thiiiiiis is ouuuurrrrr couuuuuntryyyyy

if you've ever watched a single quarter of nfl football in the last two years, then the title of this post may have made you cringe already. for those of you that aren't aware, this is the john mellencamp song that chevy has been using to sell trucks to the great american hick. check out this offensive one right here:



incidentally, this is not a bad song if you listen to the whole thing. the lyrics are all about centrist populism, patriotism not jingoism, and post-bush reconciliation. unfortunately, all i can think about now when i hear it is how much some asshole in detroit wants to sell me a 10 mi/gal silverado so i can wave my big american dick in the air like the star-spangled banner itself while singing 'thiiiiis is myyyyy peeeeeniiiis'.

the fine folks who bought out all of our private streetcar companies just to close them down and force people to drive use our shared memory of vietnam, rosa parks, and (jesus fucking christ) 9/11 to sell us cars. in symbolic move of solidarity, what is gm doing to give back to its countrymen that have supported them?

buying out their employees so they can hire new people and pay them less! from royturrs:

All of GM's roughly 74,000 U.S. factory workers had been eligible for early retirement packages and buyouts intended to clear the way for hires of lower-wage workers under a deal negotiated last year with the United Auto Workers union.

...

GM, like the other two Detroit-based automakers, reached an agreement with the UAW that allows it to hire new workers for some jobs starting at $14 per hour, or about half the current average hourly wage.

funny, i wonder if the ramos arizpe factory (the home of the saturn vue!) is having the same problem.

this all reminds me of a henry ford quote: there is one rule for industrialists and that is: make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wages possible. so what does that make gm, a company that makes expensive pieces of shit and pays their employees pittances?

it makes them a failure.