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• Saturday, December 13, 2008 06:12 PM

  There have been some intersting comments just below.

  Timbuktom, from Detroit, makes the perfectly valid point that this is Detroit's Katrina, a disaster no more and no less caused by natural forces and human stupidity in equal measures. (I happen to think that in New Orleans, the stupidity was in the lazy, corrupt, ineffcient local government; the Salonistas naturally blame everything from Hurricanes to sunspots on President Bush.) The difference is that billions flowed into New Orleans without so much as a question.

  Then there is Walter_Map, with whom I suspect I have zero agreement on almost anything. Except insofar as I understand him, he is absolutely correct that if Congress had waved Nancy Pelosi's magic wand (she surely got her magic wand from a cetified fairy in the Tenderloin) and said, "Detroit, you shall have a Corporate Average Fleet Economy of 40 mpg," it would have been nothing but a market-losing tax on the Detroit Three, who function in a substantially differnt market than Toyota or Honda. Although Toyota and Honda are investing about a billion each in big trucks themselves. (Because... Toyota and Honda are stupid? Led by stunted white-guy executives? Perish the thought.)

  Walter_Map was responding to this this idocy:

  Yes Elephantman is delusional

  Yes I did see Elephantman trying to lump the Dems in as enemies of Detroit for supporting CAFE standards. Those oppossed to CAFE standards were Oil Companies, CEO's of the big 3 and Republicans. So the Dems were hurting Detroit by pushing for higher gas mileage standards? Do you really think this Elephantman?

  If the big 3 had been forced to make cars that got over 40 mpg where would they be today?

  The Republicans and Oil companies gave us a bankrupt economy and $4.00 a gallon gas. Remember Detroit CEO's, that Oil Companies and Republicanss were on your side when it came to stopping any CAFE standards. Now that Detroit is about to go belly up because of the double whammy of people being broke and not wanting cars that get less the 20 mpg they want some help to climb out of a hole.

  Well guess who is standing at the top of the hole kicking you in the face to ensure you don't get out of it?

  Oh and on a side note a lot of economic probles our businesses face are because of a lack of nationalized health care. For our businesses to be competitive in any way we need to cut out the HMO's and Health Services companies that leech about 30% from every health care dollar while providing nothing and go to single payer healthcare.

  -- rdmcabee

  Lord have mercy, you are one stupid fool. Detroit hasn't lost money because it built platforms like the Yukon/Tahoe, or the Explorer, or the F-150. Detroit isn't bankrupt becuase it builds Corvettes, or Mustangs, or because Chrysler builds the 300. (Barack Obama had a nice 300, I see on ebay. That was before he, wisely, got himself a dandy Ford Hybrid Escape.) Those platforms all make money. I think I should repeat that for rdmcbee, don't you? THOSE PRODUCTS ARE ALL PROFITABLE, YOU DUMASS! Detroit's loss leaders are the products, exclusively in North America (Ford and GM make money in Europe, Latin Amercia and Asia) for which the cutthroat competition with the Japanese transplants, on those vehicles mandated by CAFE, costs them more than it is worth.

  —Elephantman Read Elephantman's other letters
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