Kevin Drum on Obama's wonky energy plan
There are over 307 comments on this post by Kevin Drum about Obama's energy plan,
The federal government would pay 10 percent of the $6.7 billion in annual health costs for retirees that are weighing down General Motors, Ford and Chrysler if they'll commit to building more fuel-efficient cars, Obama proposed in a speech Tuesday before a panel at the National Governors Association conference. He called it a "win-win proposal for the industry."When I was a radical we'd demand Nationalization of the auto industry. At least the taxpayor would get a factory. I'm not sure what taxpayors will get from this deal besides a pension liability.
Win win for the industry but what's the win for someone not in the UAW plan who'll be buying used cars for years to come?
3 comments:
When the state was being asked by Chrysler for a bail out loan (of $15 million, I think), the Belvidere plant was in my district. I insisted that the state get the plant, if the loan were not repaid. That was included in the bill that I did not vote for.
A middle manager had told me that it didn't really matter who owned the plant because it was one of the most modern in the world and would not be closed.
Can you imagine hiring auto workers under a patronage system?
Fuel efficient cars means less pollution, hopefully.
Obama succeeds in sticking the US Treas with auto makers health plans, then we ought to convert those plans to Medical Savings Accounts with a high deductable insurance.
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