The UAW and 500

First the union. It is payback time. The unions have traditionally been partial to Democrats and in this past election cycle were highly successful. Time, toil, and treasure from the union coffers in large part got their chosen candidates elected to Congress, the Senate and President. With a huge amount of "bailout" money going to the Big Three Automakers the union's favorite politicians will naturally try to exert a little pressure on GM's management to look favorably on the union demands.

I haven't read it, and neither has your Representatives or Senators who actually voted on it, but the "Stimulus Bill" included a cap on executive pay for those corporations slated to receive bailout money. I also understand that there will be limitations on certain other expenditures by those same corporations. Members of Congress made large outcry when the automotive industry leaders were called to Washington to testify and arrived by corporate jet. The left-leaning media made lots of noise chastising those same executives for receiving excessive perks with the end result many flight departments have been severely curtailed. I am sure that the curtailment will continue to echo down through the entire aviation industry with the loss of many jobs but that is an effect that our congressmen will ignore.

I suspect that with the large amount of bailout money headed to the auto makers more strings will be attached. One will be the amount and type of advertising that the automakers will be allowed and that brings up NASCAR sponsorship. For the automakers NASCAR was perfect as it highlighted the power and speed of their marquees. NASCAR fans, and Americans in general, tend to buy the winners so NASCAR sponsorship has been a potent advertising tool, evidently well worth the bucks.

Enter the green revolution and the fight against global warming. Man-made global warming is the current windmill jousting target of Al Gore, most of the left and particularly President Obama who is proud to point out that "We won!" By pouring large amounts of money into the big three they feel that they can dictate what kind of automobile will be produced. Those new politically correct automobiles won't be the powerful gas burners that win in the NASCAR circuit. No those left-leaning green politicians want the public to buy the tepid, the meek; the Caspar Milquetoast autos that make mass transit look tolerable. Already $600 million has been authorized to purchase the new "green autos" for bureaucrats, with no choice in the matter, to drive.

Do the lefties really care how NASCAR fans feel? Well I suspect that the vast majority of those fans, especially those who proudly call themselves "redneck", didn't vote for our new President. It may be payback time!

I watched President Obama at his first press conference last week. One comment was, "I inherited this financial mess that the country is now in." Interesting! One may remember he spent the past four years in the U.S. Senate and in fact voted for the first bailout last fall. The Constitution still states that the President proposes spending and the Legislative Branch authorizes the expenditure of funds. Inherited? No I think Senator Obama was actually part of the problem.

Sure is fun to watch the antics of the recently impeached Past Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich! His appointee Senator Roland Burris, Democrat, Ill., seems to be still in hot water. It is amazing how a federal investigator has improved his memory about campaigning for the job. And where has the Rev. Jesse Jackson been since he was implicated in a million dollar fund raising event to "encourage" the then sitting Governor Blago to nominate Jesse Jackson, Jr. to that same Senate seat. That seat made vacant by the election of President Obama. Chicago politics to make any Democrat proud!

That is the way I saw it.