Drive Your Foreign Car?

Lawrence · Sep 29, 2004

CAR COMPANY CONTRIBUTIONS TO 9/11 FUNDS

1. Ford - $1 million to American Red Cross matching employee
contributions of the same number, plus 10 Excursions to NY Fire Dept.
The company also offered ER response team services and office space to displaced government employees.

2. GM - $1 million to American Red Cross matching employee contributions
of the same number, and a fleet of vans, suv's, and trucks.

3. Daimler Chrysler - $10 million to support of the children and victims of
the Sept. 11 attack.

4. Harley Davidson Motorcycles - $1 million and 30 new motorcycles to the
New York Police Dept.

5. Volkswagen - Employees and management created a Sept 11 Foundation,
funded initially with $2 million, for the assistance of the children and
victims of the WTC.

6. Hyundai - $300,000 to the American Red Cross.

7. Audi - Nothing.

8. BMW - Nothing.

9. Daewoo - Nothing.

10. Fiat - Nothing.

11. Honda - Nothing despite boasting of second best sales month ever in
August 2001.

12. Isuzu - Nothing.

13. Mitsubishi - Nothing....but they did manufacture a fine aircraft used to
bomb Pearl Harbor.

14. Nissan - Nothing.

15. Porsche - Nothing. Press release with condolences via the Porsche
website.

16. Subaru - Nothing.

17. Suzuki - Nothing.

18. Toyota - Nothing despite claims of high sales in July and August, 2001.
Condolences posted on the website.

* * * * *
Whenever the time may be for you to purchase or lease a new vehicle, keep
this information in mind. You might want to give more consideration to a
car manufactured by an American-owned and/or American-based company.

Apart from Hyundai and Volkswagen, the foreign car companies contributed
nothing at all to the citizens of the United States. It's OK for these
companies to take money out of this country, but it is apparently not
acceptable to return some in a time of crisis. I believe we should not forget things like this.

Lawrence,
Expediters Online.com

Education is the best defense against the media.

The Lord's Prayer is 66 words, the Gettysburg Address is 286 words, there are 1,322 words in the Declaration of Independence, but government regulations on the sale of cabbage total 26,911 words.

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Tennesseahawk · Sep 29, 2004

At the same time, Lawrence, Honda and Toyota are half made in the US. The job of the guy working on their line is just as important as the guy's on the Ford line.
Another thing. I know it's not right to knock a donation, but $1-million from Ford and GM is like a businessman dropping a nickle in a kettle. The millions helped though... more than those you pointed out. All I have to say is, their CEO isn't wearing red, white, and blue boxers. But sometimes I wonder if, in this circumstance, Ford and GM's CEOs were wearing anything but boxers that were money green and tickertape white.

Lawrence · Sep 30, 2004

Tennesseahawk,

Agreed - they do "assemble" many models here. They do that simply to skirt import fees like duty taxes.

They have done an outstanding job at convincing the public that they "manufacturer" cars in North America. The fact is - is that they don't.

All of the major components like the engine; transmissions etc are PRE-ASSEMBLED in Asia. They simply send the completed parts in containers to places like Georgetown, Kentucky where they are simply ASSEMBLED in North America.

Have you ever wondered why as an Expediter you have never hauled much freight for Honda and Toyota as you do for the Ford, GM & Chrysler?

The reason is because most of the valuable components are in made overseas.

Now, in all fairness - I know that Honda and Toyota use a few North America vendors for door knobs and occasional brake pads....but when you buy a Japanese vehicle - you are taking quality jobs from a worker here.

That is a FACT.

And let's be honest - it effects us in expedite industry directly.

Buy American. Buy Canadian. Keep the money here.

Just my humble opinion.

Lawrence,
Expediters Online.com

Education is the best defense against the media.

The Lord's Prayer is 66 words, the Gettysburg Address is 286 words, there are 1,322 words in the Declaration of Independence, but government regulations on the sale of cabbage total 26,911 words.

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Tennesseahawk · Sep 30, 2004

Personally, I like Japanese cars, specifically Toyota and Honda. They are simply a better made vehicle than American cars. It shows in the price, and it shows in owner satisfaction. Keeping jobs in America depends on a few things... price and quality. Medical insurance for the UAW workers alone accounts for $2000 of the price on a new vehicle. For the most part, I see auto workers as whiny, pampered, overpayed babies. Not all of them, but a lot. The union has done much for the American worker... not all of it good. Workers want more and more, unions get more and more, prices go higher, inflation goes higher, jobs go elsewhere. Look at what happened to the American steel industry. Why would foriegn countries buy something higher priced like our steel, when Japan and others sell it for a fraction? Granted, the companies are as much to blame... but in the end, it's a lose - lose situation for the Americans. Pretty soon, gas prices will be so high, we'll revisit the 70's. Economy cars from Japan will take over once more. I don't want to see it, but people aren't going to buy American just because we're American. We're smarter than that... we shop around.

Lawrence · Sep 30, 2004

Tennesseahawk,

Please don't take my support of buying American as an endorsement of the UAW - far from it.

It is however support for the thousands of families who depend on the automotive industry.

Consider this - on your next run on I-75 from Florida to the 401 in Toronto. At almost EVERY exit you can find a supplier to the big 3. These shops may be just a small family business with 10 employees. I know this as I have waited on their docks for shipments.

These are the people who are impacted the most.

Lawrence,
Expediters Online.com

Education is the best defense against the media.

The Lord's Prayer is 66 words, the Gettysburg Address is 286 words, there are 1,322 words in the Declaration of Independence, but government regulations on the sale of cabbage total 26,911 words.

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