Or as the Freep rosily puts it, “Most Michigan voters back aid.” Which is technically true, but also as misleading as a St. Bernard that’s been after its own brandy. Because even though the Rasmussen poll in question shows that 52 percent of Michigan’s likely voters support “additional loans” to the nation’s automakers, there’s a caveat missing: the auto industry is the local issue in Michigan. Michigan’s congressional delegation have been the most shrill bailout boosters in Washington, the local papers are as pro-bailout as they come, and, well, it’s freaking Michigan. If only half of the Wolverine state support more bailout bucks for automakers, how bad must national support be? The Freep could tell you, just not in its headline. Only 24 percent are in favor of “additional loans” accorrding to the national version of the same Rasmussen poll. 64 percent were opposed. Ouch.
Michigan, probably, is also in favor of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Let’s paint the deck chairs first. You can never have too many painted old deck chairs.
@ mtypex:
Sounds like a plan! It’ll only cost $130 billion.
We can’t use automation equipment to paint the chairs cause it wouldn’t create enough jobs.
Yesterday’s Mike Luckovich cartoon, featuring Rick Wagoner the bailout addict
Michigan, probably, is also in favor of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
We (52% of us) have to believe the D3 (or at least 2 of them) can survive, be brought into dry dock, and the gash in the hull repaired. You can’t really blame us for thinking that – the alternative is to resign ourselves to drowning.
It’s not as if there is a thriving economic environment that is suddenly going to cast up new industries and create hundreds of thousands of jobs in Michigan. If the bailouts don’t work, this state is —ked.
And on that note, let’s look at the future of the bailout trend in this article about Mexico.
http://economics.about.com/b/2008/12/18/gm-is-expanding-and-increasing-production.htm
That glass is >half full.
USNews pundit Michael Barone agrees with Niedermeyer.
One of the reasons for the lower than expected support of the bill in Michigan is the very conservative makeup of the south western Michigan population. Many John Birchers live west of Jackson, and they balance out the big government liberals who live in the industrial south east.
Michigan dug it’s own grave. The state government is even more useless and incompetent than the federal government. They can’t do anything right. Look at the way they drove VW of North American out. They killed business in this state. Each day when I wake up, I wonder how long it will be before I have to leave.
Not everyone here is ready to give out their money to the automakers that screwed them over for years. Even before the auto companies profits left, the local suppliers were going belly up do to outsourcing to Mexico. 48% of people here got screwed over in more ways than just bad cars. Then they want you to buy “American.”
@ MBella: already left … for Ohio (yuck!), then Illinois, and most likely moving to South Carolina before the end of the year. Otherwise, you repeated exactly what I was thinking. Verbatim.
Ok, stand back… I’m an engineer!
“63CorvairSpyder :
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:01 pm
That glass is >half full.”
Actually, that would be, “That glass < half full”
-or-
“That glass is less than half full”
Since the mouth of the glass is wider, the unfilled upper portion would take more volume…
That glass is twice as big as it needs to be..
Same thing will probably be said about the population of Michigan after all the layoffs that will result either way.
You all missed the most important part about that glass; it’s a falsie! or whatever you call the glasses with the extra thick bottoms that don’t actually give you a pint in a glass!