It's up to YOU, not the Government!
By ParaTed2k
@ParaTed2k (22940)
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
December 2, 2008 12:52pm CST
The government is being asked to bail everyone out from loans to cars to homes and even investments. Like little children, we are running to mommy and daddy government to kiss it and make it all better.
This is largely in response to another situation where we ran to mommy and daddy government... when we started insisting that mommy and daddy government protect us from ourselves.
How did we do this? When short-sighted and freedom loathing Americans decided that you and I are too stupid to make decisions for ourselves.
People decided that cars are too big and don't get good enough gas mileage, so what happened? Foreign car manufacturers saw a need, and filled it. What did the US do about it? We turned to mommy and daddy government and said, "Force the US car makers to make smaller cars with better gas mileage!"
Why was the government necessary at all? Why didn't we merely tell Detroit to make cars we want to buy?
Actually, we did... and when they made cars we wanted to buy... they did well. The problem was, they made cars the environmentalist lobby didn't want us to buy... So enter the government.
Toyota made a hybrid that finally filled what America wanted... a car that gets great gas mileage and had at least the minimum performance we want in our cars... but that wasn't good enough for those who want mommy and daddy government to save us from ourselves.
They got the government to offer incentives to produce and buy these hybrids.
Question... why offer incentives to produce and buy a product when the manufacturers and dealers of the product already have a hard time keeping up with demand? Why? Because it makes us feel like mommy and daddy government cares.
The bottom line is, if you want cars that are more environmentally friendly, then buy cars that are more environmentally friendly. Encourage your friends, neighbors and contacts on discussion groups to do the same.
If you want something done, quit whining to the government... do it yourself or encourage those who already produce to produce what you want to buy.
It's called freedom and it works. What doesn't work is force by government... as we are witnessing and living since this recession is completely and entirely caused by government intervention and adult babies who only understand or respect force.
4 people like this
10 responses
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
2 Dec 08
I'm still trying to get my mind wrapped around that house I'm paying for but don't get to live in.
Exactly how many of these cars get bought every year and how many have to be repossessed? I bet a lot at the prices but greed usually overtakes commonsense.
1 person likes this
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
2 Dec 08
What, the White House? There are a lot of good reasons to house the president and his family in a government building... and what better building than the one he works in anyway?
I'm not sure where you were going with the repossessed part.
1 person likes this
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
2 Dec 08
I know cars are repossessed but I'm not sure what that has to do with the OP.
Also, if not the White House, what house do you mean?
1 person likes this
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
2 Dec 08
Are you saying no car has ever been repossessed at anytime? Of course I don't mean the White House!
@xParanoiax (6987)
• United States
3 Dec 08
You don't have to tell me, Para.
Why the heck do you think I've shunned cars? It's until they sell something I'll buy. Not to mention something that I can actually afford.
I couldn't give a crap for the companies that don't heed the will of their customers.
How the heck did they expect to stay in business otherwise?
Government should butt out unless the problem can't be solved by the people. Since this problem CAN, then it's lunacy to ask them to butt in.
It wasn't -entirely- caused by government intervention. Several contributing aspects of this recession were independent outside sources...unless you're implying that the government somehow has some measure of control over say...what Big Oil does.
And even then, what things done by the government really lay at the feet of lobbyists and in extension, companies and corporations anyway?
I'm nitpicking, I know. But this problem is complex, and I'm tired of people acting as if it's simple -- even when they're proposing good points, like you are.
It's only simple if you know all that's gone into it and know the cause and effect equations of it.
What do you think I've been doing? I encourage protests, advise activists, I discuss this crap on a daily basis. HOPEFULLY, people're about sick and tired enough to do the same.
1 person likes this
@xParanoiax (6987)
• United States
3 Dec 08
*sighs* the way I wrote this is a bit murky, so to avoid misunderstanding: I switch between referring to what's going on with the car companies to the overall economy a couple times here. I'm sure you can see that, but I just had to clarify anyways.
1 person likes this
@laglen (19759)
• United States
3 Dec 08
I agree mostly with your post.
Why didn't we merely tell Detroit to make cars we want to buy?
I think we do tell them when we buy a foreign car. myself, I don't care about the hybrid etc. I buy used cars and so buy what is closest to what I want and price range. I have bought 1 new car in my life and never will again. Not to mention the price of vehicles have hit the roof.
Now I do agree with you that running to mommy and daddy government is UnAmerican! I say, let the market choose. If Detroit does not make what the people want, maybe they will go bankrupt. Oh - I guess they are! Maybe the market is telling them something!
1 person likes this
@Barbietre (1438)
• United States
3 Dec 08
I just had this arguement with my brother, especially about the cars. We just bought a car, not a new one either , a used one, it had better MPG than newer ones. But what got me when we were car shopping was the "wonderful MPG" these new fuel efficient ones have. My A*S! My husband had a foreign car many years ago that got over 45 MPG and yes it was a standard and pick up was ok, but goodness, we live in Long Island, no place to drag race here. Humvees and huge SUV's have no place in anyone's life unless they live in the desert.
And do you remember the story about Tucker who made a car that was fuel efficient but was drummed out of business.
And being in the Real estate business, I see buyers who want all the new fangled gadgets in their home and will take 2 mortgages to get all that stuff. And while I am sure others in this industry did not help, where is personal responsibliity. No one forces people to go into that much debt, it is a personal choice.
1 person likes this
@baileycows (3665)
• United States
3 Dec 08
I certainly agree with you. I think that we rely on the government to much and that we as american citizens should take a stand and demand what we won't.
1 person likes this
@dookie03 (578)
• United States
2 Dec 08
I totally agree with you. I don't think there should be a bailout at all. I think the damn CEO's should have to give back for a little while till their big corporations can get back on their feet. I mean seriously people cut bonuses for a couple years till those executives deserve it and they'll probably make all their money back to make a good corporation again. Sometimes in executive decisions there has to be a cut somewhere and it might as well start with the executives rather than the actual workers working their butts off.
1 person likes this
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
2 Dec 08
The execs have done just that. They have agreed to only $1/yr in income.
But that's not the point here, the point is WE shouldn't be calling for a bail out, WE should be voting with our dollars.
1 person likes this
@Monkeyrose (2840)
• Canada
3 Dec 08
I'll be straight with you. I'm a socialist and I'm Canadian. However the governments have to stimulate the economy somehow to get us through this recession and make sure it doesn't turn into a depression.
I agree with what your saying about american cars. I really dislike american cars. I love toyotas. Everyone in my family has a toyota. Some foreign companys have factories on shore for some of their models though. So you can support local jobs by purchasing those.
Yah people spent money they didn't have.. but its also the government's fault for letting it get so out of hand. For letting the banks give anyone a morgage.
@lampar (7584)
• United States
10 Jan 09
Which CEO does not want a government handout using our tax dollars? After all , they are "free" money without interests and principle amount need to repay later. Once the government gave the handout to banking and insurance industry, other industries will also want a piece of the pie, the handout can also be used to pay astronomical compensation for the CEO since congress does not place such restrictions in corporations that received the money.
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
10 Jan 09
Apparently not just CEOs, today it seems like most people are willing to accept bribes for votes. That is all it is when politicians offer to take more from those who've earned it to give to those who haven't in trade for votes.
@CarlKnittel (692)
• United States
8 Jan 09
"the big 3 aren't making the cars Americans want"
Of the 5 top selling cars in the US 2 are pickup trucks, 3 are luxury cars, none are hybrids or alternate fuel vehicles and the top two are made by 2 of the Big 3. Americans don't want what the environmentalists demand. The mini-cooper isn't even in the top 20.
Government made sure that we let everyone buy houses and then we found out most of us couldn't afford the loans we got. Housing crises in motion.
The decided we couldn't handle the changing market so we got bailouts and debt.
Just like the last big government intervention these actions will result in a deeper and longer recession than we would get if we allowed the market to correct itself. Government intervention in the depression added more than a year to the down market and caused the US to call it the Great Depression while the rest of the world just calls it the depression.
Leave it to natural activity and things work out. Government subverts nature by stopping logging and forest management so we get bigger and badder fires. They protect species causing in balance in natural habitats. They prevent fires that should have helped seed forests resulting in dying old growth with nothing to replace it. Government likes things to stay the same and always screws things up trying to create that effect. Nature fluctuates and runs in cycles as do natural processes like the market.
"We must avoid recession!" Get with reality. The market goes in up and down cycles naturally on average every 5-9 years In order to have ups you must also have downs which we call recession. Leave it alone and it's a brief natural event. Interfere and you make it longer and more damaging.
@morningstar369 (495)
• United States
3 Dec 08
I think all CEO's and politians should take a big pay cut until everything gets straightened out. Fat Cats need to be brought back down to reality. It's payback time for real. I just lost my home due to injury not the interest rate thing. Things are really tough everywhere.
