WHAT COULD HAVE SAVED 30,000 JOBS?

The news from Ford Motor Company's CEO hit hard across the country yesterday.  Ford is going to cut from 25,000 to 30,000 jobs and will close 14 Ford plants over the next six years.  The plant in Atlanta is one of those that will close.  This is going to hurt a lot of people.  That's sad.  It's also sad that this could have been prevented.

Blame can be spread, though not equally shared, to Ford management, the workers and the federal government.  No doubt management made mistakes in design, innovation and marketing.  The workers made mistakes because they forgot who was actually providing them with paychecks, and the federal government takes a huge share of the blame for our punishing corporate tax code.

Let's talk unions for a moment.  I saw some clips on TV this morning from plant workers who were understandably upset over losing their jobs.  One woman was saying that Ford gave her everything she had.  It wasn't a gift, she worked for it.  Another woman was saying that McDonalds just can't absorb all these workers.  How's that for ignorance? She actually thinks that those are the choices?  Build cars for Ford or flip burgers?  There's a woman whose knowledge of the job market is practically nonexistent.  The fact is, however, that the United Auto Workers have played a huge role in making Ford and other American auto manufacturers non-competitive in the worldwide automobile market. 

Have you been around a major union auto plant lately?  Look at the bumper stickers on the cars.  You'll see many more bumper stickers that say "UAW" than you will that say "Ford."  Watch the workers as they arrive or leave on a chilly day.  They're wearing UAW jackets, not Ford or Chevy jackets.  Many of these people have far more loyalty to their union than they do to the company that is actually writing their paychecks.  The financial burden that has been on these automakers by inflated union contracts has been crippling.  Many years ago the UAW developed a game plan for bleeding the automakers dry.  They would pick one of the big-three, either Ford, Chrysler or General Motors.  They would then hit the target automaker with a demand for huge pay and benefit increases.  That automaker would balk, and the UAW would go out on strike.  Finally, after huge loses, the automaker would cave.  A new contract would be signed, and the unions would then force that contract on the other automakers.  Over the years these contracts created a burden on the automakers that could not be sustained.   In some cases these automakers can't even lay off employees without having to continue their paychecks years into the future.  

Now .. the government.  Do not for one moment discount the effect our onerous tax code has on companies like Ford  The United States has perhaps the most crushing tax burden of any major player in the industrialized world.  Our politicians,  eager for money to spend on vote-buying programs, long ago figured out that they could hide the tax burden of the American working man and woman behind the illusion of corporate taxes.  These politicians would play on the economic ignorance of the American people -- an ignorance fostered by our system of government education -- by pretending to shift a good portion of the tax burden from the people to those evil, greedy corporations.  Some Americans are waking up to this ruse.  More Americans have now learned that these corporations don't actually pay taxes, they merely collect the taxes from their customers, their shareholders and their employees and pass them off to the government.  

Several years ago Chrysler Corporation merged with Daimler Benz.  After the merger was announced the bean counters and lawyers started to work out the details.  One detail would be just where the new corporation would be headquartered.  A study was conducted comparing the tax consequences of being a U.S. corporation vs. being a German corporation.  Germany won.  The new corporation would save a huge amount of tax money being headquartered in Germany vs. the U.S., so it became Daimler-Chrysler.

Now ... what could have saved these jobs and plants?  Better management?  Sure!  It also would have helped if the UAW members had actually remembered that they worked for Ford and not for their union.  It also would have helped a great deal if Ford had been more competitive in the global market .. a competitive edge that our tax system would not allow. 

This, of course, brings us to the FairTax.  What if Ford Motor company could operate in the United States with no tax component whatsoever on capital or labor?  What if every company operating in this country could operate free of tax consequences?  It's not difficult to figure out what would happen.  America would become the world's number one tax haven for businesses.  A "To Let" sign would soon be posted on the Daimler-Chrysler headquarters in Germany, and 30,000 Ford employees wouldn't be wondering about their future.  

Sadly, though, political power is more important than economic health.  You've heard me say it before, but it's a central point you need to remember:  The FairTax would be the biggest transfer of power from government to the people since our Republic was formed.  Politicians won't go willingly to the FairTax .. they'll have to be pushed.  They have to be threatened with a loss of their jobs.  That's the only way they'll listen, and you're the only one who can deliver the message.

HILLARYCARE IS BACK

Do you recall back in 1993-1994 when Hillary Clinton as first lady was put in charge by her husband of the health care task force? The group met in secret, and the goal was simple: the government takeover of our health care system. The proposal went nowhere...and as a result, not only did Hillary never get anything passed, but the Democrats were booted out of office in part because of it.

Now fast-forward a dozen years. Hillary is back...this time as the Senator from New York. She is running for re-election this year, then for the White House in 2008. She thinks the public might be back in the mood for socialized medicine. You know, rather than people actually paying for things themselves, or purchasing private insurance...government would pay for everything.

She just might be right. The disastrous Medicare prescription drug plan just took effect. This will lead people to expect the feds to pay for their pills. Already we're seeing stories about how the Medicare prescription drug plan (and it's $1 trillion+ price tag) is not doing enough. Hillary says she's going to fix it. She also says "I'm determined to do the same with access to affordable health care as well." Whenever you see the phrase "access to affordable health care," that is a code phrase for government takeover and rationing of health care. And boy, it's worked so well everywhere it's been tried! Not.

The private market place has a mechanism to handle affordable health care. They're called health savings accounts, or HSA's. A person in need of insurance buys one, puts money into it, pays for their own small bills, and the major medical insurance covers large, unexpected expenses. But Hillary doesn't like that either. Speaking about the whole issue of health care, The Hildabeast actually said: "Now, I've had some experience with health care. I know that making health care more accessible for every American family will not be easy."

It will be easy only if people let her get away with it. Be afraid...very afraid. And keep that woman as far away from the Oval Office as possible. 

THEN AGAIN ... SOCIALIZED MEDICINE IS INEVITABLE

Sooner or later, Hillary is going to get here way.  Socialized medicine in the United States is coming, and I don't think that there is anything that can stop it.  Slow it down, maybe.  Stop it?  No way.  Over the past two or three generations Americans have almost formed a universal belief that their health care is not their personal responsibility.  Health care is something that should be paid for by the government or by an employer, but never by the individual.  

Just why do you think your employer can deduct the cost of a health insurance policy it provides to you, but you can't deduct the cost of a health insurance policy you buy for yourself?  Why is that?  Come on, folks.  THINK for a moment.  I know you went to government schools, but really strain on this one?  Why?  It's easy!  Because the politicians want you to adopt the attitude that it is always somebody else's responsibility to provide you with health care, never your responsibility.  This is all to soften you up for the idea of socialized medicine.  

Make no mistake.  Politicians will love socialized medicine.  The political class knows full well that when you control someone's access to health care, you control that person.  A government that can tell you which doctor to go to, and when; a government that can threaten to put you in jail if you dare to go to a doctor on your own without the requisite government stamp of approval; a government that can control your access to prescription medicine .. that's a government that has you by the short hairs.  To the Beltway crowd, it's all about making you weaker and government stronger.  Strength equals power ... and power is a political aphrodisiac. 

GEORGE BUSH HASN'T SEEN BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

You know, of course, that this must mean that he's a homophobe., I'm sure that any day now John Kerry will proudly announce that not only has he seen Brokeback Mountain, but he liked it.  He liked it so much, in fact, that he's scheduling a vacation at a Western dude ranch this coming summer.  

CANADA BOOTS THE LEFT

Good news from North of the border....Canadians went to the polls yesterday and booted out the ruling Liberal party...and elevated the Conservatives to power. This marks the end of the 12-year rule of the leftists. This is great news. Why? Because this last run of Canadian Prime Ministers have all been America-hating Euro-appeasers. But that has changed.

Instead of electing a French candidate from Quebec, Canadians have sent up Stephen Harper. Who is Stephen Harper? He is a 46-year-old economist. His platform: cut the national sales tax, clean up government, get tough on crime and improve health care delivery. He is also very pro-American, and relations are expected to improve.

Sounds like somebody we can do business with.

Since Neal didn't actually get to skewer a snowboarder on his recent ski trip, Tasie Retson shows Neal taking care of the urge cartoon style!

REDNECK SCRAP BOOK

That sure is one gruesome way to get in the HOV lane... More in the Redneck Scrap Book.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Read this column from Shelby Steele, folks. It's absolutely one of the best columns on race that I've read in the past ten years.

Looks like Iran is not the only military problem on our radar...that nutcase in Venezuela...Hugo Chavez...is building up his military.  And he has plenty of ready money to do it too, what with all of the cash. 

A former Ohio teacher who slept with her 17-year-old student was facing 5 years behind bars....but instead, she will get off (receive a light sentence, that is. )  She gets probation and the 17-year-old is scarred for life.  Riight.

Most Democrats won't vote for Samuel Alito...but he'll be win his committee vote and be confirmed to the Supreme Court.  That's two nominees Bush has appointed...and the left couldn't stop either.

Joe Liebermann...who as a reasonable person in the Democratic party has absolutely no chance of winning a national election...has said the United States needs to prepare for military action with Iran. Good call...but is the White House listening?

All signs point to big gains for the Democrats in the House and Senate this year...but John McIntyre isn't so sure. He doesn't think the public cares about Jack Abramoff.

Jack Kelly says the Democrats want it both ways on the Abramoff scandal.  While it is true that all of Abramoff's money went to Republicans, the big money....the money from his clients...went to both parties.

The real corruption in Congress is the trillions of money politicians borrow to buy votes.  Thomas Sowell explains all of the unfunded liabilities that our children are going to have to pay...and says it's much more scandalous than Jack Abramoff could ever be.

Ohio Congressman John Boehner is running for House Majority Leader....and he explains why he should get the post. He says Republicans  need to get back to things like the 'Contract With America.'

Is Samuel Alito a right-wing radical?  David Limbaugh says no...in fact, he argues that Alito is quite mainstream, which is why Democrats had absolutely no success in derailing his nomination.

Professor Mike Adams says it's time for political groups on campuses with differing views to unite...against First Amendment abuses.  In the age of political correctness, that may just be an uphill battle.

Japanese nurse jailed for pulling the nails off of patients.

WHAT THE HECK ARE THOSE POINTY HAND THINGS?

These are links to each individual story on the Nuze, p-links for the geeks out there. Plus, they work today and they'll work tomorrow. Now you can easily discuss/debate/rip apart the Nuze without worrying about the links going bad. Enjoy!

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