I don’t want to address the Toyota situation per se because I have a family member who makes a living via Toyota, therefore I have an interest. What I want to do is to make you aware that this question is out there because it points to a much bigger problem than the auto industry.
Brian Johnson at Breitbart’s Big Government raises the issue in, Toyota and the Union-Backed, Government-Led Witch Hunt. I don’t know if Johnson’s claims are valid. This is not the first article that I have seen on this issue. I feel that it is now a problem.
The government has, by choice, forfeited its vital ability to act as an impartial judge in issues involving certain industries including the automobile industry and the banking industry. The government did this by doing what a U.S. government should not do; the government lost its impartiality by taking a stake in GM and by being heavily influenced by the UAW.
Yes, I know that both political parties are under heavy influence. I don’t excuse either party for it.
The problem used to be limited to influence from unions, lobbyists, and businesses. Now the government is a stockholder in addition to the influence. Now they want the businesses they have invested in and backed to succeed both for the return of the money given/invested, and so that they can claim they did a good job in getting involved with these companies. The government wants to take a greater stake in health care as well – note, the government option is not dead.
We the People need government to do its job, in this and similar cases, to maintain its ability to act as an impartial judge. The government’s forfeiture of its status as impartial judge is very dangerous for U.S. consumers. The arrangement as designed, where government is to be a separate entity from business, was far from perfect but it was better than having to ask if Breitbart has a case here.
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Mr. S, the term “witch hunt” is supposed to refer to a search for something that doesn’t exist.
The people who have been killed, repeat killed, due to mechanical defects in several popular Toyota models, do exist (or at least they used to). So the answer is No, claims that the government is engaged in a witch hunt at the behest of unions are not valid. Toyota management itself has repeatedly acknowledged that the problems are real.
Finally, it’s nonsense to suggest that an agency of the executive branch of our government can or should be “an impartial judge” of anything. The executive branch is and always will be partial to the interests of large groups of voters. That’s why we have a judicial branch as well – a branch that is made up of impartial judges who do not have to answer to voters and who can serve as a check on actions of the executive that may be popular with some but do not comport with our fundamental laws.
If Toyota feels that it is the victim of a “witch hunt,” it has the opportunity (and the money) to put its case to the judicial branch.
Henri/Paul/LaNariz/hairdressers
“Mr. S, the term “witch hunt” is supposed to refer to a search for something that doesn’t exist. ”
I was just checking the dictionary here. “Witch Hunt” also means “intentional denigration of perceived enemies thru lies, innuendo, and exaggerated claims, usually for financial or political gain”.
I think the last definition fits better in this case.Just a thought on a scorecard..
Cheap regressive libtards-0
Constitutional Conservatives 100
And that’s the way it is “Sunday Feb 21, 2010…”
Rafi, it’s great to hear that you opened a dictionary for the first time in your life. Congratulations! May this occasion be the first of many!
Getting back to the issue, since Toyota’s execs have now publicly admitted that the safety concerns the federal government have been yelling about are real – and that their recall fix may not even work in every case – those who claim this is a witch hunt (however you define the term) should now admit they were wrong and shut their mouths.
Except in giving the title of an article he didn’t write (and the claims of which he does not validate) , I don’t see the term “witch hunt”anywhere in the post.
There have been countless articles in the media on Toyota’s problems and the government’s concerns about them. But Mr. S. chose to cite one that describes the government’s questions about the safety of Toyota models as a “witch hunt.” Now why would he do that?
Unless you’re going to lie about it, the way Rafi/Shinequa usually does, you’ll have to admit that my post clearly addresses the principal point made in Mr. S.’s – that the executive branch is supposed to be or should be an impartial judge in such matters. Any reason why you decided to leave that out of your comment? Or should we just try to guess?
Henri Cranium
They NOT impartial, fool, they friggin own GM/Chrysler. So it COULD be in their interest to denegrate Toyota…
Or you thinkin’ Obama be above that sort o’ underhanded tactics?
We here in Detroit used to want more GM cars sold, but as long as Obama be ownin’ them we just as soon walk…
Actually readin’ the entire post is not Henry’s long suit. He just finds a small tidbit that fits his far left ignorant ideology and runs wit it…
We all know Mr Robert NEVER mentioned “witch hunt”, it was Breitbart. Henri/Paul should go to one of the BIG sites for an education…We here in Detroit make it a daily habit, along wit this site…
I have to admit that what seemed to be a couple of routine recalls seems to have become a big story. That seems to be coming from the media–Toyota has been the company to beat, and their business and advertising model has been to highlight quality. We love an “oh how the mighty have fallen” story. Whether the government response is out of line is another question.
The company who makes the gas pedals targeted in the recent recall, makes them for Toyota, Ford, Chrysler and GM. It has been said by several dealerships that Chrysler and GM is experiencing some of the same problems. Where is the media here? It appears that if GM cannot make a better car, it’s cheaper for this administration to knock down the competition. I do believe that Toyota quality is not what it was 10 years ago, however they still make a better product that GM or Chrysler. Resale value speaks for itself. I do not trust the Unions or this administration in this matter. If you have control over the market, you can target your competition however you need with what ever bias you see fit.
If you could post information about the “several dealerships” you mentioned, that would be helpful, assuming they really exist. I have a hard time believing that people have been killed because of the same faulty gas pedals on Chrysler and GM cars as on Toyota cars and the media have not noticed that. So if you can post stories about those deaths, go ahead.
Still waiting for “Skeptial” to post some backup for his claims. So far, nothing.