Monday, November 21, 2005

First it was Oldsmobile, next Saturn and soon Ze World!!!!!

Before you say, 'Rhea you are sounding like an evil scientist from a bad 50's horror movie!!', folks cool down and I will explain why the title is as it is.

Earlier today, the second largest company (well at one time they were) on the Fortune 500, GM announced that they were going to shed 30,000 jobs as well as in the process close 9 plants. This is being done to make the firm more 'efficient and profitable', that is of course if someone finds credible the spin from the Wall Street Journal and other flacks. However this approach has been tried by GM and the other members of the Big 2 for YEARS.

Case in point:the Saturn experiment. Remember way back when, GM said that Saturn would be the platform by which they would try to form a new partnership with the United Auto Workers union; that each car would truly be built to order like how steaks are ordered in many restaurants, plus some other changes would issue in a new day for the industry. Well guess what? One of the plants that is slated to be closed is in Spring Hill, Tennessee which is the home of Saturn. Hmmm, 2 + 2 in this case spells that the Saturn line will be gone, like the 88, 98, Toronado and the Cutlass of Oldsmobile fame.

Granted the loss of jobs is not something to be sneezed at but, in the grand scheme of things, this is something that happens in the course of capitalism. When the IT industry started its initial outsourcing of jobs and quite a few 'geeks' were out of work, at least intiaally the response from some was 'get over it, find something else even if it means pushing brooms or working at Taco Bell'. Gee and some of that was from those who were working for firms like GM and others who thought that their positions were secure. Well not to be callous or mean to those persons, but apparently those chickens have come back home to roost. Maybe these folks will learn not to be so harsh about others because the shoe can be on the other foot rathe fast.

Also before anyone who thinks I am turning into a [perish the thought), Michael Moore, let me remind folks here that 'Fat blimp from Flint' is about as sincere in his convictions as Frank Pantangeli was in 'The GodFather'. Besides, what happened to Flint and GM in general is part of the cycle of life or that of business. In short, it happens.

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