Mount Virtus

"Happy to come back to Michigan, but I miss the mountains!"

Ben on Social Media

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • About Ben
  • Mount Virtus?
  • Writer / Editor For Hire
  • What I’m Thankful For
  • Colorado Ballot Reviews
    • Colorado Ballot 2008
    • Colorado Ballot 2010
    • Colorado Ballot 2012
  • Archives
  • Passion and Purpose:
    The Rise & Fall of Al Gansee
  • Mary and Jacob: From the Forgotten Dust
Home clean government The Existential Impact of Government Motors on a Native Michigander

3/31/2009 By Ben 3 Comments

The Existential Impact of Government Motors on a Native Michigander

The whole sad affair with General Motors, the federal bailout and now the Presidentially-orchestrated dismissal of the company’s CEO, strikes a little bit closer to home with me. I grew up in southeast Michigan. My dad worked more than 30 years for the automaker. Many, many people I knew worked for GM or one of the contract suppliers. GM was a significant part of a way of life.

So after yesterday’s announcement, please forgive me if my head is still spinning this morning. I’m not quite able to put it all into words, but thought I’d give it a first crack.

Of course, the firing of CEO Rick Wagoner and the Presidential-backed car warranty are predictable outcomes of the initial bailout I have opposed from the beginning. But because of my upbringing, what otherwise would be greatly disturbing to me (and yes, a sign of “the end of America as we know it”) in the abstract therefore has a more existential impact.

Can this really be going on? I’d probably have a similar reaction if the automotive giant was allowed to go bankrupt, or even belly-up. But at least then there would be hope for a healthy free market to recover, rather than the ever more terrifyingly real prospect of Government Motors and the Pelosi GTxi SS/RT Sport Edition.

(Has anyone thought to Photoshop Obama’s face on the picture of a stereotypically slimy used car salesman in a plaid suit? That I’d like to see.)

I plan to visit Michigan sometime this summer. They say you can never really go home again. In this case, I’m pretty sure I’ll recognize it even less.

Filed Under: clean government, Commemorative, General, liberty, My Life, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: automaker, automotive giant, bankrupt, Barack Obama, belly-up, CEO, contract suppliers, dismissal, end of America as we know it, existential impact, federal bailout, forgive, free market, General Motors, GM, Government Motors, greatly disturbing, head, healthy, home, Michigan, morning, Photoshop, predictable outcomes, President, prospect, Rick Wagoner, sad affair, signs, spinning, summer, used car salesman, warranty

Comments

  1. Hal says

    3/31/2009 at 9:16 am

    It was interesting to watch yesterday how Wall Street reacted to the news of Wagner’s government led extortion force out. I was watching gold too with the widget http://www.learcapital.com/exactprice and even it bumped up in what I figured was fear of what this new government control meant.

    The whole idea of the government going in to the auto warranty business nearly made my head explode when Obama was talking about it. Can you imagine the paper work to get a car serviced? It’s crazy. It’s just adding to the deficit.

    I think the next shoe to drop is going to be the commercial real estate market. Banks are in a big way in that market so, I’m looking for that to be the next big crisis.

  2. S Jones says

    3/31/2009 at 3:59 pm

    Here ye go, Ben. YEEEEEEEEEEE-HAWWWWWWWW!!!

    http://www.dixienet.org/rebellion/2009/03/obama-sacks-wagner-gm-ceo-how-should.html

  3. S Jones says

    3/31/2009 at 11:09 pm

    Just in case you think I’m not serious, even though the State of Michigan might not be there yet:

    http://coloradoconfederatarian.squarespace.com/journal/2009/4/1/a-crisis-of-legitimacy.html

    We have a growing Tenth Amendent Resolution movement, a “Tea Party” movement, all sorts of important talking heads who’ve openly expressed their shock at the extent of the Dems’ power grab, an economy that threatens to implode any day, guns and ammo disappearing into the Middle American woordwork, and millions of American gun owners who are giving the Feds the bird and saying “Molon Labe.”

    And all sorts of people, Southerners and Northerners alike, wondering alound about secession.

    I’d a crisis of legitimacy is in the offing, if not already here. What do you say, Ben?

    Comments, Ryan?

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Inside

  • About Ben
  • Archives
  • Colorado Ballot Reviews
    • Colorado Ballot 2008
    • Colorado Ballot 2010
    • Colorado Ballot 2012
    • Colorado Ballot 2014
  • Mary and Jacob: From the Forgotten Dust
  • Mount Virtus?
  • Passion and Purpose:
    The Rise & Fall of Al Gansee
  • What I’m Thankful For
  • Writer / Editor For Hire

About Me

Ben DeGrow
Grateful and growing Christian, devoted husband and father of 3, public policy analyst, returned to Michigan by way of Colorado, conservative writer, lifelong learner, Detroit Tigers fan.

Recent Posts

  • Common Learning Disabilities in Children
  • Tips to Teach Kids to Set and Achieve Goals
  • The Christmas Music Countdown You’ve Been Looking For: 2022 Edition
  • Sleep Deprivation and Parental Controls: How to Ensure Your Kids are Safe from Media Exposure
  • 8 Original Ways To Leverage Influencer Marketing

Colorado News

  • Colorado Senate News
  • Complete Colorado
  • Independence Institute
  • Loveland Politics
  • The Colorado Observer

National News and Politics

  • Drudge Report
  • Hot Air
  • National Review
  • Politico
  • Real Clear Politics
  • Reason
  • The Washington Times
  • TownHall
  • Wall Street Journal
  • Weekly Standard
  • World Magazine

Blogs Extraordinaire

  • American Thinker
  • David Harsanyi’s Blog
  • E!! The True Conservative Story
  • EIA Intercepts
  • Evangelical Outpost
  • Hugh Hewitt
  • Instapundit
  • LaShawn Barber
  • Lileks
  • Little Green Footballs
  • Michelle Malkin
  • NRO's The Corner
  • Power Line
  • Red State

Completing the Blogroll

  • Alarming News
  • Black Five
  • Blogs of War
  • Eduwonk
  • Flypaper
  • Fraters Libertas
  • Historical Conversations
  • IMAO
  • Jay P. Greene
  • Mike Anderson
  • Mullings
  • Professor Bainbridge
  • Right Thinking
  • Right Wing News
  • Right Wing Nuthouse
  • Shot in the Dark
  • Talking Points Memo
  • Virginia Postrel
  • Volokh Conspiracy

Christian Commentary et al.

  • Kevin Pierpont
  • Sharper Iron

Conservative and GOP Sites

  • Backbone America
  • Cal Thomas
  • Colorado Republican Party
  • Colorado Republican Study Committee
  • Dennis Prager
  • Denver Metro Young Republicans
  • Free Republic
  • Heritage Foundation
  • Jefferson County Republican Party
  • Mackinac Center for Public Policy
  • Mark Steyn
  • Michael Medved
  • Rush Limbaugh

Colorado Blogs

  • American Kestrel
  • Bob Agard
  • Colorado Charter Schools
  • Colorado Peak Politics
  • Colorado Pols
  • Colorado Right
  • Conservative Libertarian Outpost
  • Coyote Gulch
  • Ed Is Watching
  • Free Colorado
  • Jeff Crank Show
  • Mark Hillman
  • Patient Power
  • PirateBallerina
  • Protein Wisdom
  • Reagan Girl
  • Rocky Mountain Alliance 1.0 (Archive)
  • Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0 (Archive)
  • Rossputin
  • Stop the ACLU Blog
  • The Spot (Denver Post)
  • We Stand Firm

Other Sites

  • Technorati
  • Word Press

Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0

  • Reclaim the Blue
  • The Business Word
  • The Daily Blogster
  • View from a Height

To Contact Me:
bendegrow-at-gmail.com

Copyright © 2023 RSS Feed · WordPress · Log in