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Bailout: Hell, No!
So, should we spend billions of dollars to save an industry that has stifled innovation and progress for thirty years? Should we write a check for the manufacturers that have literally driven us to the brink of climate disaster?
It comes down to this: you simply can not call yourself an environmentalist without raging and fighting, tooth and nail, against this bailout.
If you think that Detroit can change and innovate and build the vehicles of the future, then I’m afraid that you’re the victim of an abusive relationship. Just look at this quote from GM vice chairman Bob Lutz in an interview yesterday (not two years ago, before gas prices spiked, not two months ago, before the Detroit beg-a-thon, but yesterday, for Christ’s sake):
LUTZ: Let me just get one thing straight here: There’s a lot of talk about well, General Motors doesn’t make the right kind of cars or General Motors built trucks too long. At $1.50 per gallon, the American public wants sport utilities and large pickup trucks [source].
You can sympathize with the desire to save American manufacturing. But these companies’ decades-long mismanagement and monopolistic struggle against innovation is what created the Rust Belt. The bigger threat to our manufacturers is the fact that their biggest customers are such poorly-managed corporations.
It’s also important to note that Maine has very little reliance on the Anemic Three for our manufacturing industries. The few auto-parts suppliers that are based in New England do just as much business with successful firms like Toyota as they do with the Three Failures. For Mainers, the bailout represents a massive transfer of taxpayer money out of our state and into the Rust Belt, where it will fester and continue to rot away at American manufacturing industries with lousy management and obsolete technology.
It’s time to call our Senators. The bailout is bad for Maine. It’s bad for our environment. It’s bad for our workers.
Olympia Snowe’s Washington office: (202)-224-5344; or toll free: (800)-432-1599
Susan Collins’s Washington office: (202) 224-2523; or fax: (202)-224-2693
The Vigorous North
A field guide to the wilderness areas of American cities.
http://vigorousnorth.blogspot.com
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A great article on WireTap Magazine!
http://www.wiretapmag.org/environment/43890/
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The New York Time’s has this interactive map of the depressing fiscal state of our nation. Check it out here.
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So far, Portlanders have voted to…
Elect Obama president!-with 8 of 16 precincts reporting.
Justin Alfond for Senate 8!
Chellie Pingree for CD1!
District 114: Stucky
District 115: Lovejoy
District 116:
District 117: Anne Haskell
District 118: Hinck
District 119: Adams
District 120: Russell
School Committee: Houlton
At-Large City Council: too close to call!
District 5 City Council: Naomi Merriman
Charter Commission: 62%??
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And it looks like the polls are closed. But it’s not over yet… Time to check out the local and national returns.
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Hey all,
For those who don’t know, there are text messages and facebook messages and status updates telling people that “due to heavy turnout, Obama voters (or in some texts/updates, Democrats and Independents) should vote on Wednesday.”
Please activate your networks to push back on these messages. Voting ends today. Stick it out, stay in line, etc.
In addition, we would like to put out a statement asking the media to condemn voter suppression. Please respond no later than 4:45 if your group wants to sign on:
“Voter suppression affects everyone, but in particular young voters and minorities. National youth leaders are calling on the media to set the record straight: voting ends today. Any text messages, emails, phone calls, or flyers that say otherwise are only intended to suppress votes. It is our civic responsibility to make sure every vote counts.”
–
Emily
Emily Hawkins
Youth Vote Fund Communications Coordinator
work. 202-741-6389
cell. 917-733-3978
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The phone bankers have moved to the call center that was donated to us, and the office is creepily silent now, after hours and hours of buzz. I’m uploading all our current videos from the day to YouTube. Once I finish that and close up some other media stuff, I’ll be joining everyone at the call center for a few hours to make some calls as well.
Today doesn’t feel real anymore–it’s so surreal that it’s final The Tuesday I’ve been waiting for. I’ve luckily not spoken to anyone who isn’t intensely involved in the Election in some way or another, but I’m waiting for my mom or grandpa to call to talk about the weather or something and forget what I do for a living…
- Katie
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I was just on the radio, WMPG
- Katie
We’ve just finished the contacts we’ve had this morning and we’re up to 3621–surpassing our original goal of 3500! We’re well on our way to contacting 5000 voters and make sure they not only vote, but vote for the right people. Go Maine League Go!
-Harris
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I thought this image was provocative.
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I just returned from working with the New School from Kennebunk. They were total rockstars! They let me literally drag them back and forth across the West End. We checked out Merill Auditorium, we checked out Reiche. We asked questions at the polls. We handed out literature to everyone who would take it, and then in the last twenty minutes of their time, they wanted to know what else they could do to help! Hopefully they’ll be back to work on public policy with us in the future. Go high schoolers, go!
The footage from their wandering around with me is being uploaded as I type.
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Harris’ MTV interview!
http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF00989E5000080099520D/User/Blog/BlogPostDetail.aspx
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http://www.youtube.com/user/theMaineLeague
YouTube videos uploaded.
Videos of the polls will be coming later in the day.
