This is a response to the comments on my previous Diary talking about the Ewing interview on CSPAN discussing Detropia.
Ah yes, I have not liked American Cars for a long time. Lately I realize much more clearly how important it is to buy American. I am not a flag pin person I just believe we have to promote local and American businesses for economic as well as environmental reasons. But when it comes to my car and how I feel on the road...I trust my life to Toyota. I don't feel comfortable driving an American car. They are usually built for taller people than myself. Now I know Toyota has had some issues but overall the various Toyota cars I have had have been good to me. I have been just as frustrated and disillutioned as the next person about the quality and the type of American cars produced over the last 40 years.
However, when listening to the Ewing interview, I felt I was listening to Jim Leher or CNN when Ewing indicated that all sides made mistakes. I know she wants to be objective and fair and balanced, but to detail the "bloat" that Auto workers were receiving and then casually and briefly mentioning the managers/owners short commings did not feel right. The decline of the Auto Industry is not about bloated workers benefits and should not have been hardly mentioned especially with examples. It just feeds into the Right Wing's propaganda that Union workers were over paid. The decline of the Auto Industry is about the owners, CEOs, and boards of the Auto Corporations.
Then Ewing remarks about "another bailout". As if she is openly wondering whether rescuing Detroit is worth it. The Polish people never wondered if it was worth it to rebuild Warsaw brick by brick after WWII. The decline of Detroit is about Regan's economic policies that have carried forward to through the Presidential Administrations of the last 30 years. The constant mantra to shrink government and therefore ignore the care and feeding of the commons has hit all of our cities. Detroit has simply received a double whammy between the loss of manufacturing and the loss of public spending maintaing the commons. German workers have many benefits and are well paid and we don't hear that they are bankrupting their companies. Even today the corporations are making good profits and yet they are pulling all sorts of shinanigans to make sure workers are paid as little as possible.
Now one possibility that comes to mind is that by Ewing framming things with a very neutral "centrist" perspective maybe more people will watch Detropia and give it a good listen. I do want all political persuations to watch this film. But then someone out there must follow up with the "rest of the story". We need FDR style projects to bring our infrastructure into the 21st century. We need a REAL New Deal for all of our citizens that gives real help while smartly avoiding government programs' mistakes of the past.
This is where my heart is.....