Hello! I have been wanting to make a documentary for awhile about the impact the Auto Industry has on people living in Michigan because I hear so many people who act like they don't care. I settled on a blog since I'm a little busy :)
I just kind of want to show people the other side of the story. The hard-working "overpaid" people, how ingrained it is in the culture of this state. How hard those U.A.W. workers work.
Just want to show the "personal" side you don't get on the news. I'm not really blaming anyone. I feel the same way about the credit crisis. I'm angry at the credit card companies for screwing me over. But am I angry at the people who work on the phone? Who do their jobs every day? Do I want the whole industry to collapse on them? NO, of course not. But we don't hear that part.
Am I saying that I think the US Auto Industry is perfect? Definitely not.
What I am saying is if you don't think an entire state collapsing is a big deal...well, maybe you should move to another country?
I just want to get another side of information out there to people. The US Auto Industry needs to be helped...because it will impact EVERYONE in the US.
Please feel free to write your comments on what you think your solutions to the auto industry should be....and by solutions, I mean one's that would not cause millions of Americans to lose jobs! Check out my new blog, contribute if you have any stories, and pass it on to your friends :) Thanks everyone!
http://facesofdetroit.blogspot.com/
The Coffee Self-Talk 2-Minute Gratitude Journal
7 months ago
4 comments:
Hey Alison. It's Pat's mom. I think it's sad that people who work on the line make $20+ an hour and my dh went through college and is making about 1/2 of that. I think it's sad that there wasn't a back up plan. They knew it was coming. Ford bought out M & R almost 10 years ago. They knew.
It's sad that we live here and NO ONE in Washington is thinking about how this is going to effect the rust belt. It's about proving a point. They just hand money over to Wall Street. No questions asked.
You know how it is, you have a BA and can't find work. Can you imagine what it is going to be like in a year?
It's not hopeless. There are ways to turn it around. I don't think, even with the bailout, that's going to happen anytime soon. I am not sure it can be fixed.
It is what it is. It's like hydroplaning. There's nothing you can do. You just have to let it happen and clean up the mess afterward. Unfortunately, we're stuck in the middle. : (
Hey there! Thanks for the comment! I did freelance work with Ford where I counseled workers who were offered the buyout. We tried to give them alternatives for what to do with "life after Ford." Not sure if the other companies do this, but it was pretty amazing to me how nobody really had any backup plans. They just thought they would work on the line forever...but, that is just the mindset a lot of people have here. I think the auto industry could be a GOOD thing IF people handle it the right way-use it create new opportunities. But, a lot of times people rather just focus on the negative. We shall see! And yeah, there was a definite problem with people being paid so much money for doing simple work, but I don't blame the auto workers-I'd have probably accepted a high paying job like that as well! People are soo good at denial and procrastination, it's human nature. I just can't stand the judgemental attitudes of people in other states who treat these auto workers like trash. They are human beings, and their problems will impact everyone. I actually can find work, but my problem is more that I get bored doing the menial type of jobs that I am offered...and with lack of benefits for my hard work! I prefer the limitless opportunities of sales and entrenpreneurship-which didn't require a bachelors degree! Wish I would have known that about myself BEFORE I went through the trouble to graduate :P But no, I do not want to imagine what it will be like in a year! Ahh, scary. I guess we should just buckleup and get ready for the ride-we are used to Michigan roads in the winter-we'll be ok!!!
*You should get some kind of prize for getting me to write the longest comment I've EVER made. lol
Good luck with the entrepreneurship. It's not an easy road in this economy. Anything worth having is worth working for.
It's such a mess. I think that as Americans we can withstand just about anything. If 3 million people are out of work where does that leave unemployment, social security, income taxes, etc. People who are not working can't pay into income tax and social security. It's really scary to think about it.
At the end of the bread crumb trail is the mother with 5 kids who was balling her eyes out on tv this morning. Her husband passed and she was laid off this morning. What is she going to do? What are the people who are 50+ who have spent their entire lives at GM going to do.
This is going to impact everyone. Even in Kris's business. You would think it's safe seeing as everyone dies but the thing is if you don't have money you can't pay for a funeral. It's like a chain link fence. Everything is connected.
I think this is the time we as Americans band together and start taking care of each other. Instead of throwing things away, fix them. Instead of throwing out your child's old toys give them to children who need them. Buy from local business. We need to go back to where we started. Home grown businesses. Bill Clinton really screwed us with NAFTA. This is a ripple effect of everything that has gone wrong since we were teenagers.
Now I am writing long comments.
Ha, too bad we don't paid per comment on blogger, like you do at mylot? lol
And those are all very good points. I like the idea of being less wasteful!
I guess the point of my blog wasn't to fix the system, as I think it's out of my hands, but to at least get people's stories out there.
I guess I just like to feel like I'm doing something- I can't stand just sitting around complaining about something-I'm more of a take action type of person! Even if I fail, I feel like I win because I've learned something! And I truly do believe just one person can make a difference (although there is nothing like a group of passionate people coming together for a cause!)
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