Big business bailouts inherently unfair

Amusing but disturbing fake advertisment for bailout

This image is making the rounds on the internet. Sort of funny and not funny, all at once.

Yesterday, local Red Bluff Ford announced they were declaring bankruptcy. And Miller Auto of Redding announced they would be abandoning Mitsubishi. Today, we learn they won’t be selling Suzuki or Cadillacs, leaving only Jeep. Obviously, local auto sellers are struggling. Should they be bailed out too? Where does the bailout end? Who decides?

I think the bailout raises a lot of questions. I don’t see those questions being asked as we race to bailout the big players, while local small businesses fail without a similar lifeboat.

The fake ad implies that US Automakers failed because their products sucked. Elsewhere in my blog I wrote that we made a business decision specifically to buy American cars, and in our case Cadillacs, to be supportive, and (we thought) to show some national pride. But my Cadillacs have had serious and expensive problems, in and out of warranty. It’s very disappointing. Should their lack of quality be rewarded with a bailout? Also, a large part of the big automaker’s financial problems stem from their very generous labor contracts. Their workers and retirees enjoy excellent pay and benefits, which is great for those workers. But as I look around my town, it becomes apparent that excellent pay and benefits are rare indeed. Should the poorly paid workers in my town be expected to bail them out?

Oh well, nobody said life was fair. Unless you’re getting a bailout.

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