The 31-Year-Old in Charge of Dismantling G.M.
It is not every 31-year-old who, in a first government job, finds himself dismantling General Motors and rewriting the rules of American capitalism.
But that, in short, is the job description for Brian Deese, a not-quite graduate of Yale Law School who had never set foot in an automotive assembly plant until he took on his nearly unseen role in remaking the American automotive industry.
We’re in the very best of hands.
“We’re in the very best of hands.”
Indeed. What could possibly go wrong now?
(The really scary part is that these things write themselves)
God help us – I’m sure they really think that a Ivy league degree and mastery of living off the public trough is all that stands between GM and prosperity. The arrogance is truly mind-boggling…
I find it incredible that our “leaders” don’t manage to think “experience” is worth a damn. Recall the campaign? The WON didn’t need experience, because he had judgment. Heck, we all have judgment…most of it bad. He never did qualify what his judgment was, just that he had enough to run the country.
OTOH, when the want a SecState, she has experience, the kind you get from being the spouse of a President, but that was the rationale of why Hillary gets the nod.
Think about the implication of the most likely soon to be SCOTUS Judge…she has judgment, too…with a heavy bias.
In the case of the Young Turk…I’m sure he thinks he has the what it takes to manage the business affairs of a multi-billion dollar, world reaching corporation, or tow, and soon, most likely more…because he understands economy and politics. A polite way of saying he sees things through the tint of what gets the polls up today.
Ah, the youth, who know it all, until they grow up, have some real life experience and see what went wrong.
Can we afford him? I don’t see as we have a choice, now he’s a golden boy.
Ayn Rand was a prophet.
To quote AW1: Word!
kakistocracy (plural kakistocracies)
1. Government under the control of a nation’s worst or least-qualified citizens.
Grey Goat/
You know the old saying: “A government designed by genius’ to be run by idiots.”
We may be testing the limits of the Founder’s architectural abilities to allow America to go thru life on inertial guidance absent the active updates of the wisdom of the Founders themselves.
Watch it, Virgil. Someone’s gonna think youse a racist.
A person with “street smarts” has been defined as someone able to take strong action based on good judgement drawn from hard experience. But how do you get experience?
On the old Amos ‘n Andy radio show, Amos once asked the Kingfish why he had such good judgement.
“Well,” answered the Kingfish, “good judgement come from experience.”
“Yes, but then where does experience come from ?”, asked Amos.
“Experience come from bad judgement,” was the Kingfish’s answer.
I’ve been using that quote for ages, but couldn’t remember where it came from. I’m glad there’s someone more fossilized than I am
I think it was Will Rogers
Don’t know who’s the Lead Fossil here, but I used to listen to the AFN radio with my Dad, who was with the USN/RN Rhine River Patrol stationed at Rudersheim, Germany in the 1950’s. They ran British Vosper class torpedo boats to patrol for ner-do-wells and folks who might need some help, and sometimes ran full tilt (50 knots or so) down the river just for the hell of it. Good times. He retired a GMC in ‘57, and I did my stint from 1960 to 1981 and retired as a GMTC.
When my father was one his second tour in Germany we used to listen to many of the old radio shows on AFN. Fibber and Mollie, X minus 1, The Fiddler, and a few Amos and Andy, among others. I liked those better than the TV programs we used to get when we lived near Kaiserslautern. When my father went PCS to Echterdingen Airfield, outside of Stuttgart, no US TV, so we fell back on the radio.
I think kids today really lose a lot by getting TV. I didn’t miss TV at all with the radio shows. The writers really had to work hard, and they did a good job of it.
By “The Fiddler”, did you mean, “The Whistler”? “For I walk by night, and I know many things”. I love Old Time Radio, I have all 27 years of Jack Benny on MP3 disks, and all of The Great Guildersleeve, and Fred Allen, as well. Great stuff.
Allow me to introduce myself..
Wile E. Coyote…
Sooper Geeenius…
Lovely. We’ve got frikken Looney Toons running the country.
Sigh.
But at least Wile E seemed to actually know what he was doing, it was his choice of ACME that led to his downfall.
Not like the people in charge now, that seem to think that thier wanting an outcome will create the desired outcome.
Well – Ford, which didn’t take a government bailout and took a huge risk before the credit collapse, announced plans today to expand third quarter production by 10%…and it won’t be trucks/SUVs.
- SJS
Saw a plea on the web today to not buy “Government Motors” cars. It’s basically, the only way “we the people” can make our point known. He pointed out it would be good to support a business that didn’t go to the public trough to get help.
I’m in agreement.
I will bet Ford is liking their chops. They are now competing with two peers that have one arm handcuffed to the UAW. Look at Gettelfinger crowing that he got the WH to lean on GM to not import small cars from China — but build them here instead. I’m certain they will have the same labor costs in both places, right?
What the “new” GM will never demonstrate, is price based costing, instead of cost based pricing. The reason? “Cost” equals labor (since material costs are the same for all). Labor has effective control. They will never be able to get costs inline with prices, and the world, including Ford, will kick their butts.
How long would it take to throw $60B off a roof? How many slams of the door would you get for that? Because that would be a better use of your kids’ money that the One just squandered on his Iraq.
Reminded me of this song.
The talk of Change is all smoke until Gettelfinger gets the Wagoner treatment–either from his constitutency or by diktat. I don’t expect either to happen.
I’m impressed by Ford’s reluctance to take taxpayer money, moreso than by it staying out of bankruptcy. But, I’m concerned that Fo MoCo is the fish at this poker table, given that regulatory manipulation is the name of the game and the other two players are now backed by the house. Ford’s been a managerial basket case more often than not over the past few generations, but I’m afraid even the best run concern couldn’t win this fight.
I Hope I’m wrong. Even if I’m right, though, I’m sure the Republic shall endure.
That’s nothing, you should see who’s running the QDR issue teams….
We’re dead.
OMFG!
(weeps)
Well the old guys running these companies for the last couple of decades have done such a good job. By the way go look up how old Alexander the Great was at the time of his death (31). Or for that matter Napolean Bonaparte who was 30 years of age when he staged his coup in France. Bill Gates started Microsoft when he was 20. etc etc.
Those would be great examples, Charles, were it not for how their lives turned out.
Alexander, having led his armies across the known world, fell for a skirt and then died of fever with no heir. The territory controlled by the Greeks promptly returned to its previous state of chaos, and the Greek empire once again returned to a bunch of olive groves and the odd foray into the Med on leaky boats.
Napoleon, of course, likewise conquered all of Europe and was well on his way to Asia before discovering that, yes, it can get cold in Russia during the winter. He died in exile on an island, of stomach cancer I believe. His legacy now consists of some pictures where his hand is hidden and a second-rate pastry named after him.
Then there’s Bill Gates, who while admittedly a very smart fellow pretty much saw his success by shipping 86-DOS to IBM under Microsoft’s name. His company is now widely known for an operating system that, in spite of weekly patch releases, account for some 50% of the traffic on the internet as botnet participants.
“Show me a hero, and I’ll show you a bum.” — G. Boyington.
Just wait until you find out who will be in charge of your healthcare plan!
The Truth About Cars has had some great writing on this — almost as good as Megan McCardle’s (“American” Leyland, anyone?).
From General Motors Death Watch 260: The End:
I’m trying to get my head around Hummer going to the ChiComs. Sheesh!
And say Sayonara to Pontiac.
PS Don’t forget Fibber McGee and Molly, Virg!
SCOTTthe BADGER, QM, et al.@6.0-7.1
Yes, I grew up with radio like youse guys, and remember them all fondly. From Johnny Dollar, our Miss Brooks, Jack Benny and the Vault (bit worked MUCH better on radio) Amos & Andy–a fave, Sky King of SongBird fame, Sgt Preston, the Shadow, Whistler–the whole gang. Memories….. and yes, it DID develop the imagination in a way that TV cannot. I remember the Charlie MaCarthy episodes when he and Mortimer used to fix up an old tub washing machine as a sub and descend to the depths in a pond in the back yard–can’t do THAT easily on tv. Same for the little scamp “JR”. on Red Skeleton who tricked the Devil into getting locked in his Bdrm closet (when he came for Jr because he, JR, had been especially nasty and the Devil admired him so much) and wouldn’t let him out despite the Devil’s pleas! Can’t do THAT on TV! LOL!!
BTW, anybody here remember a GREAT radio 2min (with pm repeat) daily radio show spoof of 30s & 40s radio called “Chicken Man”? –The Great White Winged Warrior who, by day a mild-mannered shoe salesman named Benton Harbor, fights crime and/or evil (the “and/or” bit was really in there!) on the weekends as Chicken Man… It’s all on CD now, a great listen…124 episodes.