In 2008 UAW gave:
$1,645,450 to House Democrats and $136,000 to Senate Democrats
____$7,000 to House Republicans, and $3,000 to Senate Republicans.

Organized labor as a whole gave:
$55,755,081 to Democrats
_$5,058,469 to Republicans

Since 1990 the UAW gave:
$24,880,050 to Democrats
___$180,200 to Republicans.


Wonder why the banks and financial institutions got bailed out?

In 2008 Financial/Insurance/Real Estate gave:
$216,203,391 to Democrats
$204,704,699 to Republicans.

There's your elected congress at work, proving yet again they have only your best interests in mind.

Sources:
http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=P
http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=F
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gAXcxdrffHLtSt6Efcrg0gdefcdQD951FJH80

I figured the auto bailout would fail because giving money to a company that makes a shitty product that people choose not to buy only prolongs the inevitable.

Originally posted by freelancefool
I figured the auto bailout would fail because giving money to a company that makes a shitty product that people choose not to buy only prolongs the inevitable.

No, that's why it should have failed. OP was spot on why it did fail.

In all honestly though it's half of the fault of labor unions. It's hard to produce a cheap product when you have to pay your unskilled laborers absurd amounts of money.

Thanks for the website Dan- very informative.

Nice to finally find a source for this number: "National Assn of Realtors $34,343,578." Number 3 on the top ten list of donors.

NAR was probably the loudest voice for disinformation here in California during the housing bubble. "ITS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BUY! HOUSING PRICES NEVER GO DOWN!" realtors are the sleaziest salesmen/women around, and so completely unnecessary to perform any kind of housing transaction in this day and age.

Anyways, the inflation and now deflation of housing prices is the reason for the economy we see right now. Yet it's only one piece of the much much larger derivatives market. I can't wait until the system fails.

Originally posted by ez
I can't wait until the system fails.

The system never "fails". It simply "corrects" itself. Those realtors pushed the price of houses way out of equilibrium. Now the market is trying to get back into equilibrium.

Originally posted by burntheblobs
The system never "fails".

Ever read a history book?

Originally posted by ez

Originally posted by burntheblobs The system never "fails".

Ever read a history book?

Yes. "Failures" such as the great depression are not failures at all. It was just the market trying to correct for people overestimating their chances of making money. When it fell through, the market acted accordingly. If you look at history, you will notice periods of economic growth and shrink as a cyclical pattern. It never just dies.

Originally posted by burntheblobs

Originally posted by ez

Originally posted by burntheblobs The system never "fails".

Ever read a history book?

Yes. "Failures" such as the great depression are not failures at all.

I think he meant Rome, Soviet Union, British Colonies in America, etc.

Originally posted by thedawg

Originally posted by burntheblobs

Originally posted by ez

Originally posted by burntheblobs The system never "fails".

Ever read a history book?

Yes. "Failures" such as the great depression are not failures at all.

I think he meant Rome, Soviet Union, British Colonies in America, etc.

Ah. Well then I'd just say those weren't economic failures. Those were social and political failures.

well jesus, cant we just saw that they "failed" one way or another?

It all may not matter. In the end, the auto industry will likely get a piece of the bailout pie that's being served.

Originally posted by freelancefool
I figured the auto bailout would fail because giving money to a company that makes a shitty product that people choose not to buy only prolongs the inevitable.

lol, shitty products? Still driving your Dodge Eclipse? Chrysler is blowing it big time in the quality department STILL, GM and Ford finally got their shit together in the early part of the decade. But the misconception that foreign cars are of better quality is unfounded marketing fodder.

Originally posted by etx

Originally posted by freelancefool I figured the auto bailout would fail because giving money to a company that makes a shitty product that people choose not to buy only prolongs the inevitable.

lol, shitty products? Still driving your Dodge Eclipse? Chrysler is blowing it big time in the quality department STILL, GM and Ford finally got their shit together in the early part of the decade. But the misconception that foreign cars are of better quality is unfounded marketing fodder.

Thanks Derrek. And don't the Big 3 account for about 75% of auto sales here in the states? So to say that nobody wants them is just stupid. Just because you don't want an American car doesn't mean everyone has your opinion. Japanese sales have went down just as much as domestics have in recent months.

I'll be sure to ask Freelancefool what car I should buy next time I'm looking. That's a great slice of American opinion right there. :thumbsup

Don't confuse amount of sales with efficiency. The problem is that these firms aren't efficient. If I am selling more bananas then any other banana producer in the world, but I am so inefficient that it costs me $50 per banana to produce, I am going to lose money.

All I'm saying is that they do build cars/truck that the masses like. I didn't say they were good at it. ;)

GM in for instance has so many model that they effectively completeing against themselves in a lot of cases. Focus on fewer cars and they could build some quality stuff.

Originally posted by burntheblobs
Don't confuse amount of sales with efficiency. The problem is that these firms aren't efficient. If I am selling more bananas then any other banana producer in the world, but I am so inefficient that it costs me $50 per banana to produce, I am going to lose money.

You are correct sir.

Basic business model is not being followed. Why? Because for so long the golden goose was fat enough to take the hits.

The golden goose is dead

Ford and GM may have 'fixed' their quality problems, but the damage done in the 80's and 90's will take a LONG time to turn around. Personally, I tried to get my wife to buy a car from one of the big 3 since we are a supplier to all of them and get discounts. Not one car I showed her did she like. For too long 'American' cars have been ugly, unreliable pieces of shit. And I'm not convinced that is fixed either; too many people I know still have ridiculous problems from cars costing $20-$30k and more. I feel for those caught in the ripple of all this, but not much pity for the big 3 themselves or the UAW. Stupid is as stupid does.