Japans Cash for clunkers

[merrylander]

I once had an interesting chat with a trade representative from Japan over a couple of beers in the San Francisco airport while waiting for my flight to Vancouver. He was quite frank in admitting to all the tricks and gimmicks they used. Instead of blaming workers finally getting a couple of rungs up the ladder you might blame the business leaders and government who turned a blind eye to what was going on.

[piece-itpete]

I'm not blaming the workers - solely.

But how can you expect to be competitive when a floor sweeper makes $25/hr?

That aside, the union political agenda has brought Cleveland (and other cities) to ruin.

Pete

[piece-itpete]

Btw, if there's any rich guys reading this you should be sending me money.

Lolol.

Pete

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

... the union political agenda has brought Cleveland (and other cities) to ruin.

Pete

How?

John

[piece-itpete]

Cleveland was one of the richest cities in the country. When the depression hit, they passed what was called a 'Rockefeller tax' - a tax on the rich.

Guess what happened? Hint: all the incredible mansions on Euclid Ave are long gone.

And the cronyism that goes on in the unions! My beautiful progressive city, turned into a big patronage/mob machine.

Pete

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

I'm not blaming the workers - solely.

But how can you expect to be competitive when a floor sweeper makes $25/hr?

That aside, the union political agenda has brought Cleveland (and other cities) to ruin.

Pete

You tarriff any products coming in whose emplyees do not make comparable wages.

BTW I would love to know who got $25 an hour for sweeping floors. Bet I ever got consulting was $100.

[merrylander]

Cleveland beautiful? Last time I was there the area out near Case Western looked like one of the WW II Europen cities after a 1000 bomber raid.

[piece-itpete]

It's something my UAW buddy keeps saying.

Pete

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

Cleveland was one of the richest cities in the country. When the depression hit, they passed what was called a 'Rockefeller tax' - a tax on the rich.

Guess what happened? Hint: all the incredible mansions on Euclid Ave are long gone.

And the cronyism that goes on in the unions! My beautiful progressive city, turned into a big patronage/mob machine.

Pete

Pete, you could be talking about a lot of cities. My home town of Baltimore is almost as bad and my birthplace of Detroit is far worse. I don't think it's fair to single out unions, however. There are a thousand other reasons for the plight of our old industrial cities. Most of them fall into two categories. The first is disastrous governmental policies like doing away with import tariffs. The other is corporate greed in neglecting employees and infrastructure by off-shoring everything except their compensation packages.

Oh, and those mansions on Euclid Avenue? They're empty because none of the fat cats would be caught dead living in the city they created. They all live in the 'burbs now.

John

[piece-itpete]

Torn down, they all moved out when the city tried to soak'em.

It seems unions graft cronyism and the mob goes hand in hand.

Pete