Did we just declare a financial War on Iran?

[spudcon]

So Detroit's decline has nothing to do with union excesses?

Originally Posted by tw

Sad truth is that those 'so called' Japanese innovations were really developed in America - sitting stifled and unused for up to 10 or 20 years when foreigners finally 'discover' and implemented them.

Classic examples are the Honda CVCC engine of 1980 - developed and stifled in early Ford Motor in early 1960s as the stratified charge engine.

Classic example is the 70 Hp per liter engine found in reliable cars starting about 1992 - ready for production and stifled in 1975 GM.

How to stop American automakers from innovating? Stop EPA air standards and mileage standards from forcing these MBA educated auto executives from innovating. Then things that make America great - ie hybrid and electric power trains using 1938 railroad technology - can remain stifled.

Government gave GM something like $100 million in 1994 to build a hybrid. What happened to that money? Well GM was only four hours away from bankruptcy in 1991. That money probably came in real handy to keep executive bonuses coming - corporate welfare.

[tw]

Originally Posted by spudcon

So Detroit's decline has nothing to do with union excesses?

Did you even work in a US auto plant? I did. Sometimes company engineers could not do something. They had to get permission from bosses who did not even know what engineers do. So I would find a union guy. We fixed it anyway.

Why do some blame the unions? That boss has no idea how things get done - so blames the union workers for all messes. Remember when AT&T wiped out all long distance telephone service to NYC? Robert Allen was on TV by 4 PM blaming the union workers. Union workers were at a training session. Management was running the switching station, disconnected power, and wiped out all NYC long distance. So who really created the failure? Management that did not understand that warning from the union rep and let the problem fester. Same management that was so business school educated as to create the power loss and then blame the unions. It usually works that way. 85% of all problems are ....

spudcon - your posts repeatedly reflect a political agenda. That means you know something but do not know the underlying facts and numbers. One classic example is contempt for the American blue collar worker - ie unions are evil. Go work with these guys. Learn why failures happen. Learn from the man who taught the Japanese how to be so productive and to have quality - W. E. Deming. 85% of all problems are directly traceable to top management. These same people murdered seven Challenger astronauts and then did same to seven Columbia astronauts. Don't believe me? Read the CAIB (Columbia Accident Investigation Board) report. Please learn from reality and stop listening to propaganda from political agendas.

A GM car cost more to build than a Mercedes Benz (comparatively equipped). Did you learn this? Did you learn why? So tell me. How many man-hours does it take to make every part from scratch? That means putting every thread on every bolt. Wind every electric motor. If unions are the problem, then you can tell me how many man-hours are required to build one car. As you answer this and following questions, then we will move from a political agenda to reality.

Please notice - I don't know these things only because I am told. Learn as I did. If unions were the problem, then answers to these questions are known and prove your point. Begin with basic knowledge, 'how many man-hours to assemble a car from scratch?'