[TheForge] OT: several questions and thoughts

[Demon Buddha]

Woolley wrote:
> 
> .
> 
>>> If the auto manufacturers were allowed to pay $10/hr, I'd bet we'd still
>>
>> find people to put our precious cars together just as well.
> 
> 
> 
> Please, let us not fool ourselves into thinking that the price of cars 
> would be much different
> 

	Well, price is what the market will bear.  GM has rolled back their 
prices because people have stopped buying their vehicles in sufficient 
proportions to force their hand.  One's choices are to roll back price, 
improve the product so that people will perceive sufficient value to 
justify the cost, or go out of business.  There's not much else in the 
way of alternatives that I can think of. Oh, wait... I almost forgot... 
the goverment can bail their sorry, inept asses out and make YOU pay for 
it.  Under that scenario, you pay for a nice shiney new GM vehicle and 
don't ever get to drive it home.  Nice trick, eh?  It's called slavery. 
  No, I'm not joking or exaggerating.

Remember Chiseler?  I mean... Chrysler?  Twice.  How about the S&L 
scandal?  I'm surprised they didn't make us pay for Enron.  Oh wait... 
that's right, they DID.  Silly me.

Freemarket capitalism isn't the problem at all.  Failure to keel haul 
those who engage in high crimes with other peoples' money is.  If Ken 
Lay and his cadre were to be very publicly executed (televised 
nationwide & live) and the same done to those at Tyco, Worldcom, Global 
Crossing, and several of the other notables, things would straighten up 
right quickly.  We don't need stupid shit like Sarbanes-Oxley.  We need 
the criminal statutes that are already on the books to be exercised in a 
manner befitting the nature and magnitude of the crimes.  Destroying the 
financial realities of millions of people is easily tantamount to 
murder.  Anyone doubting it needs to consider what Harry's life will be 
like, now that his entire retirement is gone.  Once he is forced to 
retire and can no longer afford to pay his astronomical property taxes, 
how long does anyone think the local government will wait before booting 
him out of his own home for arrears?  Not very long.  But I guess the 
old bag can go get a job at Burger King or Walmart.  Happy happy, joy joy.

Off on another OT tangent.  Sorry.

	-Andy