PEORIA -- For years we laughed about bringing the arrogant General Motors to its knees.
We couldn't afford a new car, and by the time we could buy new, we bought superior technology produced by Japan, even though my husband's dad had sold and cared for Buicks.
Our mechanic friend told us how GM skimped on parts and engineering, causing breakdowns and deaths. We saw for ourselves how GM lagged in technology, while its high paid executives were looting the company when they wern't fighting seat belts and air bags.
Finally it all crashed -- threatening to bring down the US with it.
But there's hope. Filmmaker Michael Moore has a great essay that says it all. He also offers hope for the future.
Read it, suck it up and keep on trucking through the ruins of our civilization, built by our parents' generation, being destroyed rapidly by greed and stupidity.
There's more. Aside from what Moore suggests, we could today institute universal, Canadian style health care and universal recycling of every product, with cash incentives paid for recycling.
We could close prisons, stop the war machine, offer free birth control and abortion (to control population) then the nation could afford what's needed to keep the USA going.
Don't hold your breath.
-- Elaine Hopkins
COMMENT 6/3/09: If the GM bankruptcy occurs, I won't be surprised. Not because of the products, but the corporate/political structure and it's money/power system. If the corporate history of the airlines and some others are the example being set, I can't be optimistic about the outcome and will expect to see employees and retired workers get short changed.
I read the Michael Moore post that you provided a reference to. I agree with Moore's view of the cause of the problem. I think there are a few nuggets that can and may happen as he wishes. I don't really expect that U.S. industry will go into mass transit on a grand scale. Our cities have been 'traffic engineered' to the edge of extinction. A conversion will take a very long process of people, living in compact areas, willing and able to use mass transit facilities efficiently and conveniently (think Europe and Asia). Seasonal weather is a factor in most of the U.S. I think the potential for major population connections would be achievable with an overlay of new systems on the old train routes. I'm thinking of fast elevated or slower ground based systems.
-- Ed Dentino
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