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May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
Nov. 26, 2008 / 28 Mar-Cheshvan 5769
The Big Three should stand on their own feet
By
John Stossel
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Do the executives of the Big Three automobile manufacturers think we're stupid?
"The societal costs [of the loss of General Motors, Ford or Chrysler] would be catastrophic three million jobs lost within the first year," said GM chief Rick Wagoner during last week's congressional hearing.
Fortunately, Congress didn't fall for it yet. But next month or next year is another story. President-elect Obama is sympathetic to a bailout.
The auto heads tried to pin their problems on the general economic decline. They also said their companies have gone far in working to turn themselves around. "We have taken tough actions to cut costs, at the same time investing billions in fuel-efficient vehicles and new generations of advanced propulsion technologies," Wagoner wrote in The Wall Street Journal.
If so, why would that make the companies deserving of a bailout? The economic slowdown affects everyone. Why single out the carmakers?
And if GM and the others have done so much to raise productivity and improve their products, they would attract private capital. Investors are always looking for profitable ventures.
What Wagoner and his colleagues hope we'll overlook is Frederic Bastiat's lesson: Government intervention must not be judged only by the immediate and obvious consequences for the intended beneficiaries but also by the unseen effects on the rest of society. If the automakers get $25 billion from the capital markets because the federal government guarantees the loans, other businesses won't be able to borrow that money. Resources that go into making cars can't be used to make something else.
Why should politicians decide who gets those resources? It's not as though congressmen using government force are better than the decentralized voluntary market at spotting the most promising investments. Far from it. They will make their decisions on the basis of political considerations, such as who gave them contributions or might finance a get-out-the-vote drive in the next election.
Private investors, risking their own money, have an acute interest in separating the economic wheat from the chaff. Their income depends on finding ventures that would have the best prospects of pleasing consumers. We already know that Detroit's automakers have failed that test against Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Kia, Hyundai, BMW and Daimler.
"The future of the domestic auto business is critical to the health of the U.S. economy," Wagoner writes. But why should we believe that? Sure, America needs cars. But there is more than one way to "produce" a car. You can produce it directly, or you can produce it indirectly by making something else and trading it for a car. There's no shame in producing cars indirectly.
Anyway, the Big Three are not the only carmakers in the United States. Foreign automakers have factories in the United States that employ 113,000 American workers. Who cares if the cars have foreign names?
GM, Ford and Chrysler probably wouldn't even disappear without a bailout. Bankruptcy would most likely mean reorganization under court supervision, protection from creditors and revision of union contracts. The companies would finally do what they should have done years ago: shut down more plants, eliminate some dealerships and get rid of some union rules. It would be a good thing. The companies would come out leaner.
It's clear that Detroit would prefer to deal with congressmen than bankruptcy judges. Having Congress tell auto companies how to make cars and what to pay executives is offensive. But that's what will happen if politicians put up loan guarantees. A bailout would be a reverse Robin Hood story: robbing from the less wealthy to give to the more wealthy. As Daniel Mitchell of the Cato Institute writes, "[T]he corporate bureaucrats at the Big Three are among the very richest Americans. The UAW bosses make extravagant salaries as well, and even regular union workers make [more] than the average American". An economy in recession needs to cleanse itself of bad investments born of years of policy errors and managerial blunders. Keeping capital locked up in failing companies will slow the recovery and extend the hardship longer than necessary.
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© 2008, by JFS Productions, Inc.
Distributed by Creators Syndicate, Inc.
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