GM Buys Russian Factory
by
John Horner
Published: November 7th, 2008
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While GM, Ford and Chrysler put the squeeze on the taxpayer’s elected (and appointed) representatives, their shift of investment out of the U.S. and into other countries continues apace. This morning, for example, the Associated Press reports on the grand opening of General Motors newest $300mfactory… in St. Petersburg, Russia. “This plant is GM’s first in Russia, where demand for cheap, well-built cars has exploded amid a decade-long economic boom.” Similarly, last month GM opening it’s second factory in India and launched a new $250 million Shanghai, China R&D palace. For the life of me, I do not understand how GM executives can continue to pay themselves outrageous sums of money, shut down American factories, put development programs into the deep-freeze, toss American workers on the ash-heap, invest the company’s dwindling resources everywhere else AND demand financial bailouts from American taxpayers. Oh yeah, and don’t forget that bit about blaming American customers for un-patriotic buying decisions. Speaker Pelosi, are you paying attention? Can someone please tell her from whence cometh the Chevrolet Aveo?
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1940's Earth: France=racist, Britain=racist, Stalin=racist, Northern USA=racist, Canada=Racist, Japan=racist, China=racist. You REALLY believe that two governments would ACTUALLY build a relationship based on their mutual racist beliefs? Especially when they are not, according to one side at least, the same race? It's a serious stretch and ignores most of the facts in favor of popular, Orwellian legends.
Bozoer Rebbe 1. I am not Russian. I am Macedonian. 2. In the 21 years that Georiga had been independent(1918-1921,1991-present), it has started 7 wars. They have attacked Abhkazia 3 times since 1993, and were defeated each time. 3. I am not Pro-Russian in the least bit. Georiga and Russia are both bullies who have harassed smaller minorities in the Caucasus for centuries. The Russians Flattened Gronzy in 1994 and killed 8% of the Chechen Population. Where were your voices then? Oh right, they are Muslims(Although most were secular humansists or atheists until very recently). It all makes sense now. Oh and BTW Geotpf , Abhkazia and Ossetia were both illegally incorperated into the Georigan SSR by Stalin in the 1920's(The Abhkaz SSR was seperate until 1925). The Soviet regime was illegitamate, and so are the Georigan and Russian states in their current form. Ask A person in either of those republics whether they consider themselves part of Georiga.
M20E30, You make a few REALLY faulty points. Grozny. What is the point to this micro rant -"where were your voices then?" It means nothing. Failure to protest every wrong, or any wrong, does not invalidate other protests of wrongdoing. No one supported the flattening of Grozny outside of Russia that I am aware of. Muslims. Your claims of racism on the part of others here is both uncalled for, and a distraction from reasoned discourse. If you had a point, it was lost in your invective. Abhkazia and Ossetia. Quite frankly, I am a bit tired of who invaded who first, and who has a right to be independent, etc. I respect the Abkhazians for fighting for their independence. The Ossetians I am not too sure about, it seems they didn't really do much, but I may be uninformed. What I don't respect are countries or people who surrender one day, and then several years later start another war over the exact same issue with or without any new provocations. As long as we do not make our governments respect some sort of legal secession, then there needs to be some limit on all the violence. One should have to give up the right to revolution at some point, and I think that as soon as one fails to continue the fight from within or abroad then one needs to accept the status quo. All these people who surrender one day, play along the next, and then rise up years later are simply perpetuating a cycle of endless conflict. There is nothing right or honorable about it. A people should ensure that they have a very good case for secession, and they should do so by first securing the good will of their neighbors by proving themselves as a just, peaceful and independent people. If a seperatist movement is generally thought to be one which will immediately resort to retribution, then no one should aid their cause or sympathize with their plight.
I support the "right of conquest," whether it entails countries or cultures fighting and absorbing one another or if it involves firms suppluing goods to the masses. Winner take all!!!!!!!!!! Let GM flounder, dissolve, be washed away upon the tide of history as the Hittites and others were carried off in days long gone. Let Toyota and Honda and perhaps a new American-based firm rise up and take its place among those winning the battle for survival. At least Toyota and Honda hire a lot of Americans and the conveyances those firms sell within the USA create many subsidary jobs for those servicing and repairing those vehicles. Maybe the towing industry may suffer a wee bit with a lesser need to haul off broken-down vehicles but Americans still need their vehicles and a decent percentage of the money spent on those Toyotas, Hondas, etc. will recirculate within the USA economy. And I, for one, would feel better paying for a non-GM vehicle knowing that a few scum coporate higher-ups were not receiving HUGE bloated salaries, perks, bonuses of amounts I can not attain in a life-time of labor nor those "golden parachutes" spread amongst the elite class under the guise of the proverbial free market. Yes, I do believe the USA is in the throes of class warfare and that is what my life experience and self-education has taught me. If you don't like that meet me by the bike rack after school.