Today the U.S. Government charged Goldman Sachs with fraud for their role in the financial meltdown. What took them so long?
Our current fleet here at the Lockardugan Compound has gotten quite out of hand lately. With the addition of the CR-V, we’ve now got four cars clogging the driveway (three, actually, because the Scout is still in the garage) but our plan was always to ditch the least practical of the remaining three. Because the Jeep and the Scout both have two doors, an equal amount of cargo space and similar gas mileage, one of them has to go. I don’t think I have to tell you which one is nominated. (It’s the one without its own website).
I thought we might have a buyer lined up when we bumped into a friend at the coffee shop the day we bought the ‘V and happened to mention we were going to sell the Jeep; three weeks and two snowstorms later she took it in to her mechanic for a once-over, and came back with some disappointing news. He claimed it needs a new catalytic converter to pass inspection, as well as new front tires (we knew this) and pointed out an interesting bug with the reverse lights—they don’t work. She decided to pass, so we’re back to square 1 for the time being. Which suits me fine, because there’s more snow coming this week, I can’t get the Scout out of the driveway without moving the other three cars, and I’ve got at least three trips worth of garbage in the basement to be hauled to the dump.
→ This is a syndicated post from my Scout weblog. More info here.
There’s an article in The New Republic which argues that the decline of American manufacturing is due in large part to the change in management—from people who were trained to build things to people who were trained to count figures.
“…the conglomerate structure forced managers to think of their firms as a collection of financial assets, where the goal was to allocate capital efficiently, rather than as makers of specific products, where the goal was to maximize quality and long-term market share.”
Saturn was Supposed To Save GM. People wonder why Detroit is doomed? And, there’s an International Harvester link:
“…a new power was emerging at UAW headquarters in Detroit. Stephen P. Yokich… had first made his mark at the union by leading a lengthy 1979 strike against International Harvester, from which the company never fully recovered.”
The Man Who Said No to Wal-Mart. I read this last year and I’ve related the story to about five people–I think it’s a fantastic example of good business sense. (via)
Saturn owners hope GM doesn’t abandon them – CNN.com
We have a ten-year-old Saturn, which is an excellent car. I too hope GM doesn’t abandon the brand more than it already has, but I’m not holding my breath. Oh, and there’s this gem:
“Brand loyalty is overrated,” McManus stated flatly.
No, it isn’t, dumbass. Brand loyalty sells cars. If Saturn still made good cars, I’d consider buying one based on my current experience.
Whoever employs this fucknut should drop him like a bad habit.
Paul Krugman in today’s NYT: Financial Russian Roulette. I say, fuck Lehman. It will most likely suck for everybody when the consequences are felt, but I and my offspring shouldn’t be on the hook for the failure of a few assholes and their poor business practices.
“…if institutions need to be rescued like banks, they should be regulated like banks — why were we so unprepared for this latest shock?”
Taxpayers aren’t an insurance policy; that’s what the FDIC is for.
This article in the NYT, about the slow food movement, brings up a fascinating new trend: people are hiring gardeners to plant, maintain, and harvest a garden in their backyard. Have we become this lazy as a society?
According to this gas mileage savings calculator, I would not save any money trading in my Jeep for a Honda Fit. Well, duh.
I didn’t see this back on the 5th, but the Maryland tech tax was repealed. Halleleujah, amen.