Politicus.US

The financial problems of the U.S. automakers are common knowledge. The dubious lineups that the Big Three offer and the equally dubious quality that they represent are also quite well known. But is it really true that Americans are incapable any longer of designing and producing quality automobiles, like they seemed to be perfectly able to do fifty, or more years ago? Not exactly true, but more on that later.

Personally, I do not see (and haven’t seen for decades) even one vehicle offered by GM, Ford, or Chrysler in the U.S., that I would be even remotely interested in owning. The cost of fuel is certainly part of the problem, but there is so much more. Lets list a few of the problems: Lousy handling. That has been corrected to a large degree in the past few years. Even the most blatant example of the “great American boat ride”, namely Cadillac has in the past few years totally redesigned their cars, making them fast and tight and zippy. But do we really need the Caddy Escalade, particularly in the pickup configuration? How about the Lincoln LT pickup?

Lousy quality: Remember the Ford Pinto, the Chevy Chevette and Vega, the American Motors Pacer and Gremlin and a host of other truly crappy vehicles? GM’s TWO Speed automatic transmission was a true classic of brainlessness. How about Chrysler’s line of “muscle cars” of the 60s and 70s? If I remember correctly neither the Charger, nor the Challenger, or the Barracuda were anything more than a huge engine, installed into a cheap, rattling and a distinctly non-durable body, with a suspension not much more advanced than a horse drawn buggy.

Many years ago I owned an International Harvester Scout. An almost reasonably sized predecessor to today’s SUVs. The thing looked tough and rugged, had a small V8 engine and a four-speed manual transmission, large knobby tires and a winch. A real macho machine. Right? Wrong! It was the very last American vehicle that I bought. The thing would shut down when it rained and wouldn’t restart until the weather cleared. The dealer replaced the ignition system three, or four times, until he finally got it right. The “rugged” rear drive shaft broke in half, while accelerating a bit too fast from a red light. One day the gearshift lever just came off and I was incredulously left holding a long, bent steel rod, with a knob on the end. And if that wasn’t enough, about a year after buying this new vehicle, I noticed rust holes in the vehicle’s body, just above the rear wheels. Looked underneath and gasped. There was nothing, not even a suggestion of a lining in the wheel well. In short: everything kicked up by the big, knobby tires went straight up in between the body panels - which of course were not even painted and certainly not rustproofed - and ate them up. That’s what I call “good design” and “quality” folks. Can you blame me for not falling for another piece of Detroit iron since that time?

At the same I admire and like a host of well-built American cars from the 30s, 40s and 50s. Has it really been that long since they offered us some quality products?

The sad truth is that pretty much all of the U.S. automakers have been actually designing and producing pretty good vehicles all along, except that most of them never see the U.S. market.

Take for example the very well built Ford Mondeo. Reasonably pretty, with good handling, comfortable, with crisp steering, etc. Of course some 70 percent of Mondeos sold in Europe are equipped with diesel engines - something that we in the U.S. can only salivate about - and despite Mondeo’s relatively hefty (by European standards) weight, the diesel still provides a pretty good mileage. Unfortunately, Ford Mondeo is built at Ford’s plant in Genk, Belgium, and the decline in the dollar’s value against the euro makes the prospect of exporting this car to the U.S. utterly untenable.

Even the otherwise decent Chrysler minivans are only available with a diesel option in Europe, but not in the U.S.

In short: the Big Three U.S. automakers have been forcing the huge, gas guzzling (and profitable for the manufacturers) SUVs down the American public’s throats for a great many years now. The bigger-the-better mentality has been with us for much too long.

Overall, there has been not nearly enough of an emphasis on quality and certainly not on environmental consciousness in the past several decades. The quality problems are not limited to the auto industry, but to our overall business “strategies”. Saving a few pennies has become more important than building something well and planned obsolescence has become still another tool to keep the corporate profits up, while simultaneously screwing everybody else.

That said, I see no reason to pump billions, or even trillions of dollars into any industry, which has for many years now tried to steal money from all of us. If we are to have a free market system, propping up the corporations - in particular the financial industry - is certainly not the way to go about it.

This is not a joke. After being subjected to almost unbelievable rhetorical excesses - not unlike hearing a new kind of a language - for the past eight years, the very real possibility of once again hearing complete sentences coming out of the White House seems like a breath of fresh air.

So, brace yourselves. Starting January 20, 2009, the presidential press conferences will not sound like parts of the Jerry Springer Show any longer. We realize that this might take a bit of getting used to, but for those of you, who are actually in the habit of reading good books from time to time, it should not be too hard to make the adjustment. Just perk up your ears and keep a dictionary handy. You could need it to help you decipher words, which you might not have heard in about eight years.

Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation: -”I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Article II, Section 1, The United States Constitution.

George Washington is reputed to have added the phrase so help me God to the end of his oath, and almost every president has added it since. *See comment below*

That’s part of the constitutional requirements for the historic oath of office, which we will hear President Barack Obama take on January 20, 2009.

By the way, Barack Obama did not exactly become president-elect on November 4, 2008. He is the president-designate. He won’t officially become president-elect until after December 15, 2008 when the Electoral College actually votes for the President.

Inauguration Day was originally set for March 4, giving electors from each state nearly four months after Election Day to cast their ballots for president. In 1933, the day of inauguration was changed by constitutional amendment to January 20 to speed the changeover of administrations.

Before that momentous event there will be a tremendous amount of work, thinking, decisions, coordination and probably compromise. The Presidential Transition team has already taken over one of the buildings in downtown Washington DC.

Three separate organizations are responsible for planning the modern inauguration. Various military groups provide logistical support and also have a role in the ceremony itself. The Presidential Inaugural Committee has final say on nearly every detail, down to the music played by the Army and Marine bands. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies handles most events at the Capitol.

The transition arrangements are also separately active in practically all of the major federal government agencies, including the Pentagon. The Armed Forces Inaugural Committee has been active for some months now, occupying a building, only about half a mile away from the Capitol. Another, every-four-years, expensive process of building the inaugural site from scratch has started as well. Personally, having witnessed several presidential inaugurations - each on a brand new, specially built platform - we think that this is a bit of a waste of money and time. Well…maybe this time it is all right. After all the occasion is considerably more uplifting than it has been for many decades.

Those are just the nuts and bolts of the transition/inaugural process. The behind the scenes work, such as choosing cabinet appointments and a great many other issues, is no less taxing and difficult. Some of the choices will certainly not be easy to make, but there seems to be no shortage of willing bodies, lining up to be taken into consideration by the Obama team.

Most hotel rooms in and around Washington are already booked and people are readying their houses, condos and apartments for short-term and often lucrative rentals to the anticipated tens of thousands of inaugural visitors.

I wonder what sort of gimmicks we will see at the upcoming inauguration parade. George H.W. Bush’s one in 1989 had the type of plane in which Bush as a young naval pilot was shot down over the Pacific. His son’s 2005 parade had a variety of horse-mounted policemen, soldiers, cowboys and others. We distinctly remember both riders and horses freezing, while waiting for the parade to start, as the president arrived late, having spent too much time at the traditional congressional luncheon.

The swearing-in, luncheon, parade and actual arrival at the White House are of course just the beginning of the festivities. Let’s not forget the myriad inaugural balls, performances - hopefully including Mark Russell’s hilarious inaugural extravaganza - and all kinds of other events, which will keep Washington humming well into the next day.

The decisive election of Barack Obama should go a long way in addressing all kinds of issues, not the least of which is the long and shameful history of racial discrimination in the U.S.

It is not hard to imagine the joy felt by millions of African Americans and we would like to hug all of you and want to celebrate together today, tomorrow and as long as we want to, as this is truly an epic event.

A great deal of pride in our country has already been restored and we are sure that there is more to come. In view of the outrages of the last few years, both at home and abroad, this will be the beginning of the process of regaining our honor and self esteem and a huge step in the direction of once again becoming the beacon of liberty, which has burned so brightly at times during our history and which has been nearly extinguished as of late.

Once again, congratulations – even to the reluctant Republicans – and to all of the people who have worked so hard to achieve this milestone.

We realize that a lot of hard work lies ahead of us, but as President-elect Barack Obama said in the waning hours of November 4, 2008 in Chicago’s Grant Park: “I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.”…” It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.”

As the 2008 presidential election campaign winds down, with still quite a few million voters undecided (Bill Maher simply calls them retarded), we wonder what could possibly cause otherwise seemingly intelligent people to still not be able to make up their minds, particularly in view of the almost total and all-encompassing disaster of the past eight years.

The main culprit here (as in 2004) appears to be ignorance. Not necessarily stupidity - as defined by a low Intelligence Quotient (IQ), but ignorance, caused by lack of information, education and by allowing oneself to be brainwashed by demagogues. As it turns out, some 23 percent of Texans still believe that Obama is a Muslim, that his administration would usher the ravages of communism upon the United States and so forth.

The disgusting robo calls from the Republican campaign, which have been inundating our home mention a variety of warnings, accusations and promises. Prominent among them are artificially created concepts, such as “partial birth abortion”, “war on terror’ and also supposedly scary warnings against gay marriage, Muslims and all kinds of boogie men, such as al-Qaida’s Osama bin-Laden and other characters with facial hair, fortunately not including that white-bearded favorite and supposed inhabitant of the North Pole - Santa Claus.

We are not sure what position Santa is taking during this election, but it is highly doubtful that he would want to endorse anyone who has hugged Bush 43 in the recent past.

What is certain is that the al-Qaida does endorse McCain. They have stated so publicly on their official website and the story has been run by all of the world’s media not too long ago.

In other words: If you are an al-Qaida supporter - and we definitely are not - vote for the candidate, endorsed by your peers. Otherwise, open your eyes, read, learn and VOTE!