The Red Pill Society
How Deep is the Rabbit Hole?

GM, Ford and Chrysler are now on the brink of bankruptcy. I’ve even heard the alarm bell ring of a possible need to close door all together for one of them. The heads of each company went to Washington to ask for a “bailout” package so they can pay their bills for the next few months. There is obviously a lot of disagreement on capital hill regarding how to proceed with the big three. Do we bail them out? If so, how do you construct the package and requirements? What kind of oversight will there be? When do we get paid back and how?

This can potentially be a big problem. Not the bailout, but what happens if they’re NOT bailed out. The obvious implications range from direct affect of the employees who were not the orchestrators of the bad company business plan, and further down the road to suppliers of the automakers who can’t sell their widgets and beyond. There is certainly a lot of blame to go around. It’s easy to point the finger at the high level executives who mismanaged the company so badly that it’s all about to crumble into ashes. Those same executives who flew to Washington to ask for billions in bailout money, all flew on private jets to the tune of $20,000 per person! Listen. I know people out there can afford that kind of luxury and I applaud them for it. But if you’re flying somewhere to beg for money because you screwed up your company, and you fly on a private plane at the cost of $20K a head, you have some pretty damn big balls! I bet those are company jets. If they were personal jets it’s one thing, but I doubt it.

The executives aren’t the only people to blame for this mess though. Take a good look at the UAW. The United Auto Workers Union. Here you have a group that looks out for the employees and makes sure they get the most they can out of the employer. Unions in the past did a very good job of forcing employers to change bad working condition, pay them properly, give them health benefits etc. The problem now is that they continually try to suck the company dry. They do this while the executives try to set things to their benefit. It’s a major tug of war with both sides playing hardball. The unions have a very strong lobby. They’re very influential when it comes time to vote.

Here’s the problem as I see it. They both need each other to have a successful, viable company. They both need to work together so they ALL have jobs tomorrow. I’ll bet dollars to donuts that is the main underlying problem with the auto industry in this country. They need to start viewing their relationship as partners and not adversarial. I heard yesterday on the news a UAW representative said something to the affect “We’re willing to acquiesce a little to help things along.”  I wanted to reach through the screen and slap this guy in the head. I have news for the UAW… YOU HAVE NO CHOICE! you are not in the position now to be willing to acquiesce “a little” for the greater good. If you want a job tomorrow you HAVE TO make changes and give back some. American Airlines did it and stayed out of bankruptcy and didn’t go running to uncle Sam for a loan. All the Pilots, Flight Attendants and ground crew unions went to their people and they all took cuts in pay, worked longer hours etc. They changed their business model and now they’re operating without taxpayers help. They are far from being free and clear of troubles, but they’re handling it themselves… ALL of them.

The mind set needs to change in the auto industry as it does in society in general. In general we have this me first, at all cost attitude and that’s going be our downfall if things don’t change and change fast. Look at things in a global perspective. Our economy starts to dive and the world economy follows. Before you start thinking we’re the lynch pin for the world, forget it. Get over yourself. We are part of something much larger than just ourselves and when we all start to realize that and work with that in mind we can truly start to grow and advance in a reasonable, safe and solid way. So far we were building a beautiful house on a substandard foundation. The form over function theory never works.

After readiing and hearing a lot on this latest economic crisis and thinking about it, I’ve come to the conclusion that we should NOT bail out GM, Ford and Chrysler. I know there are workers who will be directly affected and lose jobs. Some are only qualified to do those jobs they lose. I know. But giving the big 3 money doesn’t fix the problem. We all learn from our failures. Isn’t that why we don’t fix everything for our children? Don’t we let them fall and get themselves back up on their own at some point? These are adults we’re talking about. There’s a lesson in each tough time we face. We grow through our tribulations. Times have changed and the mentality of society needs to change along with it. Bankruptcy isn’t the end of business. It’s just a restructuring of business. Maybe that’s exactly what they need because obviously what they were doing all along hasn’t been working lately.

What do you think? Should we bailout GM, Ford and Chrysler?

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I don’t think there’s anything more I can say about this issue that would serve better than the way Keith expresses in his commentary. I’ve always liked Keith both for his sharp wit and well spoken clarity. This commentary speaks the truth from my own mind and heart and I’m sure to a great number of people reading this. I also am aware that his words will still fall on deaf ears. Why you ask? Well, as much as we like to think of ourselves as a progressive society, a first world nation, we still have elements within are people that are simply unwilling to open, learn, expand and yes even evolve. This defiance to the natural order of life, evolution and growth, is solely based on ignorance and fear. It is my hope that this video is seen my as many people as possible. In doing so there is a chance that things can change. Our acceptance and tolerance of people who are different than us on some levels are still respected as highly as we should like to be respected. That their views and beliefs are honored and not squashed because they’re not in-line with ours. How are we do grow as a people if we continue with the “Us vs Them” mentality. How do we expect the world to come together when we can’t even treat each other here with a basic common courtesy? Can we not “live and let live” or is that just a superficial thought? Do we always have to force one beliefs system onto another?

Since I’m not Keith and I don’t usually keep my opinions to myself, I’ll summarize Keith’s commentary like this. Hey California! WTF is wrong with you close minded idiots!!?? That would be those idiots who voted for Prop 8. Grow the “F” up already!

OK… got that off my chest. Now why not watch the video, leave a comment if you like, and certainly share this with everyone you know. Don’t worry I have plenty of bandwidth so I can handle the traffic.

Now let’s all hope he can do what he said he would do and bring our country out of the world of crap we’re in now. No doubt it is a daunting task. Two wars, an failing economy and bad feelings around the world regarding the American Government. I think he can do it. That’s why I supported him. What we need is everyone to get on the same page and follow his lead in bi-partisanship. Our goal is the betterment of EVERYONE, not just the small percentage of the super wealthy.

By the looks of the final results of the general election a good number of Americans think the same way I do. Or at the very least they thought Barack Obama and Joe Biden would do a better job that John McCain and Sarah Palin. It was an electoral landslide for Obama. Needing only 270 electoral votes Obama walked away with 364 to McCain’s 163. There was a 7 point difference in the popular vote. A very reasonable spread. Not huge but reasonable. Here are some basic breakdowns of who voted for Barack Obama:

• Vote By Sex – Male 49% Female 56% – It would seem he reached Hillary Clinton’s female vote.
• Vote By Age – 18-29 66%, 30-44 52%, 45-64 50%, 65+ 45%
• Vote By Race – White 41%, African American 95%, other ethnic 65%
• Vote By Income – under $100k 55%, $100-$200k 48%, above $200k 52% This surprised me a little given his tax plan to increase taxes to those making $250k and more.

His message of “Change” really hit home with the american people. This is truly a historic time. Not only because we now have the first black president in history but because of the promise of what can be. What we need is a fundamental change in how our government does business. We can’t keep going the way we have been for so long. Ideals put in place long ago have changed and so must it’s people. They way Washington works needs to be revamped and that’s what Barack Obama brings. He brings the hope of a new way. A level headed man who thinks before he speaks, has a good command of the issues and the sense to hire the right people for the right position no matter what their political slant is.

I for one am looking forward to what can happen but I’m cautious at the same time. He still has to navigate the garbage in Washington. I actually feel proud to have a president that isn’t such an embarrassment. He is the perfect person to represent us going into the future.

I read this article on the Washington Post website, thought it was interesting and wanted to share it with you all. Below is the article in it’s entirety.

By David S. Hilzenrath
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 1, 2008; D01

At the Beverly Hills office of criminal defense lawyer Edward M. Robbins Jr., anxious new clients are showing up with an unexpected problem.

The clients put money in Swiss bank accounts, where it was supposed to stay secret. But now those depositors fear the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department will gain access to their bank records, Robbins said.

“They’re coming in from the cold. They’re nervous,” Robbins said.

And with good reason, the former federal prosecutor said. A lawyer who specializes in tax cases, Robbins thinks the government is gearing up to prosecute large numbers of Americans for failing to disclose foreign accounts on their tax returns and evading taxes on income generated by the accounts.

“If I were one of these guys with 10 to 50 million in my account, I’d be having an aneurysm,” Robbins said. “It’s an extremely dangerous situation for these guys.”

The legendary secrecy of Swiss banks has come under fresh assault lately from U.S. and European authorities who say their citizens have used the privacy to hide assets and dodge taxes.

The U.S. effort to capture back taxes targets Americans who hold undeclared accounts at UBS, one of Switzerland’s largest banks. The developments could put UBS in legal jeopardy and undo the reputation for confidentiality that has helped make a small nation in the Alps a magnet for international deposits.

UBS, which also has extensive operations in the United States, has been under investigation by the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“UBS takes this matter very seriously and is working diligently with both Swiss and U.S. government authorities, consistent with Swiss law and the legal frameworks for intergovernmental cooperation and assistance,” UBS spokesman Mark Arena said by e-mail.

Over the summer, the IRS won permission from a federal court to demand that UBS turn over the identities of an estimated 19,000 American clients who have failed to disclose their Swiss-based accounts on U.S. tax returns. It remains unclear what has or will come of that effort. Swiss law restricts the bank’s ability to breach client confidentiality. Swiss law also gives clients the opportunity to oppose the release of their names through a judicial process that could slow any disclosures. (more…)