United Liberty
Shelby Stands Tall Against Automakers Bailout
Sun, 12/07/2008 - 6:36am | posted by Dr. John Killian
Displaying both passion and courage, GOP Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama has been leading the charge against a taxpayer bailout of the automobile industry. With pressure from both corporate interests and the White House, Senator Shelby is standing firm and leading the opposition to this big-government bailout.
Shelby won his seat in the US Senate in 1986 as a Democrat, defeating Republican incumbent Jeremiah Denton. In his initial Senate campaign, Shelby had maximum support from organized labor, groups now clamoring for attention in the bailout legislation. Shelby’s home state of Alabama is home to major Toyota, Honda, and Mercedes plants. Yet, this Senator has chosen to face the special interests and stand for principle in opposing a giant step toward socialism.
As an Alabamian, this editor was proud to see Senator Shelby display his anger at the seeming unconcern of the Auto Company Executives. Shelby, who switched to the GOP in 1994, is Ranking Republican on the Banking Committee. But just as Shelby fiercely opposed the housing bailout, the brave Alabamian is now working to derail this latest big government boondoggle.
Ever the conservative populist, Senator Shelby grilled Detroit executives, telling the Banking Committee the firms continue to trail their major competitors in almost every category necessary to compete. Shelby’s comments cut to the heart of the issue of an inefficient private concern seeking to suck taxpayer blood to continue that which has been deemed a failure on the free market.
When automobile executives made a display of driving their most fuel-efficient vehicles to Capitol Hill, Shelby made light of that stunt, asking them if they drove or had a driver to deliver them. Obviously, the corporate elite believe that taxpayers should subsidize their luxury and inability to compete on the open market.
In the 2004 election, Senator Shelby won 68% of the vote in his bid for re-election to the US Senate, carrying 59 of 67 counties. With this performance, Shelby may accumulate some enemies, but I predict a landslide re-election in 2010, as the common voters appreciate Senator Shelby representing Alabama values in the halls of Congress.
Excellent! I love Senator Shelby, and I love the fact that there are actually Congressmen standing up firmly against these ridiculous bailouts, especially Alabama ones.
I will be a strong supporter of Shelby (unless he does something really stupid) when re-election comes around.
If the automakers get bailed out, it’s not going to be the end. You’ll have media conglomerates begging for handouts next. People should remember that corporate power backed up by government was a major feature of fascism.
“Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.” - Thomas Jefferson
Car companies are expected to boosts their sales and are expected to create more fuel-efficient cars as well as some of the alternatives to fuel-powered cars in order to have any financial support. What to expect on the future?
There is something seriously wrong with all this bailing out nonsense; it’s one sided all the way through. It so annoys me that fat cat bankers/car traders/ Lord knows who else, all did the same thing by going out on a limb to the limit of expansion are being given a second chance, whilst at the other end people lose their homes, businesses, cars or just about anything above the price of a jar of coffee, repossessed by banks and the like because of greed that they still want paying for (my goodness, is it really that pathetic that we make mistakes, but never learn from them).
I am an ex-factory worker, yet I predicted the recession, how it was coming, who would suffer and why, not because I’m boasting or ultra intelligent, but because a cabinet is no different in terms of view than a board of directors. They don’t see all the workings; they work with peek figures and have thousands of people around them sorting that.
People forget the workings inside are complex, but the principle still generally stays with a basic three way system of manufacturer/seller-seller/buyer-buyer (although that obviously changes with complexity of product, a string of ten actions is hardly difficult to organise because these days there are individual companies that cover each process). I’m not saying it’s easy, but don’t forget ultimately a nation of 300 million is governed by a cabinet of twelve with hand selected representatives around them. No matter what way you look at it twelve men can only do so much in a day and everything has to be discussed (unless you are George Bush or Tony Blair, of course). I don’t even allow them the pressure because there are huge rewards that come with it and they’ve lived it most of their lives. If you can’t stand the heat….
I’m really beginning to believe this is a pre-emptive strike towards this New World Order business. Looking at it from an outside view, recessions are easy to cause and see; you only have to flood the market with currency to devalue product and that’s how easy it is to see. It’s only production/assets to currency and they did have a massive warning from Black Monday: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Monday_(1987) for those who don’t remember.
I would have to agree with Shelby. An auto bailout won’t really solve the problem, it would just serve as a remedy. What is really needed is a long-term solution to the problem.
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