Wild Ass Rumor Of The Day: Chrysler Using Supplier Aid to Pay for Ads
Or so says Automotive News [sub] Executive Editor, Edward Lapham, in a brief aside. According to Lapham, Chrysler is ramping up a major ad campaign (a fact that remains unconfirmed by Chrysler) that steals from the $5 billion supplier bailout fund. “Through its ad agencies,” writes Lapham, “Chrysler is lining up major media that are willing to accept a price cut of 2 percent in exchange for assured payment under the federally funded critical-supplier payment plan.” Because Chrysler wanted to see if its post-bailout supplier relations could possibly be worse. Although to be fair, those two percent savings do add up . . . to about 30 pieces of silver.
For Lapham though, the major worry is that this could “cause some hand-wringing among media moguls about the ethical ramifications of cutting their regular prices.” Dude. One Eddy to another, you’re talking about the financial ramifications. Worrying about the ethical ramifications of this move would be a full-time job on its own. From the appropriation of taxpayer money intended for struggling suppliers to “tell Chrysler’s story,” to AN’s decision to not run this story as a news item, this story is crawling with ethical ramifications. But instead of reporting the facts and asking the questions, Lapham is offering a pro-bono suggestion for Chrysler’s campaign tagline: “If you can find a better option, take it”. And since he opened the piece saying, “don’t start the autopsy—I may feel a pulse!” it seems safe to assume that AN has no “ethical” problems with a 2 percent “haircut” on Chrysler ad sales.
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The Comedian, +1 But then it's just like the gov't and gov't employees to complain when folks outside the gov't follow the letter of the law instead of the bureaucrats wishes. I'm half tempted to move to Israel. Netanyahu has proposed a stimulus package based on tax cuts and improving the business climate,which makes more sense than pouring money at things. Besides, perhaps because their major banks weren't big players in derivatives like the Euro banks, the Israeli economy has not taken as big of a hit as the US and Europe.
"I’m half tempted to move to Israel. Netanyahu has proposed a stimulus package based on tax cuts and improving the business climate,which makes more sense than pouring money at things." .... where you can be one of the US' welfare recipients. The US has consistently given Israel $2.5 - $3B per year in direct aid, not to mention the value of the US' military protection of Israel. The US has also co-signed countless billions of dollars worth of commercial loan to Israel. " ... $600 million in housing loan guarantees, $5.5 billion in military debt reduction loan guarantees, $9.2 billion in Soviet Jew resettlement loan guarantees, and $9 billion in economic recovery loan guarantees ... " http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL33222_20080102.pdf If Israel can afford tax cuts for its businesses, then I don't think they need cash from Uncle Sam anymore.
Intel certainly ran a heavy TV schedule promoting the PC in the 90's.
"I’m half tempted to move to Israel. Netanyahu has proposed a stimulus package based on tax cuts and improving the business climate," Tax cuts for the wealthy and favoring of big business. Gee, when was the last time anybody tried that?