From: dclayton@bnr.ca (Don Clayton)
Subject: Re: Whining about buying American cars
Reply-To: dclayton@bnr.ca (Don Clayton)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 14:43:52 GMT

In article <1992Nov16.175954.9892@athena.mit.edu>, tgardner@athena.mit.edu (Timothy J Gardner) writes:
|> In article <uznerk.721888494@mcl> uznerk@mcl.ucsb.edu (Andrew Krenz) writes:
|> >In <1992Nov14.163136.24473@lmpsbbs.comm.mot.com> kiel_jeff@macmail1.rtsg.mot.com writes:
|> 
|> >>7.  Putting US auto-workers out of work is good for America (and more).
|> >
|> >BAH! I'm not even going to bother answering this one.  I'm actually starting
|> >to laugh now.
|> *******************************************************************************
|> I need to say some things in response to this. 
|> 
|> The best time I spent at the Greater Boston Auto Show was the half hour I 
|> talked to ASSEMBLY LINE workers doing PR work at the Oldsmobile and Cadillac
|> displays.  You know what?  These people equate the need for doing quality
|> work on the line with their CHILDREN BEING ABLE TO EAT.  A matter of survival.
|> Think about that the next time you sit down at your desk to read the paper 
|> instead of diving right into your service sector job.  You might also want to 
|> think about the kind of people you are hurting when you decide not to consider
|> "buying American".  These are good people, the kind I grew up around in the 
|> Rust Belt Midwest.  

How is this different from the rest of us?  I equate you buying long distance from
MCI and SPRINT instead of AT&T as my food and my CHILDREN BEING ABLE TO EAT.  However,
I'm willing to work on building a good product to do it instead of waving a flag and
whinning.  The first poster was a bit crude and had some silly logic but he had a
good point, supporting crap does not help your economy.

|> The Japanese manufacturers build some great products.  So do the US companies.
|> Don't support the junk, buy the good cars, and at least be willing to look
|> at the American cars with an open mind.  

How one looks at products is based almost entirely on reputation, and the US companies
have a shitty one right now.  I also believe that they are still building crap, and
if you want an example you can look at the Chevy Cavalier rent-o-shit I'm driving
right now.  Sure they may build some nice cars (Saturn comes to mind, as do the new
LH Series of Chysler - I don't buy 4-doors), but I haven't seen many of them (and 
yes, I go to auto shows every year and look).  They do, however, resell some nice 
Japanese cars (which does almost nothing to help their reputation, we all know where
the cars come from).

|> Manufacturing equals national prosperity.  You may have your ass covered for
|> now in the service sector, but as we lose manufacturing jobs, our standard of 
|> living declines, and your children are going to live in smaller houses, drive
|> junkier cars, and have fewer electonic toys than we do.  That is the 
|> consequence for sending wealth out of our country.  I'm tired of hearing 
|> people trying to rationalize their way out of this responsibility.  It's
|> time we grow up as a nation and accept the consequences of our actions.           
|> Tim Gardner

Yes it is time you realized that you are in a world economy and waving a flag to
support a product has no substance.  Your car manufactures build junk, for the most
part, and have a terrible reputation.  They better do something solid about it or 
they will have to lay off the rest of their workers.

Don Clayton
a.k.a. Admiral Maverick, DM of the Drow
My brain, my thoughts, my words.
If I had a million dollars, I'd buy you a K-car (a nice reliant automobile),
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC                                        CCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC                   C                    CCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC                   C                    CCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC             CCCCCCCCCCCCC              CCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC              CCCCCCCCCCC               CCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC             CCCCCCCCCCCCC              CCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC           CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC            CCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC         CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC          CCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC       CCCCCCC   CCCCC   CCCCCCC        CCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC      C CCCCC   CCCCCCC   CCCCC C       CCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC        CC  C   C CCC C   C  CC         CCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC                   C                    CCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCC                                        CCCCCCCCCCCCCC
               **** JAYS in 6 - WORLD CHAMPIONS! ****