Little Piggy Gettelfinger Disappointed with Bush Bailout

DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) – United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger has issued a statement in support of the bridge loans announced this morning by President Bush.  However, Gettelfinger says he is disappointed by some of the conditions put on the workers.

READ THE STATEMENT BELOW

Waaaaahhhhhh!

“We’re pleased that the Bush administration has acted today to provide urgently needed emergency bridge loans to America’s auto companies and to pursue a process for restructuring outside of bankruptcy. This will keep the doors of America’s factories open, keep Americans working and prevent the devastating economic consequences for millions of Americans and thousands of businesses that would have resulted from a liquidation of operations by one or more auto companies.”

“All stakeholders – management, directors, bondholders, suppliers, dealers, workers – will have to participate in shared sacrifices to help the industry move forward.”

“While we appreciate that President Bush has taken the emergency action needed to help America’s auto companies weather the current financial crisis, we are disappointed that he has added unfair conditions singling out workers.* These conditions were not included in the bipartisan legislation endorsed by the White House, which passed the House of Representatives and which won support from a majority of senators.”

“We will work with the Obama administration and the new Congress to ensure that these unfair conditions are removed*, as we join in the coming months with all stakeholders to create a viable future for the U.S. auto industry.”

*emphasis added

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Just as we thought.  Bush’s willingness to subvert the will of the Senate and the American people has once again emboldened Gettelfinger just when he was beginning to hint at a willingness to make concessions.

Way to go Comrade President.  (Clap..Clap…Clap….Sigh)

Senator Graham (R-SC) Statement on Automotive Bailout

Press Release

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement on President Bush’s plan to offer $17.4 billion to General Motors and Chrysler.

Graham said:

“I’m disappointed with President Bush’s decision in many respects. 

“I do not believe it’s appropriate to use the TARP (Troubled Asset Recovery Program) funds to bail out the automotive companies.  These funds were supposed to be used to stabilize financial institutions.  The TARP legislation would certainly not have passed it we had known it was going to be used for this purpose. 

“The plan announced by the President today will not lead to the necessary reforms which will make these companies profitable.  The only viable solution is for them to enter Chapter 11 reorganization. 

“There the companies would be able to renegotiate their labor and health costs to make them competitive in the global marketplace.  It would also allow the reorganization to be accomplished without political considerations.  Presidential or congressional restructuring will end up being a political exercise more so than a business exercise to make these companies profitable. 

“If we continue down this road, I expect this will be the first of many government payments to the Big 3 automotive companies.”

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Senator Shelby (R-AL) to President: No Pardon for Lindh

Press Release

December 19, 2008

Washington, D.C. –

U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) asked President Bush not to pardon John Walker Lindh, an admitted Taliban supporter involved in the death of CIA officer Johnny Michael Spann.    

“I am outraged that some individuals are pushing for a pardon of John Walker Lindh,” said Shelby.  “Lindh, an admitted member of the Taliban army, was involved in the death of CIA officer and brave Alabamian, Johnny Michael Spann.  Lindh allowed the Taliban to take the life of an American citizen who fought to defend our nation in the War on Terror.  It is my sincere hope that the President will deny any effort pushed by Lindh or his family to shorten his 20-year sentence.”

Lindh admitted to supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan and in February 2002, Lindh was indicted by a federal grand jury on ten changes:

• Conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals;

• Two counts of conspiracy to provide material support and resources to designated foreign terrorist organizations;

• Two counts of providing material support and resources to terrorist organizations;

• Supplying services to the Taliban;

• Conspiracy to contribute services to al Qaeda;

• Contributing services to al Qaeda;

• Conspiracy to supply services to the Taliban;

• Using and carrying firearms and destructive devices during crimes of violence.

Lindh pled guilty to charges of providing services to the Taliban and carrying illegal explosives in July, 2002.  Lindh was sentenced to 20 years without parole. 

On November 24, 2008, Senator Shelby wrote a letter to the President outlining his position against a pardon for John Walker Lindh. 

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CNN Meteorologist: Manmade Global Warming Theory ‘Arrogant’

This has to drive the environmentalist wackos mad.  CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers (yes the liberal, biased CNN) challenges Man-Made Global Warming conspirators.

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by Jeff Poor at Business & Media Institute

Unprecedented snow in Las Vegas has some scratching their heads – how can there be global warming with this unusual cold and snowy weather?

 

CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers had never bought into the notion that man can alter the climate and the Vegas snowstorm didn’t impact his opinion. Myers, an American Meteorological Society certified meteorologist, explained on CNN’s Dec. 18 “Lou Dobbs Tonight” that the whole idea is arrogant and mankind was in danger of dying from other natural events more so than global warming.

 

“You know, to think that we could affect weather all that much is pretty arrogant,” Myers said. “Mother Nature is so big, the world is so big, the oceans are so big – I think we’re going to die from a lack of fresh water or we’re going to die from ocean acidification before we die from global warming, for sure.”

 

…(Read full article)

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Three Little Piggies at the Bailout Trough

 

Anyone who wants to use this photo is free to do so. No need to ask for permission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Little Piggies at the Bailout Trough

3 Little Piggies Gorging Selves at Gov’t Trough

from

President Bush: Automakers to get $17.4B

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – The Bush administration came to the rescue of the U.S. auto industry Friday, offering $17.4 billion in loans in exchange for concessions from the deeply troubled carmakers and their workers.

Official Flag of the United Socialist States of America

“Allowing the auto companies to collapse is not a responsible course of action,” President Bush said, citing danger for the entire national economy as well as the carmakers. Bankruptcy, he said, would deal “an unacceptably painful blow to hardworking Americans” across the economy.

One official said $13.4 billion of the money would be available this month and next, $9.4 billion for General Motors Corp. and $4 billion for Chrysler LLC. Both companies have said they soon might be unable to pay their bills without federal help. Ford Motor Co. has said it does not need immediate help.

…(Read full article)

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Well, he officially did it–undermined everything we accomplished in getting the original House bailout defeated.  Bush ignored public opinion and the US Senate in a vain attempt to keep his legacy from being forever tied to the current economic crisis.

The statement says concessions were made by the auto companies.  What concessions?  That they’ll pay the loan back if they haven’t developed a plan to become viable by March? What in the Hell are they going to pay it back with?  And if this money is to keep them afloat until then, will they need another bailout in March?

Where are the concessions by the UAW?  Hell, in this interview yesterday Gettelfinger was finally getting used to the idea that concessions were going to be unavoidable.  This irresponsible move by the Bush White House will only embolden him once again and make it much more difficult to force contract amendments that could once again make American automakers competitive.

You’d think the President would have learned after the financial industry bailout failed to achieve it’s goal.  Government bailouts don’t work!  All he’s done is ensure that it will be business as usual in Detroit, with the same incompetent management and the same bloated labor contracts that create a drag on the American auto industry as if it was trying to pull an aircraft carrier anchor along behind it.

Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to the United Socialist States of America (USSA)!  Comrade Kruschev must be quite pleased now.

“I once said, “We will bury you,” and I got into trouble with it. Of course we will not bury you with a shovel. Your own working class will bury you.”

–Nikita Khrushchev

And we didn’t even have to wait for Obama to take office.

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See what others are saying

George Bailout Bush drives the final nail in his coffin–Michelle Malkin

President Bush Gives Up On The Free Market Economy–Jane Q. Republican

Bush’s Awful Auto Bailout–The Foundry

Outrage! Bush Trashes the Constitution, the Free Market, and the Taxpayers–Leslie Carbone

Bailout watchdog: Where’s the spending plan?

By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER and MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON – The top watchdog for the government’s financial bailout said Thursday she’s frustrated by the Treasury Department’s refusal to explain how it’s doling out billions in taxpayer money.

Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren, the chairwoman of a congressional oversight panel, traveled to Washington Thursday to get answers on how Treasury is managing the unprecedented bailout.

In an interview with The Associated Press, the Democratic appointee said she doesn’t understand why it’s taken so long for the Bush administration to explain its plan. Warren said she doesn’t want to believe it’s because there never was a plan for spending $700 billion in taxpayer money to rescue banks.

“I don’t buy a winter coat without a plan,” she said. “I can’t imagine how someone could think they were going to repair a failing economy and undertake spending billions of dollars in taxpayer money without a plan.”

…(Read full article)

Democrats Will Attempt To Re-Impose The Fairness Doctrine

by Hans Gruen on All American Blogger

Earlier this week, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said she would work on bringing back the federal regulation that requires equal time for the expression of different political views on the public airwaves. Click Here

Surprise! Surprise! America’s march leftward into a dictatorial socialist state continues apace. How fitting that this particular part of “The Rush To Silence Rush” will be led by a leftist from the left coast. And check this: they want to expand it to cover Cable and Satellite programming. Already, our socialist Congress is over-reaching! But that is an article for another day!

Yes, I do mean a socialist Congress. For that is what we have. Do not try to feed me the garbage about a “centrist” Congress or a “centrist” President-Elect Obama. If you really want to see what the left considers “Centrist” look at this graph:

…(Read full article)

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Liberals just can’t stand it that talk radio is dominated–and I mean dominated–by conservatives like Limbaugh, Shawn Hannity, Michael Reagan, and others. They tried to make inroads with Air America, but the market won’t support it.  In other words, you didn’t want to hear it so advertisers won’t pay to support it.

Therefore, liberals have decided they’ll either force you to listen to it or force you to turn off talk radio by imposing the so-called “Fairness Doctrine.”  Basically they want to force talk radio stations to put shows on the air that listeners don’t want to hear.  It’s not enough that the MSM (mainstream media) is dominated by liberals, they want to bombard you with their rhetoric on every medium and leave you with no escape.

You can help fight the Fairness Doctrine by signing the Media Research Center‘s petition here.

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Fairness Doctrine Watch: A preemptive strike–Michelle Malkin

Obama’s Energy Sec. Wants Gasoline Price Increase of 300%

by All-American Blogger

Gasoline where I am is back down to $1.49 a gallon.  The national average right now is about $1.65 a gallon. 

Energy Secretary Appointee Steven Chu

The Eco-Marxists aren’t happy with the price of gasoline being low.  If you remember during the primaries, even Barack Obama said the price wasn’t bad, it just rose too fast.

To the green mafia, the price of gasoline should be so high that people can’t drive to work and have to rely on public transportation.  And if the market won’t keep the price high, government will.

Steven Chu is Obama’s nominee for Energy Secretary.  Here’s what he thinks about gas prices:

…(Read full article)

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Just when we thought we were getting a little relief, here comes Obama’s change–change right back to where things were a few weeks ago!

Although I don’t think Chu will get his longed for tax increases with the economy in this shape, just remember they’re on his mind.  We’ll be fighting this battle eventually.

3 Little Piggies Activity, 12-18-08

I haven’t had any luck pinning down two of the little piggies, GM CEO Rick Wagoner and Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli, but it seems the third was hanging around Detroit today and did an interview with WXYZ Channel 7 in Detroit.

Here’s a report on Channel 7 that leads saying Gettelfinger has not been directly involved in talks with the White House.  You may have already heard that Bush hinted today that an “ordered bankruptcy” may be the best course of action.  Well, evidently that has Gettlefinger feeling a little nervous because today he began talking like the UAW knows it’s going to have to make concessions.  This is a dramatic reversal from a month ago when he emphatically stated there would be no more concessions from the union.

The UAW chief flatly states he’s not sure what an administration bailout will look like, but hopes it will look like the bill that passed the House of Representatives and subsequently stopped by conservative Republicans in the Senate.  He’s clearly nervous though because he goes on to basically say that he’ll take anything at this point, even if it’s just “a bridge to a bridge,” which means at least give him enough to tide him over until Obama takes office.

Clearly our concerted efforts are making an impact.  We finally have Bush considering bankruptcy for the auto companies and Gettelfinger considering concessions that may well lead to GM and Chrysler once again becoming competitive, eventually.  But now is not the time to pack it in.  Let’s continue to hold their feet to the fire.  Keep the pressure on by contacting the White House and letting them know that you’re against the bailout!

Gettelfinger's Bridge to a Bridge