Besides the fact that you have some understanding of the economics laws, there’s a question I have about your ideas further on the topic (cit.) “Also, I find it interesting that the Union attacks executive pay. Supply and demand drives executive pay. Executives that manage large companies have special skills and experiences that make them valuable.” What does the over supply of BONUSES mean in the situation – fueling of greed? How about a more sensible distribution of the 50% taken from Execs and invested in R&D? Would that solve 2 problems(fairness and progress for humanity)? How much greater is a person without the masses to build, work and do the actual job? Is an Exec really worth and abide by the Econ laws, or is it just a twisted perception? An Exec sacrificed what? There are people that put a lot more overtime in lower positions and make sacrifices?

The next wave will be in energy. I’m afraid (NOT PREDICTING) if this is allowed to happen it’ll be the knock-out blow. The Chevy volt still needs foreign war oil to get from a to b. That is the best alt-energy American companies are offering. If you look around the web you’ll see other countries with far superior electric cars (that are illegal in the US) surpassing us with infrastructure and all. We are falling desperately behind in this area and it will come up. Oil is finite and dirty. FACT.

America we must wake up and the to-do list is as follows. Sever the greedy heads of the rich, money hording pigs who keep money out of circulation and are making 98% of us fight for the scraps while robbing us blind. 2) Take care of your brother, neighbor, everyone. 50 million without health care makes us look very selfish and uncaring. 3) Start thinking about the future problems ie. energy shortage. As our dollar gets weaker this problem will get out of control. Although placing blame is essential it is not the only thing we have to do. We need to think forward and start leading this race again. Hope everyone here is OK. Evem Mcain and Obama

News stories saying Detroit was making $15,000 profit on each and every SUV and pickup they made then investing that profit in China spending BILLIONS helping those Communists out….yeah that killed Detroit.

Chevy ditched making a truck for a man with a stick shift and instead started making trucks for girls (automatics)…yeah that killed Detroit.

Lack of innovation with the Model T getting better gas mileage than most of their line up…I think that had something to do with it.

Congress mandating new cars have to have tire inflation sensors in each wheel on new cars and I have to pay for it? I check my own tire pressure and didn’t need that..so that killed Detroit as those people rebel against Congress and buy foreign instead out of spite.

All manufacturing going overseas leaving nothing but low paying jobs across America…I can’t afford a Detroit vehicle then and will buy a nice little rice box to drive.

Dealers…they killed Detroit. Don’t you hate it when you want to buy a base model vehicle and go to the dealership and all they have are the fully loaded models with junk you don’t want on them and you can’t afford? Americans like to customize their own cars and didn’t want Detroit doing it for them.

Congress killed Detroit. Free Trade FAILED.

There no longer is a viable economy that can afford automobiles and homes. Blame Unions all you want, they actually failed to prevent Free Trade and the loss of our National Wealth.

The end of the American Empire was because Free Trade eliminated manufacturing jobs and Corporations/Banks robbed the American people blind.

Not even Jesus Christ himself could save the United States now. You’ve lost control of the internet. You’re military is cut down so far it was only the ships full of money that made the Iraq War of no purpose successful. Well the fat lady is singing and the song she is singing is Americans are too dumb to notice they got robbed.

GM was never bound to keep manufacturing in a Union State. At any time they could have shut down and moved to a Non-Union State manufacturing vehicles. Why didn’t they? They were making a sick profit and didn’t need to. GM’s parts manufacturers in the US used to be the best in the world, they were even made in the US. Now that they all were sent abroad to places like China the quality has destroyed their brand name. Now it’s a laughing stock of the industry. There is no way they will be able to resurrect the brand name into something that Americans will respect once again. GM should disappear into the history books as how to not run a company and get your own country to hate you.

But the root cause was Free Trade, Wallstreet, and Corporate America. They sure had fun with the booty they stole while they were bankrupting a nation didn’t they?

Did you know just to show cars moving off of lots they were allowing illegal immigrants to get brand new vehicles with only 2 utility bills showing an address and a down payment? how many of those were driven across the border never to be paid for? It showed vehicles moving off of lots and stock prices soared tho eh? But no commodity was actually ever paid for….well the American people now will pay for all those assets that were given away to illegals. It won’t be the illegals paying for them.

Congress itself destroyed America….and Detroit.

Did the Unions have anything to do with the banks starting in 2005 to give mortgages to illegal immigrants? It was a Federal blessing that allowed the banks to do that. Then the illegals bought and sold homes between themselves and ran away with the booty….leaving 5 million+ homes that ended up in foreclosure of which brought down the entire global economy creating a sink hole dragging everything down into it…

Even those Rich Corporate Executives and Congress critters that destroyed America. They all failed to realize who they worked for and who is the customer….Congress still refuses to recognize exactly what an American citizen is and gives freely from the Treasury to the illegals along with more Civil Rights than citizens even have.

We realize who destroyed this country/Detroit, and it wasn’t Unions.

And if our own Department of Defense keeps giving it’s money to Chinese workers for goods instead of our own, it’s time they get put under the lime light for bankrupting us as well. Maybe by pulling them out every single country on Earth except for our own, just to remind them who they work for as well.

Your anecdotal tale of the American work ethic in modern times is sobering. However, I think you are misplacing some of your blame: instead of squarely, and flatly, laying the complete blame on the Unions why not hold some of those lazy, and complacent worker’s feet to the fire?

I’m not advocating for or against unions, but I do know that the goal and intent of a organized worker’s union is to protect the worker, employer and the families of both. This doesn’t excuse Unions from allowing abuse; in fact, this is a topic that certainly needs scrutiny (Who watches the watchers?). But, how, or rather why, have American’s become so passive about their livelihoods, complacent about their ethics, and indignant whenever challenged on their behavior?

Why has the “American Dream” become an amalgamation of catalog furniture, materialist-consumption at-no-cost, passive consumerism, buy everything on credit, us VS. them, ‘I’m gonna get MINE’, nationalist-patriotism?

I think it’s time we stop figuring out who to blame, and deal with the issues–which start right in our neighborhoods, communities, school districts, cities, counties, et al..

Also, being from Greenville, I take issue with your comment. It comes off as a cold-hearted, economic remark and misses the human face of the matter. Sure workers were short-sighted, but virtually no assistance or guidance was ever offered to help retain. IF you had worked in a factory for 40 years, would you know how to start all over again?? And of course few moved away. If your family had spent generations living in an area, I’m sure you’d hold on as long as possible too.

So please don’t claim to know people from Greenville because you spent a few days there four years ago.

What a nice essay!

Yes, if the country were run like Michigan, it would look like Michigan. Populist economics may superficially appear look good, but they destroy incentives to do things right, and they ultimately overwhelm the capacity of the economy to support all of the generous payouts.