The timer has been reset for Detroit — precious billions to spread around for a couple months until the new administration assumes power and rolls up the sleeves for the real work on how to keep the doors open and keep building cars dreamed up by American-based companies. Detroiters across the region are sighing in relief this weekend as the Bush admin choked up the cash. It’s a metaphor for the strung out family member that gets a little extra just because it’s Christmas, a willful present. Not enough to fix the problem, but enough to make it through the cold winter’s night. The message is the same – change or go down with the antiquated ship. But the path to recovery is not so clear.
Yet, while Detroit is temporarily taken off time out, now is the time for mindful leaders to use common sense and acknowledge what needs to be done on a civic level to promote development and change within an industry. That means taking logical steps and stopping the scolding for the sake of political posturing. That means speaking up and acknowledging responsibility for government’s part in the problem. That means examining an infrastructure that is not designed for sustainable transportation in it’s planes, trains and automobiles. That means working directly with fuel companies and emerging companies capable of providing viable renewable resources That means creating hydrogenfilling stations to speed up access to emissions free automobiles. That means working on a federal level with states to modify emissions laws to create a universal standard for diesel vehicles. That means concentrating on encouraging consumers to drive smaller cars and actually encourage Americans to look at new products with some kind of praise. Or do better, and build on existing research efforts at universities such as MIT and the University of Michigan that already are working with a coalition of car companies for the next big green break. That means looking at the global market and take initiatives to be a leader and not a follower of countries like Brazil and Sweden. That means changing how we think about driving and moving ourselves around.
The solution is probably a bit of all of the above. Truth is, we’re still very far off from the solution. The car companies can build it, but the infrastructure can’t sustain it and the question is unclear whether the consumer will actually dish the dough out for it. This SF Chronicle editorial passage explores some of these technological advances with stony realism. Highly hyped and subsidized hydrogen cars rely on the most impractical fuel on the planet. Beyond the estimated $2 trillion we’d need to build production infrastructure and filling stations, hydrogen is the most co-dependent atom on Earth (it just hates to be alone).
The energy needed to pry it from water, compress it into tanks and then convert it into electricity in a fuel cell wipes out 80 percent of its energy at the axle. That energy has to come from somewhere – like a coal-fired power plant. Not to mention the energy needed to truck hydrogen to filling stations. If they existed.Heavily subsidized corn ethanol generates far more carbon than it saves. Intended or not, almost all biofuel production leads to new land being cleared, directly or indirectly – which (whether scrubland or rain forest) releases 93 times the volume of greenhouse gas saved by fuel from that land, according to a Nature Conservancy scientist published in the journal Science.
None of this is to suggest we can’t do better. But hydrogen cars are 80 percent energy-inefficient and 100 percent unaffordable. And biofuels cause 93 times more global warming than gasoline. Take lines like that out of context, and they sound like Ronald Reagan calling ketchup a vegetable. But such is the state of our subsidized knowledge, as of now.
While hybrids also wear a green face, it’s widely known that they just aren’t enough to reduce global warming on their own, with fuel economy numbers that are only slightly better than gasoline counterparts. No one has the solution, but it lies somewhere in the structure, in setting up a process that is not built on earning reports for every quarter, but a long term slow climb, and educating average drivers, riders, and commuters about the choices they are making, in finding a healthy balance between competition and cooperation among all carmakers. It’s about using what we do have — a strong manufacturing arm centralized in the US, with experience and knowledge on how to move the line efficiently forward. We need to support that process with the implementation of green ways that support research, sustain jobs and reach consumers. What we need is a country built on development and the pursuit of a future with clear goals built on firm humble beginnings. We need sturdy vehicles and a collective conscience, too. What we need most is patience and clear thinking.
“Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go….” We all know the drill this time of year, when visiting relatives or vacationing in remote destinations is on the holiday agenda. So whether you’re on your way across the ocean to visit the mother land, or just going across town to visit Uncle Dave and Aunt Trichy, there are things you need to know when making the trek with a baby or toddler. Consider yourself armed (and warned)… By Beth Ann Bayus.
If you have a baby or just a picky eater, bring your own milk (and food, for that matter). As much of a pain as the added weight can be in your luggage, it definitely saves time and money to not have to constantly buy something for your child to eat or to sit down in a restaurant with her three times a day. Sure, sampling the local food is fun for adults and part of the whole travel experience, but for a young child, it can also potentially mean adverse food reactions and public melt downs. It’s best to avoid the situation as much as possible by just packing your own food to begin with. (And remember, you won’t have to lug it all home with you, leaving more room in your luggage for souvenirs!)
Quick change
Change wherever, whenever. Do what you have to do to get those diapers changed, but just be quick about it. Having everything at hand and ready to go before actually plunking your child down on a bench helps, and do it in pairs if possible – - one to change and one to distract. Public bathrooms overseas (if you can even find them) don’t have changing stations anyway, so who cares? If we can watch their teenagers make out in the park, they can see our kids’ bare bottoms for 30 seconds.
The one and only
Bring a plastic bib, as in one big one. Be strong and fight the urge to bring more than one. Since it’s plastic-coated, you can wipe it clean and re-use it on the go. Saves tons of room in the diaper bag, and if it gets really nasty, you can always pitch it once you’re home.
Handbills, anyone?
Use all the free magazines, newspapers and brochures lying around the airport or train station to distract your child. They’re equally as entertaining as a book, and far less heavy to lug around. Even if they’re in a foreign language, take advantage of the free publications floating around and use them to entertain your child whenever possible. You’ll be amazed how your child can be occupied for hours with a SkyMall magazine and a plane’s safety procedure card. Who knew?
Where the parks are
When vacationing overseas, know the locations of the parks on your route for the day. And, perhaps just as importantly, know which ones allow you to walk on the grass. It might not be an issue everywhere like it is in some European cities, but you never know what will offend the locals and what won’t. So do your research to be safe. Let your child run off some steam every hour or so. It tires them out nicely and shows off that cute outfit you used valuable luggage space to haul half way around the world.
Say “Frommage!
Speaking of cute outfits, have someone take at least one picture of all of you at least once a day (can we say next year’s holiday card?). When you’re out and about each day, remember to keep a holiday card photo opportunity in mind and plan for it. Have your camera focused and everyone lined up before asking a passerby to shoot your picture. Targeting young couples who are obviously tourists themselves is a good idea to avoid the potential for blurry shots (younger people tend to more tech savvy) or a stolen camera (fellow tourists don’t know their way around any more than you do, making them less of a “flight risk”). There’s no substitute for wonderful memories in a wonderful place, and your pictures are the means to that end. It’s why you came. Take the time to capture the moment.
Cuteness 101
Take advantage of your child’s cuteness factor. You’ll be amazed how much better you’re treated with a child in tow. You’ll score swag the likes of free snacks and toys that you never would have gotten if you didn’t have that cute tot with you.
Strollers = shopping carts and high chairs
Make that stroller you carted with you through the airport a multi-tasker. Use it as your personal shopping cart and high chair. You’ll never have such an easy time carrying around the souvenirs you bought throughout the day as you will with a stroller at your disposal. And in most cases, European restaurants don’t have high chairs, but your stroller makes a great substitute. An old hand towel from home also can double as a “drop cloth.” You can just toss it when you leave to return home, and it also will save you when you run out of wipes – - and trust me, you will.
Foreign language section, please!
If traveling to a foreign destination or different part of the country, stock up on regional toys and foreign language books to bring home. Use this as an opportunity to expose your child (no matter what their age) to a different culture or a foreign language. No way around it, they just don’t make toys here like they do in Europe, and the same goes for clothes. Instead of screaming color combinations or tacky appliqués, you’ll find well-made, simple classics. Your kids will wear the clothes until they outgrow them and you pass them along to a lucky relative or an equally lucky customer at your local kiddie consignment store.
The days are short now, the darkness is deserving a soundtrack that adds vitality to the conscious moments, a defiant stance against futility. In the waking hours, syrupy songs are perfect for driving, guitars are a glutton, and in the evening mysterious loops, breaks and beats are fitting for creative streaks. So without further adieu, what I’m downloading this week:
From dizzying progressive power chords on “The Power of Myth” to “How to Bill the Bilderberg Group” with a distorted undertone addressing the lavish excess of an elitist social group that meets at luxury hotel, here is the presentation of the Mars Volta guitar virtuoso, stripped down and defiant. The instrument is indeed his voice.
Release scheduled for Jan. 2009.
Made in Iceland
Iceland Music Export
In Iceland, there’s plenty of time to make music on some of the longest days of the year, and perhaps that’s how these musicians have become so good. FM Belfast, Emiliana Torrini and the old guard Sigur Ros round out a collection that is musically diverse and expansive.
Freestyle Fellowship founding member presents his latest effort. “To the Sky” is melodic with the ridiculously quick wit of Myka 9. “Options” featuring Aceyalone is danceable and verse heavy. Factor’s laidback beats and keys set up a funky backdrop for a lyrical master. My personal favorite — “Cadillac Nights,” a cool cruising ode to a fleet of the finest — a 1969 Caddie with fuzzy dice and gangsta white walls, a 1972 Eldorado, the Coupe de Ville, the Escalade and the Cadillac hearse, vogue tires and all that – a real jam. House Shoes
King James Version
These are the abstract breaks. House Shoes is a legend on late night Detroit dance floors — he is the master of ceremonies, who always strikes the vibe proper. His latest bag of tricks for the treats is this exploratory journey of vinyl here now and then of another master, the maestro supreme — James Yancey aka Dilla.
Jacks Mannequin
The Glass Passenger
Strolling music has a strong positive current, reiterated by front man Andrew McMahon who survived acute lymphoblastic leukemia to make piano music pleasurably sweet in the radio hit “Resolution” and other meandering tunes.
Up Next: Rachel Yamagata, BM Link Black Entertainment, DJ Dusk’s Root Down Soundclash, DJ Maestro Present Ballroom Hustle 202, Evil Nine and Cassius Cream.
A festive red Mercedes-Benz GL350 caught passerbys attention on Broadway and 62nd Street on a balmy December Monday in front of Bar Boulud in New York City. The occasion was Mercedes-Benz annual press luncheon inside the casual bistro, where about 50 journalists and company reps converged to talk a tiny bit of shop and toast the season. While the mood was more anticipatory than in year’s past with the economic swings hitting automobile and media companies this week, guests still managed to mix, mingle and dine on Boulud’s lunchtime haute cuisine. The fare was simple, classic comfort — an autumn salad of roasted fall beets, local apples, goat cheese and shallot vinaigrette, and for the main course, roasted natural chicken breast, chanterelles, fingerling potatoes and baby veggies. Guests lingered, savoring a welcome respite from the news of the day.
Senators, please. Or, like they say on the mean streets, put your money where your mouth is. Stop hating on American cars, especially when it’s clear you don’t drive them. If you did, you would see that the myth that Americans don’t make American cars is that — an unfortunate longstanding myth. Indeed, American car companies know how to make a decent family car. In fact, American car companies make some really good family cars. And while these cars are manufactured and conceived by an assembly comprised of a global network — using the same suppliers as foreign subsidiaries — these cars are helmed through the Detroit Mothership — proof in the pudding that many of the changes sought after are already in the mix. Things have come along way since 1964, the calendar year of the first Malibu as the mid-sized sedan reaches its seventh generation.
This week as Congress floundered I tested the 2009 Chevy Malibu. My version was a 4 speed six cylinder automobile. This is not my first jaunt in the Malibu, but it is my first jaunt in the Malibu as a mama, which means that I have now fulfilled a key demographic in the American economy — that of the soccer mom in training. And guess what? The Malibu withstands the mama test. Room for maneuvering a car seat in the interior? Check — and sturdy, too even in a messy rainstorm. Critical acclaim? Check:Car and Driver picked it as one of its 10 Best for 2008 and the Malibu was elected as the North American Car of the Year during the North American International Auto Show in January 2008. Fuel economy? check — 22 city and 30 mpg on the highway and a hybrid version that clocks 26 and 34 respectively.
Like it’s counterparts, the Malibu is not flashy, but it’s sensible, like the jeans that match everything in the closet. And the price is respectable compared to Accord and Camry competition. Admittedly, I’m not the one to drive sensibly, but as a new member of a demographic, I get it. For those who don’t keep up with the car news, the Malibu was refashioned last year, and they pulled it off. Malibu is a stalwart mid-sized ride that made me feel safe inside with a wide open panoramic view. Why can’t this be a real metaphor for the American car industry?
What does your car color say about you? While if you picked white, then you’re following the trend preference of the United States, Japan, Mexico and India.
For the second year in a row, white is the most popular car color in North America, followed by black, silver and blue. The 2008 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report finds that white and white pearl scored 16 and 4 percent for a 20 percent total respectively in the American market. Black and black effect scored 11 percent and 6 percent, nabbing 17 percent of the total market, and silver, which led the pack for six consecutive years, also took 17 percent share of the North American market. Of the chromatic hues, blue accounts for 13 percent of the market and is a top five color choice in every market with the exception of Brazil (Out of the chromatic colors Brazilians favor red.)
“Blue is being utilized as the “new green” because it is well understood by people all over the world that blue can also represent the preservation of nature,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of Color: Messages and Meanings. “Imagine a clear blue sky mirrored in a pristine blue lake and you will get the picture. It is a universal favorite.”
Across the globe, color preferences diverge – though they are moving toward more universality than in past years. Europe continues to gravitate toward the boldness of black taking 26 percent of the market, and silver with 20 percent and gray with 18 percent. Whereas white rose to 10 percent in 2008. And Russians greatly favor silver at 30 percent, black and red at 14 percent and slight differences between green (13 percent), blue (12 percent) and white (10 percent). While Russia leans toward the silver and black color spaces, red and green are more popular there than in any other region, demonstrating the diversity of color trends.
South Koreans overwhelmingly favor silver representing 50 percent of the market, up from 39 percent last year. Silver is the top color in China as well at 32 percent for 2008, up from 23 percent in 2007, and in Brazil silver is top at 31 percent. Japan and India select white in the top color position (32 percent and 28 percent).
John Simpson originally published this piece in the editorial section of the Michigan Chronicle. He shares his sentiments and struggles with his hometown Detroit on GoTryke.com.
For decades, the city of Detroit was synonymous with African American Pride. It was a city, unlike many other cities, where you could see other black folks. Folks just like you and me, in positions of power. In positions traditionally reserved for whites. Detroit had black mayors, black police chiefs and black city council persons. We had Black auto execs, business and community leaders, Black Judges and black politicians. It was a city where a strong auto industry allowed blacks to enjoy the blessings of home ownership and a middle class lifestyle. A lifestyle that we as black Detroiters grew accustomed and felt entitled to. Detroit also built a legacy in the music and entertainment world. As the Motor City and Motown, Detroit had unparalleled international swagger. I grew up in Detroit. Off 7 Mile and Livernois. I spent many a night at Palmer Park eating Boogaloo sandwiches and drinking Faygo red pop. It meant something to say “I’m from Detroit.” Or as the young people put it, “I’m from the D.”
People, what happened to our city? What happened to that swagger? How did we become a city known more for its crime rate and poverty than for its rich historical contributions? “How did we earn the title of a dying city”? How did we develop such a tarnished image? How did we become a city that if you do well in school or speak the kings English, you are labeled a sell out and your blackness is called into question? Where keeping it real (ignorant) has eclipsed the concepts of being educated, well mannered and professional. How did we become a city riddled with political scandal that continues to lose young talented individuals by the thousands. Where we litter our own neighborhoods? How does an old shoe wind upon the freeway anyway? What happened to us Detroit?
I recently came across a quote in the local newspaper from Ken Cockrel, the newly sworn Mayor of the City of Detroit. He explained the exodus of Detroiters to the suburbs. “If you’re going to pay a 30% surcharge for automobile insurance, if you’re going to be living down the street from some school where you’re not comfortable sending your child because your child might find himself or herself exposed to a 26-round semiautomatic MAC-10 brought by some progeny of an irresponsible parent. Those are real considerations. “I’m not going to condemn anybody who says, ‘I can’t deal with it.”
He’s talking about me. Eight years ago when I married and had children, I packed up my family and left the city of Detroit. I left Detroit kicking and screaming. My wife wanted to move. I did not. At one point, during one of our many fights about whether or not to leave Detroit, my wife asked, “So if we stay in Detroit, ‘do we keep the pistol on the night stand or under the pillow?”
Enough said. I lost and out of Detroit we moved. Actually, since then we have moved twice. Each time a little further from Detroit. But did I really lose the argument? It’s nice out here. Bigger house for the wife and kids. Polite neighbors, and great “public schools.” Out here we have all the amenities one could hope for. Restaurants, entertainment, shopping, All that.
Wow. Folks out here have it good. Did I say that already? Since being out here, I’ve also gained a troubling new perspective on home. The sense that for years I had the wool pulled over my eyes. I thought that crack heads and bulletproof glass was a way of life. That car jacking and home invasion was commonplace. Grocery stores offered sub par produce and “light brown meat.” Iron security doors and bars on every window were standard. In many instances we were prisoners in our own homes. Liquor stores on every corner and abandoned buildings were just part of the landscape.
Sadly, I had not only become accustomed to, but had grown to accept living in fear and chaos, in conditions often less civilized than the city zoo. That was life. Or so I thought. Ultimately, I came to realize– as did many of my now-suburban neighbors– we had a choice. We didn’t have to live like that. We were refugees of Detroit, no longer willing to sacrifice quality of life for loyalty to the town we had loved so much.
My dilemma is this… I desperately I want to come home to Detroit. A city so rich in culture and heritage, now buried beneath the rubble of failed leadership. The city that has turned out so many brilliant products and people. The city that gave us the automobile and the Motown sound, Joe Louis and Faygo pop, Aretha Franklin and Coleman Young, Berry Gordy and Damon Keith. All made in Detroit. Detroit helped shape everything about me. But as a business man with a family, I cannot overlook the fact that it costs considerably more to live in Detroit. I did the math. “Out here” I have more house, lower taxes, and more amenities. Better schools, cleaner safer streets and peace of mind. Did I mention “fresh red meat.”? Out here I get much more for much less.
I understand that a large urban city such as Detroit is going to have more challenges than wealthier suburbs. However, I would move home in a heartbeat if I believed that Detroit was moving in the right direction, was meeting those challenges head-on, and was on a path toward better schools, safer streets and “a better quality of life.” It is easy for some to argue that in order for me to realize my dream of returning to a better Detroit, I need to take personal actions to help make it a better Detroit. I know. I know. Stop being part of the problem and become part of the solution. Stop talking about it and be about it.We need to start being more sophisticated about how we pick our leaders and the criteria we use to choose. We need to demand accountability from our leadership. We need to become more active in our community. We need to commit to quality education for our children. We need to take responsibility for not only ourselves but for our neighbors. Absolutely, we – or rather I say I? – need to be better.
I’ll work on that. But in the meantime, I need to reconcile my own confusion and uncertainty about what is real for me at this point in my life. Is home still home when the people and places you cherish have all but vanished? As a true Detroiter, am I incapable of building a home elsewhere? Have I temporarily relocated to this Suburban utopia waiting for my real home in the city to be rebuilt? Is the prospect of a new Detroit achievable in the foreseeable future? Against all my other life demands, do I have the time, energy, and patience to help overhaul the mess that has been made in Detroit?
Such questions sadden me because here’s the real truth: while it’s nice out here in suburbia, I never truly feel at home, and doubt I ever will. I’ll never feel as though I really belong. It’s a bit like driving someone else’s brand new car: it’s handles great but it ain’t yours. For now, at least, even in borrowed wheels, I’ve found a lane that’s moving. Home, as I know it, is fading in my rear view. There’s a point on the road of every journey when making a U-turn seems out of the question. I am nearing that point. None the less, I want to come home. Real talk.
What’s the best in green? The options are plentiful, so rather than focus on one emerging technology, we’ll touch on them all. We’ve called on Jack Warren to investigate the latest technology used in green vehicles for GoTryke.com. Warren, an engineer by training and auto industry vet, breaks down the technology in a comprehensive series.
Dual Mode Hybrids Hybrid vehicles showed up in the mid-1980’s. A hybrid means the method of propulsion involves more than one source of power. While most vehicles are powered by gasoline or diesel engines, and some rely on electric (plug-in) power, a hybrid involves a combination of gas and electric power sources working together.
The simplest hybrid uses one electric motor that is driven by the gasoline engine. That motor is charged while the vehicle is coasting, or when the brakes are applied. The energy is stored in a battery, and then used to power the vehicle intermittently.
A more recent technology is known as dual-mode hybrid. This was pioneered jointly by Chrysler, GM and BMW working together. This system uses two electric motors. In the case of the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen, the gas engine is a V-8 HEMI.
Their system uses an electronically variable transmission that can provide direct drive fixed gear ratios for the electric motors. This is a dual mode electronic transmission. One mode of gearing helps the engine get traction force at low speeds or accelerations, while the other mode has very tall gear ratios for highway driving and maximum fuel economy.
Like other hybrids, the electric motors store energy in the 300 volt high voltage battery when the vehicle is coasting or applying brakes. But unlike other systems, this hybrid can also boost engine power during acceleration, saving more fuel. The HEMI engine can also be switched from V-8 to 4-cylinder mode when high power is not required. The gas engine can also be shut off when the vehicle is powered by the electric system at idle, driving at low speeds such as through a parking lot or on modest low speed accelerations.
The benefits translate into a mid-sized SUV that can get 40% better fuel economy in the city, and 25% better economy overall. Unlike the very small hybrid vehicles, these trucks can carry a large family and pull a trailer weighing up to a 6,000 lb.
The technology also includes electric power steering and electric air conditioning systems for better efficiency. And the regenerative braking system stores power back in the battery while the brakes are applied. A simple gauge on the instrument panel tells the driver whether the hybrid is charging, powering the vehicle in an efficient mode or helping boost the gas engine power.
Though the healthiest of the U.S. automakers, Ford makes the case for government support on this new micro site. True to form, Ford has been relying on longterm planning established over the last two years. They have been open with their vision in an effort to change public perception. For several years, Ford has invited journalists on embargoed annual visits to Detroit to unveil a strategy as a mandate for stronger product, and more recently a green approach with regular regional small group seminars. The language of the site echoes much of what Ford execs have made the case for in their media presentations –and here they deliver the business plan in black and white. True to Ford pride, the plan is mixed with a stress on the progress that’s been made on green, quality, smart, technology, safety and products – a pride that is the hallmark of the Big Three and other American manufacturers. While company propaganda must always be taken with a grain of salt, this clear admission of a need for improvement helps to wipe the slate clean and offers a clear marker on areas where progress has been made. Here is a source that helps dispel the myth that Detroiters have been twiddling their thumbs for the past decade while their business collapsed around the world. Simply not true. Ford has been the most upfront about their product re-haul recently, but the internal demand to make changes has been sweeping the industry and a constant theme. The uncertainty of the future has been looming around Detroit for so many years, that the good old days of booming business seem far in the past.
I find myself in Michigan today where the testimony of the American automakers before a skeptical Congressional committee is hometown news — the outcome will greatly determine the fate of the region over the next decade and the business climate of America, from steel production to advertising to infrastructure. It’s simply not the same as a bank which deals in facts, figures and assets, nor an issue limited to the faltering and struggling Michigan workers.
Here is a structural problem that cannot be ignored or cast aside with finger pointing and sarcasm. It’s dire straits when fervent competitors link arms to ask for the help. The backbone of Detroit has always been about healthy competition — the GM guys vs the Ford people and the Chrysler folks. And then the Japanese and the Germans. and now the Koreans. It’s all about one upping each other on almost universal standards with small differences in the outcome for picky auto critics to decipher.
While the automakers come together to make their case to Congress in a hopeful Round II, individually, they forge their identities on the marketplace from the giant General Motors, to the Daimler-divorced Cerberus-owned Chrysler Corporation to the family-style biz at Ford Motor Company. Yet, they have done so, along with foreign automakers in recent years, sharing technology , suppliers, and research dollars. There are so many factors that account for the state of the industry that have not been adequately explained, and therefore are not understood by the average taxpayer nor some of those in power making decisions — from labor to emissions issues — the list is long. Perhaps it would be wise if the foreign automakers would send their US reps to Congress urging them to respond to the request that will shatter the manufacturing industry. (Have they?) Eventually, it will come to that. While it is easy to make the case that it’s sink or swim for the US automakers, to leave America without the ability to manufacture domestic product is a short-sighted strategy. While banking is at the core of our financial system, goods and services are what drive it.
I would argue that Congress is late to the game. Like the banking world, trade regulations are needed, and should have been implemented with the merger of Chrysler and Daimler, which in many ways has set off this ill course. But where the government has weighed in is not always in a way that supports development, or can often seem contradictory toward the outcome. Like how a foreign automaker can spend less to get around labor laws and is then praised for making a better product, while the American worker is expected to make less or sacrifice health care to make a product that costs the same. The finesse of free trade at it’s finest.
Money comes and goes quickly as the stock market shows us in wild dips and sways, but technology and steel are tangible commodities we cannot afford to gamble with or give up on. Some of the national coverage I’ve seen is biting and critical in a way that is not productive — too many talking heads without real knowledge or a firm grasp on the moves they are advocating, nor the setup of the industry. The suggestions border on wacky and they are permeating the national psyche. The research, experience and breadth in these fractured U.S. companies far outweighs the capability of upstarts and also buoys the tight marketplace among competitors. It is their separateness that drives competition and propels capitalism.
I also find that many of the business colleagues who recommend bankruptcy for GM are ignorant of production processes and what they are advocating. The car industry would not be able to simply swallow the loss of these huge sweeping arms. In an attempt to present balanced coverage or bipartisanship, what’s emerging is a losing argument that only prolongs the painful cuts and wastes precious time that could be devoted to a turnaround.
The coverage in today’s paper is full of conflicting opinions, advocating for new management, an age old shake up solution which has already been attempted Ford (Mulally) and Chrysler (Bob Nardelli, Jim Press, etc).
While changes inject fresh blood, they also mean that progress is sometimes lost as workers are doing and redoing the same things, and lack the vision of someone whose been a part of the brand. Shake ups bring unwanted redundancy. Not the time for that now.
It’s all criticism, without Congress really suggesting viable alternatives. This is where the company’s must step up and bring some kind of optimism on how they can turn things around and perhaps create more jobs and a greener world. Don’t concede to oversight, ask for it. Congressional members should be more aware of what we do in this country — how we make things work — to better serve their constituents. Change comes with pains so make a decision already rather than prolong it until the wreckage is unfixable, before real thumb twiddling on Capitol Hill and in the White House costs more jobs and the security of America’s industrial future. Emergency funds are clearly needed — for many reasons that mostly come down to market forces, timing and bad luck. Issue an initial fund and demand progress reports to Senate and House committees. Work with Nancy Pelosi’s environmental agenda, work with Southern Republicans who do not see how this money serves their constituents, and bring in the gas companies and use this opportunity to put in place a system that helps reform the infrastructure of fueling in America. Make this is a global issue, too. Use lobbyists effectively and be better than politics. We need well-covered regulation, accountability and progress reports — what’s been lacking and is still lacking in the financial sector. Use the auto industry to set the tone for a new, better era. We need the media that are sometimes isolated in big city bureaus to provide more comprehensive coverage rather than smug opinionated critiques that are not based on expansive research. Coverage and oversight would help to bring the country up to speed on the products and capabilities of our work force, and finally start to delineate the perception that American cars are no good. I’m not an expert, but I do have a front row seat to the bigger show as a New York car journalist, native Detroiter and descendant of autoworkers. It was only when I left Detroit that I grapsed it’s impact on the globe.
We couldn’t pass up the tempting invitation to Britney Spears’ 27th birthday at Tenjune. The street surrounding the club was a zoo fitting for the release of her new album — Circus — complete with stilted figures. We arrived early to avoid the guest list rush and were soon joined by an eager group of Britney’s crew, label executives and lucky guests. Sipping on fruity cocktails, watching a contortionist pretzel and a yellow boa writhe, the hours flew. Just after 10:30 the music faded and Brit made her big entrance and the cameras rolled as Jive Label head CEO Barry Weiss offered his birthday wishes.
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