Let us turn on the way back machine to 1979 South Africa. Apartheid is the Cause Dejour The evil of P.W Botha and the tragic suffering of the residents of Soweto were more than civilized people could stand. So people who knew nothing about the real situation in South Africa were calling their brokers and divesting from any investment in South Africa, Universities and state governments did the same all in the name of humanity.Everyone felt so good about being so noble that they would put human rights ahead of filthy lucre. Never mind this travesty of justice was occurring in at least three other places in the world. Apartheid was the Cause of the Moment.
Well the story had a happy ending almost. Nelson Mandela was set free and elected president it was Morning in South Africa [excuse me I am being a bore that was Ronald Reagan's line]. Let us fast forward to 2009 South Africa is a very different place. The white people live in luxury golf communities with high stone walls and Private armed security that shoots to kill. The middle class whites hit the road back 30 years earlier.
The rest of the people live in worse conditions than before. The murder rate in S. Africa is 8x that of the USA. Rape and Robbery are so common and the police are so in effective that significant amount of crime goes unreported. Municipal services are at minimum and the Current president of S. Africa Jacob Zuma encourages vigilante groups to enforce the law. It would be hard to believe that this is what Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu envisioned 30 years ago.
Why is this story so important because we are developing in this country the good old USA a Gang and prison culture that is dangerous and growing . The names are familiar the Bloods and the Crips, Latin kings and M-13. We now have generational gang and prison culture that are becoming a legitimate way of life . Gangs are about money, drug and violence. They are parts of every city in America where the police have just about given up on preventing crime they just try and contain it.
It is hard to understand that given all the programs for minority students to go to college free and the amount of positive propaganda that they prefer street life. In all the major cities in America there are gated communities with armed security[sound familiar] The rest of the people have fled from the cities to live normal lives in decent suburban communities.
The question is where does this stop? In twenty years will the gangs be more powerful ? Will they start expanding out? What will it take to stop them. People really do not want to see news footage of riot police gunning down gang members in the streets. How third world is that? Is this the kind of America we want to live in ? these are questions that can not be answered at this time. The future will provide the answers, but if there is no change in the way America handles the Gang and Prison culture I think they will be answers we will not like .
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
One last ride in the old chevy
Goodbye to Hollywood , Goodbye to G.M. Our president has ordered G.M. into bankruptcy court and we are promised a whole new G.M. when they are done. I may be cynical, but it looks to me like G.M. has just met two of its dearest goals. Bust the union and shift the cost of the retirees on to the taxpayers. In the business world this is called " externalizing costs" in the real world it means sticking someone else with the bill. That someone is us.
It looks like the people who are not going to be saved in this court ordered transfiguration is the auto workers. Who in part were the author of their own misfortunes, but the UAW did not make the stupid decisions that ruined the biggest car company in the world. That prize goes to the Executive Timber who only knew one rule profit at any cost.
One has to wonder if G.M is closing 14 more auto plants how many can be left? If the are going to lay off 21,000 employees who is going to make all the sporty fuel efficient and reliable cars? Who is going to buy them, the people with no jobs? It will be interesting to see how in the world they are now going to make a world class now when they could not for the past 40 years.
Some of the answers are interesting. The cars are going to be made in Mexico by our Mexican Friends, [So this is what NAFTA was all about.] and shipped back to the good old USA, so if you like the idea of buying an American car you should start thinking Honda and Toyota especially if you like sporty, fuel efficient and reliable cars. Oh sorry that was G.M.s slogan. Do not forget all those auto workers and their friends and families they would walk the streets of hell barefoot before they would buy a Chevy.
Which begs another question. Between running Dietech mortgage company and GMAC financing maybe G.M. wants to be in the money business with cars as a sideline. After decades of perfecting the art of explaining failure and blame gaming it looks like the Suits [meaning faceless executives who get paid a fortune to talk and say nothing] have milked the last nickle out of Good old G.M and are tossing to the husk to President Obama. Who in 6 months is going to wish he had stayed out of the auto business and let G.M. fail. Personally I think it is G.M.s milatary production that saved it.
It would not take much for Toyota to take over the military vehicle production they certainly have the engineering and facilities. Just think our next war could be fought with Toyota Sequoias and Tundra trucks. It is getting harder to remember the Japanese lost the war. Or did they?
It looks like the people who are not going to be saved in this court ordered transfiguration is the auto workers. Who in part were the author of their own misfortunes, but the UAW did not make the stupid decisions that ruined the biggest car company in the world. That prize goes to the Executive Timber who only knew one rule profit at any cost.
One has to wonder if G.M is closing 14 more auto plants how many can be left? If the are going to lay off 21,000 employees who is going to make all the sporty fuel efficient and reliable cars? Who is going to buy them, the people with no jobs? It will be interesting to see how in the world they are now going to make a world class now when they could not for the past 40 years.
Some of the answers are interesting. The cars are going to be made in Mexico by our Mexican Friends, [So this is what NAFTA was all about.] and shipped back to the good old USA, so if you like the idea of buying an American car you should start thinking Honda and Toyota especially if you like sporty, fuel efficient and reliable cars. Oh sorry that was G.M.s slogan. Do not forget all those auto workers and their friends and families they would walk the streets of hell barefoot before they would buy a Chevy.
Which begs another question. Between running Dietech mortgage company and GMAC financing maybe G.M. wants to be in the money business with cars as a sideline. After decades of perfecting the art of explaining failure and blame gaming it looks like the Suits [meaning faceless executives who get paid a fortune to talk and say nothing] have milked the last nickle out of Good old G.M and are tossing to the husk to President Obama. Who in 6 months is going to wish he had stayed out of the auto business and let G.M. fail. Personally I think it is G.M.s milatary production that saved it.
It would not take much for Toyota to take over the military vehicle production they certainly have the engineering and facilities. Just think our next war could be fought with Toyota Sequoias and Tundra trucks. It is getting harder to remember the Japanese lost the war. Or did they?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
