President Obama’s plan for the auto industry went mostly uncommented upon on this site yesterday, probably because everyone saw it coming a mile away. However, I must admit to still being baffled by the strange calculus that has led the administration to force the auto industry to own their failure in a way that the financial industry has simply not been asked to do.It seems as though they think that a long, drawn out failure is worse than a sudden explosion of failure. Maybe this is true; the auto industry saw it coming decades out-as opposed to a few years for the financial companies-and did nothing to stop it. But they didn’t almost take the whole world with them. I guess it’s the Neil Young school of business responsibility: It’s better to burn out than to fade away. I don’t want to defend Rick Waggoner-he should be fired and GM should be taken into bankruptcy, but so should AIG. That the end of AIG would affect a lot of rich people and that the end of Detroit will affect a lot of middle-class people is sort of hard to overlook when thinking about the differing approaches.Country singer John Rich (profiled here), also found the whole thing a little absurd, and wrote a song called “Shutting Down Detroit” about the hypocrisy. He wrote it in January, so he must be hopping mad this week. You can see a video of him performing the song below:[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyz-DbYuRp4&feature=related
Tags
advertisement
More for You
-
14 images of badass women who destroyed stereotypes and inspired future generations
These trailblazers redefined what a woman could be.
Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.
-
Why mass shootings spawn conspiracy theories
Mass shootings and conspiracy theories have a long history.
While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.
When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.
Pointing to some nefarious plan by a powerful group – such as the government – can be more comforting than the idea that the attack was the result of a disturbed or mentally ill individual who obtained a firearm legally.
advertisement

