You shouldn't be if you have any sense of what's going on in the auto industry and the economy.
General Motors will phase out the Janesville operation over the next year or so, eliminating about 2600 jobs in the process. Once the largest employer in Janesville, the plant dates back to 1919. Most recently the plant has been making SUVs and pickups. With skyrocketing gasoline prices, those are not exactly flying out of the showroom these days.
Over at the Capital Times, Madison's online daily newspaper, people posting comments are already pointing fingers. It's got to be someone's fault, after all.
"...a labor force of undereducated, underperforming, entitlement-minded union slugs. What do you expect???"
So it's the workers' fault. Yeah, blame the people who have to make the product that the public no longer wants to buy. Stupid, lazy and greedy. Nice thought about a couple thousand people who are losing their jobs.
"Nice work UAW"
Right. Fucking unions. Who the hell do they think they are, anyway? Workers shouldn't be organized, because that drives up prices and makes cars unaffordable. Well, there may be some truth to that. But it's not that simple, of course. And the whole concept of a living wage is an idea unions seem to support a bit more than corporations, I suspect.
"Lefties in Madison and other tree huggers should be very happy now that SUV's will no longer be made--at the cost of 2600 high-paying jobs."
Ah, I see. It's the environmentalists and other people who think beyond themselves and their own generation. How selfish to want to think about the greater good. Stupid green people! Why do you hate America?
"...why didn't Americans demand more fuel efficient vehicles even if gas was cheap? The free market would have forced the auto companies to make fuel efficient vehicles. All of these arrogant baby boomers could have pulled it off if they lived up to their arrogance. Since they have always been so 'politically aware', they co"uld have lead the free-from-foreign-oil revolution!"
It's you! This whole thing is your fault. You chose to buy what everyone was selling and what all your friends were buying. You boomers... you all sold out instead of being agencts of change.
"The cost of health care in this country has to be a big factor. It costs several thousand dollars more to build a vehicle here rather than Canada simpluy because of the broken health care system in this country."
Those damn benefits. Well, this person actually may be on to something. Labor contracts compel the big automakers to fund health care. So people who buy cars from US automakers are paying for the health care of the industry's workers. Kind of like a tax. Hmm. So other people are providing the funding for the health care of workers. Kind of like a national health plan, but not everyone gets it and the cost is "managed" by drug and insurance companies.
"What we need now is good old fashioned American leadership."
Ya think? Well, come November, maybe people will keep that in mind. Because when the country put an incompetent, empty-suit or an oil man in the nation's drivers seat, with a crooked -- criminal -- oil man as his wing man, what would one expect? Hmm. So am I blaming the president? Umm, yeah. Among others. But he's at the top of my list.
Bendygirl has a related post from earlier today.
cross-posted on Kerfuffle