P. Sainath to CounterPunch
Germain Translated by Leyens
classify dinosaurs is unfair to U.S. car manufacturers, as some do. Is certainly wrong about the dinosaurs. The "Terrible Lizards" did not create the basis for their own extinction or a myriad of other species. The original dinosaurs (that scientists now tell us they were not as terrible nor were lizards) were great examples of success and adaptation, good enough to rule the world for 150 million years. The U.S. auto industry quite the opposite. Not only is the "Terrible Lizards of Metal" have been opposed to the standard fuel efficiency. Of course I did. They also promoted off-road gasoline-thirsty as a necessity of life. Many cars were not wanted to buy. Handled a great power in Congress and managed to scrounge up public funds in the name of protecting jobs, and rebuild it. Having previously received 25,000 million dollars, stretch out their hands again with hats empty of coins.
But that's the easy part. There are many things they did, as an important sector of the industry - and as part of the largest corporate America For decades, destroyed the existing and potential public transport. The "American Dream", as the car was a nightmare imposed. In Detroit itself, you can see the skeletons of a transport system that once existed. Across the country, for decades from the twenties, bought public transport systems and closed.
changed trains diesel electric engines. Sometimes, simply eliminated and replaced by buses and then cars. Along with Big Oil, Big Auto became the electrical systems of transit bus systems based on fuel. According to a calculation: In 1935, electric train engines outnumbered diesel-powered trains 7 to 1. "In 1970, diesel engines for the electric trains exceeded by 100 to 1. And General Motors was a 60% of diesel locomotives. "Rail system electric in and around Los Angeles was almost eliminated.
The promotion of the cult of individual car ownership was an important goal. In 2001, he achieved that goal beyond belief. About 90% of Americans drove to work this year. The results of the National Household Travel Survey 2001 were impressive. Only 8% of households reported that they had a vehicle available for regular use. The study showed that "the daily commute in the U.S. totaled about 6,500 trillion miles, an average of 23,335 miles per person. "Travel by public transport bus and corresponded in each school If only 2% of daily trips undertaken in 2001.
not only a cult but a culture emerged around the metal lizards and fossil fuels. Even an economy that goes to war to deal with alleged threats against the Oil. (As Robert Fisk often asked: Would there ever been a war in Iraq if Iraq's national product had been the asparagus?) Along with Big Oil, the United Auto crushed for decades all serious attempts to energy sources clean.
Almost all came to depend on it, from agriculture to aviation, from individual to national needs. When increasing oil prices (to its current fall) due to strong speculation, countless homes in the U.S. were paralyzed. Hundreds of small carriers went bankrupt. People in remote areas that leads many miles to look for things like bottled water and supplies found that their budgets were converted into ashes. An average American family spent in 2004 to a fifth of their income on transport. Compared with 13% on food. In "car-dependent neighborhoods," according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that could climb to 25%. In large cities, traffic only gets worse, never better. There were over 135 million passenger car in 2006. In total registered vehicles rose to over 250 million. Imagine the centrality of oil, cars and private vehicles for almost everything. It is the very model that India is our own elite transplanting. Private cars at the expense of public transport. Never mind that the latter is much cleaner and create many jobs. And so we add thousands of vehicles similar to the streets every week.
But back to the Dinosaurs of Detroit Metal. The impact of the asteroid will affect much more than the nearly quarter million workers are directly dumped in their territory. There are also more one million retirees and dependents with problems. Retirees are now as they evaporate their health benefits. Not pretty in a country where health costs are a major cause of bankruptcies. At 75 or 80 years, is misery. And then there are millions of other workers in related sectors. Between component manufacturers, suppliers, dealers.
The issue of health is also vital. With all its wealth, this country has no decent public health system. The corporate world as a whole has never allowed to emerge. The gang of health insurance, pharmaceutical companies, huge corporations in the medical field, etc.. Bearing the loss of jobs working in the automotive sector in Canada. One reason is simply because Canada has a public health system better. Even GM (that also exists in that country) has lobbied in the past in that country to ensure that the universal health plan in Canada may not be destroyed! GM has saved countless dollars.
Each car produced by GM takes care cost about $ 1,600. In the case of Chrysler 1,500. But for Toyota, that cost is less than $ 300 per car. Japan has a public health system vastly superior. In the U.S. corporate media this does not lead to calls for a good health system. Or for that access to health is cheaper. Leads to calls to eliminate union contracts that guaranteed workers in the automotive industry healthcare for life. For retirees, the reverse has already begun.
India is even now one of the most privatized health sectors in the world, but rejoices in the emulation of the worst of U.S. model Elite India is proud of India as one of the most attractive 'medical tourism'. Sure, Americans can fly to India for his surgery (which cost them in their own country faces.) But about 200 million Indians have given up looking for some kind of medical care - just because it can afford.
Meanwhile, the logic of being "too big to fail" remains in operation at the Grand Auto and others of his ilk. There is never any discussion here is whether they should be allowed to grow much as they did. President-elect Obama says will help the oligarchs car, which he calls "the backbone of American manufacturing." Sure, with so many jobs at stake, any government has to worry about the consequences of letting them sink. No doubt. It is precisely because of the fear that the Terrible Lizards Metal can bargain for handouts of public money. This economy has lost nearly a quarter of a million jobs just in October. So the idea that many more just go away is scary. U.S. has lost 1.2 million jobs this year. About half of them in the past three months.
There is a good chance you will throw money at the auto giants, and that, without major policy changes imposed on them. However, everyone knows that this does not mean you save an industry. Could return soon with further requirements. And then when things get even worse (which is very likely) the pressure to save jobs is still pouring public money higher. We in the U.S. The money has been distributed in the recovery so far has delighted in smoking dinosaurs - CEOs and senior executives.
As noted sadly the New York Times in a lead editorial: "Just weeks after the Treasury Department gave nine of the largest banks in the nation's 125,000 million dollars in taxpayer dollars to save them from a calamity without precedent, bank executives are keeping money in multimillion-dollar bonuses as a reward for his performance. "bailouts Other bandits have held meetings in resorts at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Is
Remember the 'debate' on compensation for CEOs in India? Booed media favorite because prime minister made some meek protest sounds exaggerated payments. Well, there too, and we were on the same track that has helped U.S. end up in the mess it is now.
Welcome to Jurassic Park car and ideas.
..........
P. Sainath is the rural affairs editor of The Hindu, where this article appears, and is the author of "Everybody Loves a Good Drought." In the autumn will give a course at UC Berkeley. For contacts: psainath@vsnl.com.
http://www.counterpunch.org/sainath11202008.html
But that's the easy part. There are many things they did, as an important sector of the industry - and as part of the largest corporate America For decades, destroyed the existing and potential public transport. The "American Dream", as the car was a nightmare imposed. In Detroit itself, you can see the skeletons of a transport system that once existed. Across the country, for decades from the twenties, bought public transport systems and closed.
changed trains diesel electric engines. Sometimes, simply eliminated and replaced by buses and then cars. Along with Big Oil, Big Auto became the electrical systems of transit bus systems based on fuel. According to a calculation: In 1935, electric train engines outnumbered diesel-powered trains 7 to 1. "In 1970, diesel engines for the electric trains exceeded by 100 to 1. And General Motors was a 60% of diesel locomotives. "Rail system electric in and around Los Angeles was almost eliminated.
The promotion of the cult of individual car ownership was an important goal. In 2001, he achieved that goal beyond belief. About 90% of Americans drove to work this year. The results of the National Household Travel Survey 2001 were impressive. Only 8% of households reported that they had a vehicle available for regular use. The study showed that "the daily commute in the U.S. totaled about 6,500 trillion miles, an average of 23,335 miles per person. "Travel by public transport bus and corresponded in each school If only 2% of daily trips undertaken in 2001.
not only a cult but a culture emerged around the metal lizards and fossil fuels. Even an economy that goes to war to deal with alleged threats against the Oil. (As Robert Fisk often asked: Would there ever been a war in Iraq if Iraq's national product had been the asparagus?) Along with Big Oil, the United Auto crushed for decades all serious attempts to energy sources clean.
Almost all came to depend on it, from agriculture to aviation, from individual to national needs. When increasing oil prices (to its current fall) due to strong speculation, countless homes in the U.S. were paralyzed. Hundreds of small carriers went bankrupt. People in remote areas that leads many miles to look for things like bottled water and supplies found that their budgets were converted into ashes. An average American family spent in 2004 to a fifth of their income on transport. Compared with 13% on food. In "car-dependent neighborhoods," according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that could climb to 25%. In large cities, traffic only gets worse, never better. There were over 135 million passenger car in 2006. In total registered vehicles rose to over 250 million. Imagine the centrality of oil, cars and private vehicles for almost everything. It is the very model that India is our own elite transplanting. Private cars at the expense of public transport. Never mind that the latter is much cleaner and create many jobs. And so we add thousands of vehicles similar to the streets every week.
But back to the Dinosaurs of Detroit Metal. The impact of the asteroid will affect much more than the nearly quarter million workers are directly dumped in their territory. There are also more one million retirees and dependents with problems. Retirees are now as they evaporate their health benefits. Not pretty in a country where health costs are a major cause of bankruptcies. At 75 or 80 years, is misery. And then there are millions of other workers in related sectors. Between component manufacturers, suppliers, dealers.
The issue of health is also vital. With all its wealth, this country has no decent public health system. The corporate world as a whole has never allowed to emerge. The gang of health insurance, pharmaceutical companies, huge corporations in the medical field, etc.. Bearing the loss of jobs working in the automotive sector in Canada. One reason is simply because Canada has a public health system better. Even GM (that also exists in that country) has lobbied in the past in that country to ensure that the universal health plan in Canada may not be destroyed! GM has saved countless dollars.
Each car produced by GM takes care cost about $ 1,600. In the case of Chrysler 1,500. But for Toyota, that cost is less than $ 300 per car. Japan has a public health system vastly superior. In the U.S. corporate media this does not lead to calls for a good health system. Or for that access to health is cheaper. Leads to calls to eliminate union contracts that guaranteed workers in the automotive industry healthcare for life. For retirees, the reverse has already begun.
India is even now one of the most privatized health sectors in the world, but rejoices in the emulation of the worst of U.S. model Elite India is proud of India as one of the most attractive 'medical tourism'. Sure, Americans can fly to India for his surgery (which cost them in their own country faces.) But about 200 million Indians have given up looking for some kind of medical care - just because it can afford.
Meanwhile, the logic of being "too big to fail" remains in operation at the Grand Auto and others of his ilk. There is never any discussion here is whether they should be allowed to grow much as they did. President-elect Obama says will help the oligarchs car, which he calls "the backbone of American manufacturing." Sure, with so many jobs at stake, any government has to worry about the consequences of letting them sink. No doubt. It is precisely because of the fear that the Terrible Lizards Metal can bargain for handouts of public money. This economy has lost nearly a quarter of a million jobs just in October. So the idea that many more just go away is scary. U.S. has lost 1.2 million jobs this year. About half of them in the past three months.
There is a good chance you will throw money at the auto giants, and that, without major policy changes imposed on them. However, everyone knows that this does not mean you save an industry. Could return soon with further requirements. And then when things get even worse (which is very likely) the pressure to save jobs is still pouring public money higher. We in the U.S. The money has been distributed in the recovery so far has delighted in smoking dinosaurs - CEOs and senior executives.
As noted sadly the New York Times in a lead editorial: "Just weeks after the Treasury Department gave nine of the largest banks in the nation's 125,000 million dollars in taxpayer dollars to save them from a calamity without precedent, bank executives are keeping money in multimillion-dollar bonuses as a reward for his performance. "bailouts Other bandits have held meetings in resorts at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Is
Remember the 'debate' on compensation for CEOs in India? Booed media favorite because prime minister made some meek protest sounds exaggerated payments. Well, there too, and we were on the same track that has helped U.S. end up in the mess it is now.
Welcome to Jurassic Park car and ideas.
..........
P. Sainath is the rural affairs editor of The Hindu, where this article appears, and is the author of "Everybody Loves a Good Drought." In the autumn will give a course at UC Berkeley. For contacts: psainath@vsnl.com.
http://www.counterpunch.org/sainath11202008.html
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