diplomacy can succeed. We all saw it in Iraq in Anbar Province when the Army took it on themselves to negotiate with the locals. We called it the Anbar Awakening, but it was closer to the Anbar Payoff. What worked there was not the “surge”, but a steady influx of cash. Poverty is the friend of the anarchists and Obama gets it that the Afghan solution has to have an economic part to it. So I salute John Soltz, again, and wish him, and our great President all the best.

President Obama:

“There is an uncompromising core of the Taliban. They must be met with force, and they must be defeated. But there are also those who have taken up arms because of coercion, or simply for a price. These Afghans must have the option to choose a different course. That is why we will work with local leaders, the Afghan government, and international partners to have a reconciliation process in every province. As their ranks dwindle, an enemy that has nothing to offer the Afghan people but terror and repression must be further isolated. And we will continue to support the basic human rights of all Afghans – including women and girls.”

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