modularf
Well-Known Member
FOLLOWUP: Alec Baldwin clarifies his auto industry ramblings... sort of
22 May 2009, 3:27 pm
Filed under: Government/Legal, Chrysler, LLC., Ford, GM, Earnings/Financials, UAW/Unions, Celebrities
To pull the plug means to stop, give up, lay off, discontinue, cease. It's clear, concise language that leaves little room for misinterpretation. That is, apparently, unless you're Alec Baldwin. In a recent blog entry on Huffington Post, the actor had harsh words regarding the Detroit auto industry, blaming Motown for everything from global warming to wars over oil. He ended his diatribe with a simple message: pull the plug.
After a wave of controversy and, we can only assume, plenty of hate mail, Mr. Baldwin has issued a clarification of sorts. The 30 Rock star now says that he never said that he wants union workers to lose their jobs. You're probably wondering what a couple hundred thousand blue collar workers will do if they're not producing cars and trucks, right? Well, it turns out Alec doesn't want D3 automakers to go quietly into the night, either. Baldwin writes:
"I state, by using the phrase "pull the plug," that taxpayer funds should no longer be made available to bail out U.S. automotive corporations. They should file for bankruptcy, reorganize and emerge as wholly reconfigured entities, perhaps with labor owning significant positions in those companies."
In his first op-ed, Baldwin stated "I'd like to buy an American car, but I'd feel like a fool doing that now." He then went on to say that he was likely going to purchase a Japanese hybrid built in the American South. Just what the United Auto Workers union wants to hear.
We pointed out in our earlier post about Baldwin's blog entry that the only Japanese hybrid made in the U.S. was the Camry, and others must have pointed out the same thing. In Baldwin's new entry, he states: "Two comments that stuck out to me. One is that I should look into a Ford Fusion, which I will do ASAP. If the best hybrid is American-made, I am elated. The other is that I am anti-labor."
We love the Fusion and we wouldn't want to discourage anyone from buying one, but it may not be the best gesture to smooth things over with organized labor. The Fusion is made in Mexico by a non-American, non-UAW workforce. Don't worry Alec, you can still opt for the made in Kansas City Ford Escape. It gets 33 mpg city and it has soy foam seats.
If you're dying to hear who is responsible for the current mess in Detroit, Baldwin provides a simple answer in his newest editorial:
"The rank and file of the UAW have three people to blame for this: Big Three brass, Washington chickenshits who let Detroit roll over them, and the UAW leadership itself, which let its members play in traffic, if you will, for decades, until a fleet of better made Japanese cars came down that road and you know the rest."
Awesome, we're sure the union feels better already.
[Source: Huffington Post]FOLLOWUP: Alec Baldwin clarifies his auto industry ramblings... sort of originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 May 2009 15:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Source: Autoblog
22 May 2009, 3:27 pm
Filed under: Government/Legal, Chrysler, LLC., Ford, GM, Earnings/Financials, UAW/Unions, Celebrities
To pull the plug means to stop, give up, lay off, discontinue, cease. It's clear, concise language that leaves little room for misinterpretation. That is, apparently, unless you're Alec Baldwin. In a recent blog entry on Huffington Post, the actor had harsh words regarding the Detroit auto industry, blaming Motown for everything from global warming to wars over oil. He ended his diatribe with a simple message: pull the plug.
After a wave of controversy and, we can only assume, plenty of hate mail, Mr. Baldwin has issued a clarification of sorts. The 30 Rock star now says that he never said that he wants union workers to lose their jobs. You're probably wondering what a couple hundred thousand blue collar workers will do if they're not producing cars and trucks, right? Well, it turns out Alec doesn't want D3 automakers to go quietly into the night, either. Baldwin writes:
"I state, by using the phrase "pull the plug," that taxpayer funds should no longer be made available to bail out U.S. automotive corporations. They should file for bankruptcy, reorganize and emerge as wholly reconfigured entities, perhaps with labor owning significant positions in those companies."
In his first op-ed, Baldwin stated "I'd like to buy an American car, but I'd feel like a fool doing that now." He then went on to say that he was likely going to purchase a Japanese hybrid built in the American South. Just what the United Auto Workers union wants to hear.
We pointed out in our earlier post about Baldwin's blog entry that the only Japanese hybrid made in the U.S. was the Camry, and others must have pointed out the same thing. In Baldwin's new entry, he states: "Two comments that stuck out to me. One is that I should look into a Ford Fusion, which I will do ASAP. If the best hybrid is American-made, I am elated. The other is that I am anti-labor."
We love the Fusion and we wouldn't want to discourage anyone from buying one, but it may not be the best gesture to smooth things over with organized labor. The Fusion is made in Mexico by a non-American, non-UAW workforce. Don't worry Alec, you can still opt for the made in Kansas City Ford Escape. It gets 33 mpg city and it has soy foam seats.
If you're dying to hear who is responsible for the current mess in Detroit, Baldwin provides a simple answer in his newest editorial:
"The rank and file of the UAW have three people to blame for this: Big Three brass, Washington chickenshits who let Detroit roll over them, and the UAW leadership itself, which let its members play in traffic, if you will, for decades, until a fleet of better made Japanese cars came down that road and you know the rest."
Awesome, we're sure the union feels better already.
[Source: Huffington Post]FOLLOWUP: Alec Baldwin clarifies his auto industry ramblings... sort of originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 May 2009 15:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Source: Autoblog