Mrs. O'Leary's cow, the barn, and the Big 3 -- Rochelle Riley, DFP columnist

[Bozita]

http://www.freep.com/article/20081216/COL10/812160366/1081/COL

Auto rescue for workers, not CEOs
BY ROCHELLE RILEY • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • DECEMBER 16, 2008


Billy Gibson is a 44-year-old family man who lives in Gibson, Ala.

He drives 50 miles each way to work at Larry Puckett Chevrolet in Prattville, 4 miles from a Hyundai plant, because McGoo Pontiac/GMC, where he'd worked for 26 years, went out of business.

He lost his college savings for his 10- and 11-year-old kids during the stock market drop.

And he's begging Washington to save the American car.

"It would definitely kill us," he said of the bankruptcy or loss of two of America's former Big Three. "We all e-mailed our congressmen and voiced our opinion, but it didn't seem to help."

So let me get this straight: A few folks in Washington not only don't care about Detroit, they couldn't withhold recriminations long enough to save suppliers and drivers and dealers all across America. Worse, Alabama's senators appear not to care about their own constituents.

Depending on Bush

After the scuttling of a loan package, leaders turned to President George W. Bush to transfer $15 billion from the $700-billion Troubled Assets Relief Program for the auto loans. He might. After being ignored by their senators, Gibson said he hopes Bush won't let dealers down.

Billy Gibson is not from Detroit. He's not a chief executive. He's a hardworking American who can't believe that American taxpayers are being thrown to the wolves. But they have been. Here's why:

The auto industry is Mrs. O'Leary's cow. Michigan is the barn. America is the town.

The cow knocked over a lantern, and the barn is on fire. Soon, the town will be on fire. Oh, Congress? It represents critics focused on Mrs. O'Leary and the cow, not the fire.

Congress wants to know why Mrs. O'Leary's cow is so fat.

Congress wants reassurances that the cow will be better tied up next time.

Congress wants a pound of flesh from Mrs. O'Leary.

But Congress ignores the fire.

more...

[midnight]

1. Good analogy. It's going to be a hot time in the old time tonight.

They better get moving.

[DonCoquixote]

2. This analogy does not fit

Because this is not an accident, If Miss O Leary were the auto execs, they would be actively doing their best to set the barn on fire, be4cause they know they can collect the insurance money (the LOAN they will never pay back).. Granted, I am actually for carving the bailout out of the 700 billion; let the rich figure out where to scrounge up the extra 35 billion, but we cannot allow the same execs to wreck the thing, because they know know their only hope of killing unions is chapter 11 (aka Burning down Chicago.)