http://www.freep.com/article/20081206/BLOG2501/81205118BARB ARRIGO
Dejected in Detroit
DECEMBER 6, 2008
Perhaps I’ve always had too much pride in being a Michigander, and this is my fall, but never have I felt the pain and sadness of being part of flyover country as much as in the past few weeks.
It started with the feeding frenzy over the Detroit 3’s jets, and the various grillings – and poor showing of the execs themselves – in front of Congress. I realize guys who make cars should want to drive them, but what other major industry would tolerate its CEOs spending hours on the road? It’s simply not the best use of valuable time and, as we all know, driving is more hazardous than flying.
Yet if they had taken the bus or flown Northwest, then used Washington’s Metro subway system to get to the Capitol, they surely would have been treated as if they were the rubes everyone inside the Beltway and throughout the blogosphere pictures us as being. You know, dirt under our fingernails, carrying wrenches and lunch buckets, dressed to match the Diego Rivera murals at the DIA (see image at right).
I mean, how dare we think that we might even hold a candle to people on the coasts? That we might have the brains and sophistication to run big complicated companies? That workers who put cars together deserve a decent wage, and workers who’ve retired merit health care and a pension? Yeah, we’re stupid all right, and need to be crushed underfoot like ants in case the rest of flyover country hasn’t gotten the message yet.
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