Beyond Words

A Republican once asked me how I thought the country "ran", and I told her my feelings about democracy and the US Constitution. She then called me a "radical socialist" and told me I was wrong - that the country "runs" on business. That's how she makes her decisions, and that's how she votes.

If that is the Republican way of thinking - and I have no way of knowing, never having been Republican - then the vote of southern Republican senators last night not to provide a loan to the auto industry is incomprehensible to me.

But it's over now. In a way, I'm glad, because the fight to stay upbeat has been exhausting. Now we can just get on with life in a full-fledged Depression. No more energy wasted trying to avoid it. But here's what I want to say to my fellow Americans from the south:

You seem to think, since your auto plants all have their corporate offices in Asia, that this is not going to affect you. Think again. There are still Ford dealerships and GM repair shops in your states. They are going to tank. Your states produce things that we from US auto-producing states can no longer afford to purchase. More job loss for you.

Oh well!

One out of every ten jobs in the country is directly related to the US auto industry. That translates into a nationwide 10% unemployment rate. At least. I sincerely hope you have a plan for how to get us out of this mess, because up here we are exhausted and out of ideas and things to give back, to satisfy your pettiness.

Oh. And you better hope that that war in Iraq that you are so fond of has all the vehicles it needs - because there will be no place left open here to build any more. The Arsenal of Democracy is officially out of weapons, thanks to you.

I can understand that you now have second...and third...and twentieth...thoughts about the $700 billion you just sank down the rat hole of the financial world. An "industry" that "produces" only paperwork - nothing tangible. If you don't like that deal, fix that deal. Don't take your frustration out on the manufacturing backbone of this nation, asking for a loan of $15 billion - a pittance comparatively speaking.

Does the US auto industry need to restructure? You betcha! (Maybe you can understand a phrase coming from one of your own...) What you did last night effectively prevents that from happening. I would like to ask what you were thinking, but I cannot believe your "decision" comes from conscious thought. It can only have come from "testosterone poisoning".