those who don't know history.........

Starting with this posting, we will occasionally go back over some history books for parables that work for our time.

Today's tale, how industry, and in particular, the auto industry, handled the early days of the Great Depression.

The following passage is from the book "Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal" by noted historian William Leuchtenburg. It's page 21, if you're reading at home, from the paperback version of this 1963 classic.

"At a time when millions lived close to starvation, and some even had to scavenge for food, bankers like Wiggin (note: Albert Wiggin was the Chase National Bank President, a man who shorted his own stock) and corporation executives like George Washington Hill of American Tobacco drew astonomical salaries and bonuses. Yet many of these men, including Wiggin, manipulated their investments so that they paid no income tax at all. In Chicago, where teachers, unpaid for months, fainted in classrooms for want of food, wealthy citizens of national reputation brazenly refused to pay taxes or submitted falsified statements. (note: here is where it gets interesting, in 2008 terms) In Detroit, the hardest hit of any large city, Henry Ford set the standard for businessmen by shrugging off all responsibility for the welfare of the jobless. Detroit bankers, in fact, insisted that before the city would be granted a loan to maintain relief, it would have to cut relief pittances still further."

Today, while Ford is in the best shape of what once was the Big Three, it still clamors for bailout assistance. History is a wonderful guide, even if there have been moments between 1932 and 2008 that were less divisive for the industry and the workers, it's hard to ignore how Detroit intially responded to the throes of the Great Depression. Let's see what Detroit comes back to Capitol Hill requesting next week, after the Thanksgiving break. Let's just see, shall we?

planes, trains, and definitely automobiles

Anyone catch that Congressional hearing with the Big 3 automakers on Wednesday?

You know the one I'm talking about. The hearing where each of the three once titanic captains of industry were reduced into the equivalent of a teenager asking for extra allowance to buy beer for a Friday night football game.

Yes, they were that dumb.

The hearing that was attended by just about every House member on the Financial Services Committee, telling anyone who knows anything about Washington that these legislative sharks smelled blood in the water.

The hearing where GM and Ford Presidents Rick Wagoner and Alan Mullaly refused to accept the $1 a year salary offer made by Chrysler President Bob Nardelli, losing a second offer by Congress to see if Detroit's leaders would grab onto a rhetorical lifeline.

The hearing where NYC Congressman Gary Ackerman delivered the line of the month (yes, I heard Obama and McCain on election night, but Ackerman has a clear winner here) with this full-frontal assault on these executives masquerading as 21st Century's three blind mice "There’s a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying into Washington, D.C., and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hands saying that they’re going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses. It’s almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high hat and tuxedo. Couldn’t you all have downgraded to first-class or jet-pooled or something to get here? It could have at least sent a message that you do get it.”

And, yes, the hearing where none of the business bigwigs volunteered to take a commercial flight back home, following the hearing.

Who among us will be enterprising enough to spend some time at the private air terminal at Reagan National Airport, logging the tail numbers on corporate jets in order to see who is still burning company cash on expensive travel.

And this is about cars, the future of American industry, and the American worker? No wonder the Japanese auto industry, and now the Korean manufacturers, continue to lead the way with innovation and design.

Amtrak, anyone?

anyone bill their state for travel by their kids lately?

The Associated Press has moved a story tonight documenting dozens of instances where Alaska Governor Sarah Palin billed Alaska taxpayers for the costs of travelling her family to events where the kids had not been invited.

Here's the headline: AP INVESTIGATION: Alaska funded Palin kids' travel

Check out the article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081022/ap_on_el_pr/palin_family_travel_12. It seems that Governor Palin's concern for the taxpayer stops at the snowmachine's edge, or is it the 1000 thread sheets at a fancy NYC hotel, or just any old Alaska hootenanany that she could squeeze one, two, or three of her uninvited children into.

Governor Palin may have read some funny cue cards this past weekend while visiting 30 Rockefeller Center. But her presence on SNL still does not advance her beyond her status as a not ready for prime time player.

Who knew?

OK, the Veep debate was civil. Wasn't expecting that. Well, wasn't expecting it to be so civil, so staid, so polite. Well, there was the cuteness, the wink to dad Palin, the shout out to 3rd graders somewhere in Alaska, and humanity, the cracked voice when Biden talked about the loss of his first wife and daughter. But there was no drama, there was no one particular moment, with a great high, or a horrible low. As far as things go, this was measured. Each candidate did much better than expected, though as different instant polls show, Biden seemed to earn a decent victory. Perhaps it was the fact that he answered the questions asked, including what he and Obama might drop given the economic situation we are facing. Palin hung tough, suggesting there's nothing to be cut from a McCain-Palin plan, as they're not affected by the ongoing economic climate. Sure, there were differences on global warming, and on energy issues, but, surprisingly, there was absolutely none on gay rights, which might be a surprise to the McCain staff. All said, a debate that had huge billing, but will become a footnote, probably for 2012 when we next see Palin on a national stage, lights overhead, talking straight to camera with folksy cliches.

Vice Presidential debate viewing tips

Funs things to do during tonight's Vice Presidential debate:

Part I
Take a shot (alcohol or firearm) every time Governor Palin uses the word 'Gwen'
Take a shot each time Senator Biden says 'let me tell you'

Part II
Keep tabs of the total number of references Palin makes to her family. First Dude reference counts as a double score. Down's Syndrome is a triple score, and if she references Bristol's pregnancy, that's a quadruple score.
Count Biden's reference to his children, with double score for son Beau's scheduled departure for National Guard duty in Iraq.
Most references to family does not win, at least right now. That's for America to decide.

Part III
Count references to moose and Amtrak, and see which receives greater mention from each candidate.

Part IV
Listen carefully for the following words or phrases:

inexperienced
out of touch
unfamiliar
false
partisan

Treat it like bingo, marking off each one on a sheet. The first viewer to mark all five boxes gets to turn off the debate and watch the Cubs/Dodgers game from Wrigley.

Part V
See if Palin makes a point about Ifill's race. See if Biden makes a point about Ifill's gender. If any one candidate raises either point, game is over, and you must consume any alcohol not already consumed during part I of this game.

Tag, you're it

Barack Obama said he won't ask the Commission on Presidential Debates to postpone Friday's planned debate. This seems to check John McCain's request for a postponement, and pull it from the table.

Will the voting public follow this as closely as pundits, bloggers, and the political elites, or is this but one curve on the road each man is taking towards the White House?

You're suspended

In case you haven't been following the 2008 Presidential race, this would be a good time to start.

Now it's getting interesting. Just more than 48 hours before the first debate, scheduled for Friday evening in Oxford, Mississippi, on foreign affairs, John McCain has said he is suspending his campaign, returning to Washington, rolling up his sleeves, and jumping in to help work out a solution to the financial crisis and the bailout legislation being addressed by Congress.

Oh, one more thing, McCain has asked that the debate be postponed, and he has asked both the debate Commission and Barack Obama to join along with him on the call for postponing the debate.

Smart, gutsy move by a leader, or cynical, political ploy by someone losing ground to his opponent?

You can make the call.

At this point, Obama has not publicly responded, though his campaign has said it intends to go ahead with the debate at this time.

Is that the smart move, or should each candidate join together as one to help remedy this challenging financial situation? Can they? What if they start out as one, but diverge at some point?

Remember, the campaigns reached agreement on the debates just this past weekend, AFTER the financial crisis broke, and we learned of plans for the massive government capital infusion. So is this new, is it a ploy, is it meant to bring urgency to the situation, or solely to respond to poll numbers showing McCain losing ground among likely voters, particularly on economic issues.

Lots to discuss. Will be back soon on this one!