It’s North vs. South in Big Three bailout fight – Capitol Hill- msnbc.com
So we’re going to complain about having tax money getting sent up North? Because the basic fact is that for many, many years, the South has been a net drain on the Federal purse. Michigan, on the other hand, has usually been a net loser. And while $25 billion is a whole lot of money, in terms of the United States government, it’s a drop in the bucket. Well, three or four drops.
Richard Shelby, of all people, is going around complaining about this. Shelby complaining about Federal money getting spent is like Ron Jeremy preaching abstinence.
Shelby is just cheerleading for all the (non-union) auto industry here in Alabama. “If the Big 3 automakers would just crush those pesky unions once and for all, then they could go back to the glory days of exploiting the workers…!”
Actually, the big three have already gotten plenty of concessions from the unions, right? The concessions just don’t kick in until 2010 or something like that.
Meanwhile, I don’t see how dropping a bomb on Michigan is really going to benefit workers in Alabama. Bailing out the big three is absolutely the right thing to do… not for the companies’ sake but for the sake of some 2 to 3 million workers who could be affected if the big three go under. Seriously, this is the kind of thing that could turn a recession into a depression. Shelby is playing with fire.