Driving foreign costs America Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!

[iluvAmerica]

Here’s what I mean:

On TV they were interviewing a jobless couple whose house was in foreclosure. On the driveway was a Nissan. I shouted,“Guys, people in Japan are bowing at you for their jobs.”

Ugh! Jobless Americans driving foreign cars.....putting even more Americans out of work!

The reality: the Japanese have been luring us for years. They give their vehicles American names. Our media give them billions in free advertising. And they flood us with seductive ads. No wonder we get sucked in.

As to quality, see the March ‘09 J.D. Power report: For reliability, Buick is No. 1, and Lincoln & Mercury are in top 5. Today, differences between Japanese and American, exist only in persons' minds influenced by media who tout Japanese cars. Most media are BIASED.

For years they have been praising Japanese cars and indirectly panning American ones. Japanese dealers quote them:“Consumer Reports says, Edmunds says.” FOR FREE, these publications help sell MILLIONS of Japanese cars. Yes, media’s over the years constant, relentless pounding of the Big 3 has made it a nightmare for them to compete with the Japanese. And because our auto industry is such a major part of our economy, this costs us JOBS, JOBS, JOBS, especially NOW!

But the Japanese say,“We give America jobs. We build cars here and hire Americans to build them.”

So, they assemble SOME here. The idea is to make people think,“Since they’re built here, they’re American.” HOGWASH! They’re still Japanese!

And here’s more reality: MOST Japanese vehicles sold here are built in Japan and shipped here by boat.

But no matter where they’re assembled or their parts come from, what really matters is where profits go. FACT: every year Japanese parent-corporations in Japan reap BILLIONS from vehicles sold in America. Yes, 31% of their income comes from the U.S.(see Google) These billions help Japan, NOT America!

We’re Japan’s cash cow! This, despite we have almost 50 million people with no health care, 37 million in poverty, 12 million kids hungry each day, 77,000 bridges needing rebuilding, highways crumbling, inner-city schools deteriorating, and unemployment the highest in 25 years.

And we feed Japan? Can we build and sell cars in Japan? Nope! In ‘08 they imported a puny 10,000 of ours. But they sold us 3 MILLION!!! Fair exchange?

They’ve even refused to buy our apples. They’re fiercely loyal to their own products. In effect, they close their market to us. But they FEAST on America!

And, BTW, the South Koreans are also parasites on our economy. They sell us 800,000 cars a year but import only 6,000 of ours.

At least the Germans, who build and sell cars here, buy lots of ours. So do the French, Spanish, Italians, British, Chinese, and South Americans. Yes, we build and sell cars almost everywhere but in Japan and South Korea.

And here’s another problem: Many Big 3 dealers have conflicts of interest. They also have Japanese dealerships. So, of course, they don’t push:“DRIVE AMERICAN!” If they would, they’d sell many more American cars.

Anyway, it’s estimated from “FOREIGN-CAR-I-TIS,” we’ve already lost a million jobs. And if we continue blind to this, estimates say up to 3 million more jobs will be lost. And some predict with trickle down it could be 4 million.

As to the 375,000 or so jobs we get from foreigners to assemble vehicles, well, if from that we lose 3-4 million jobs, that’s OK?

And now with U.S. backing, GM and Chrysler are being made better, stronger. Even so, the Japanese and Koreans are circling vultures hoping to devour our auto industry. Shall we help them by not supporting our own companies?

NO! NO! Let’s back the new GM and Chrysler, as well as Ford, which on its own is strengthening. In May, for the second month in row, Ford outsold Toyota.

Support America’s economy! DRIVE AMERICAN!

P.S. Please pass this message on!

[JugaRum]

Your little rant is so full of crap. Another American against capitalism. Heaven forbid GM or Crysler be put out of business for selling overpriced hunks of union labor made crap! Apparently you don't remember when our very politicians put tariffs on all japanese cars being imported to the US, to "protect" their union masters from the cheaper product. So much for competition! This just forced foreign auto companies to build plants in America, CREATING AMERICAN JOBS! My State of Tennessee has benefited greatly from these companies, as I'm sure others have as well! If GM and Crysler truly made a product Americans wanted at a decent price, more Americans would buy them. Ford has obviously figured this out, why can't GM or Crysler?

I bought a toyota because it was cheaper for me to do so. Is this somehow "Un-American"? FUCK NO it isn't! I'm going to spend my hard-earned money where I feel I'm going to get the most value out of it!

As far as GM and Crysler go, they deserve to be buried. Sticking their hands in the taxpayer cookie jar! Shame on them! When has a Union ever run a business? When has any government run a business effectively and efficiently? Better yet, when has a government ever made a profit or been cost effective? Well these two entities now own a majority stake in the two! Woohoo, hurray for GOVERNMENT MOTORS! Prepare yourselves for the 2010 Hybrid Pacer and the 2010 flexfuel Crysler Omni!**BARF**

Here's an idea... SUPPORT CAPITALISM! Nationalization SUCKS!

p.s. national socialism and communism suck... pass it on!

[iluvAmerica]

JugaRum,

If you're not a Toyota salesperson or employer, I'll my hat.

And your use of foul language, profanity on this site is a violation of Topix rules.

So, FAN OF JAPAN,

As to quality check out Google for Toyota lemons, and get enlightened and smell the Japanese manure.

And keep in mind if you love Japan so much that you want those billions from the USA to keep rolling into that country, at the expense of a lot of poor people in American, well keep in mind:

JAPAN AIRLINES IS READY WHEN YOU ARE!

And one last thing,(you'll hear no more from me Mr.Toyota):

Your words insult and malign a lot of hard working, fine people who build American vehicles.

SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!

[JugaRum]

Wow, spit out the truth and the insults pour in. I never once said I was a "FAN OF JAPAN"! You must have skipped over the paragraph that stated I spend my hard earned money where I feel I'll get the MOST VALUE out of it. I felt TOYOTA provided that, and therefore they got my money. That's CAPITALISM for you! Apparently I'm not the only one who feels this way either, because Toyota is still in business and GM and Crysler are bankrupt (and I use the term bankrupt loosely because we all know if there is one single American taxpayer left, they'll never truly be bankrupt)! Funny thing how competition works. But I suppose that's just another insult to hard working, fine people who build American cars. I also bet the fact that I shop at Wal-mart for my necessities really insults the hard working, fine people of K-mart too. I must be completely un-American for almost putting them out of business as well!

You Sir, insult every hard working, wonderful American who wants the most bang for his/her hard-earned money with your accusations that we're to blame for GM and Cryslers failure, because we bought Japanese!

Here's a million dollar idea. Blame the real culprits! Politicians, Unions, poor management, and inferior products.

Also, to correct your ASSumption that you believe me to be a salesperson or employer of Toyota because I stated I had purchased a car from Toyota and why! Do you realize how stupid that makes you look, when you're spewing out lines like...

"And now with U.S. backing, GM and Chrysler are being made better, stronger. Even so, the Japanese and Koreans are circling vultures hoping to devour our auto industry. Shall we help them by not supporting our own companies?

NO! NO! Let’s back the new GM and Chrysler, as well as Ford, which on its own is strengthening. In May, for the second month in row, Ford outsold Toyota.

Support America’s economy! DRIVE AMERICAN!"

Who pays your bills Friendo? That jingoistic nonsense sounds like something straight out of Heinlein's Starship Troopers! BUY GOVERNMENT MOTORS, IT'S PATRIOTIC, WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE...blah blah blah!

[Moxie123]

JugaRum wrote:

Your little rant is so full of crap.

Did you not just complain about insults?

Another American against capitalism.

Who said anything about being against capitalism?

In a free market, capitalism assumes that the purchases are both rational and productive for both parties to the transaction. Self-destructive, irrational purchases cannot be rationalized with this economic theory.

Heaven forbid GM or Crysler be put out of business for selling overpriced hunks of union labor made crap!

Overpriced crap? You sound just like a Japanese car salesman!

Fact: In 2009, Buick ranked the HIGHEST (tied only with Jaguar) in Dependability by J.D. Power.“Buick has ranked among the top 10 nameplates each year since the study was last redesigned in 2003"

And OVERPRICED? Again, do some research.

"The Detroit 3 know they need to try harder in order to sell cars, which means they often price less them below top models from Toyota, Honda, and other competitors. The Ford Fusion, Chevy Malibu, Toyota Camry, and Honda Accord are all priced about the same, for instance, and all have similar quality ratings. " The Big Three are also offering much better incentives right now.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/flowchart/2009/04...

Apparently you don't remember when our very politicians put tariffs on all japanese cars being imported to the US, to "protect" their union masters from the cheaper product. So much for competition! This just forced foreign auto companies to build plants in America, CREATING AMERICAN JOBS!

The Japanese built 24 US plants for 1 reason: public relations.

"For Toyota, building factories in the U.S. has served as a way to win goodwill in the face of public rancor over the role played by foreign automakers in the decline of the American auto industry"

They achieved what they wanted: creating a fake positive image. And now, they are pulling back, and building factories in Japan instead. What to know why?

"The Wall Street Journal quoted an unnamed Toyota senior executive and management board member who says,“It’s much, much more profitable to produce cars in Japan and ship them all to the U.S. right now, if it wasn't for the political problems that might cause.”

"http://www.reliableplant.com/Article.aspx...

And the trade deficit grows and grows. You obviously have NO clue how much this ends up costing the American taxpayer.

As far as GM and Crysler go, they deserve to be buried. Sticking their hands in the taxpayer cookie jar! Shame on them!

Shame on who? The factory workers that busted their rears for decades building solid, reliable American vehicles?

When has any government run a business effectively and efficiently?

You might want to research how the Japanese government has helped their auto industry with currency manipulation.

Here's an idea... SUPPORT CAPITALISM! Nationalization SUCKS!
p.s. national socialism and communism suck... pass it on!

Here's an even better thought. Why don't you actually study Friedman before you cite capitalism to rationalize your uninformed, slanted, self-destructive, unpatriotic attitudes and purchases. FYI -- "Capitalism" does not support your reasoning. Freedom to purchase what you want does NOT justify a destructive purchase that defies common sense.

[JugaRum]

Yes, because it's apparently self destructive, unpatriotic, and slanted that I choose to spend my money where I will get maximum value from it. I worked hard for that money I traded my time and body to earn. After researching what all the automakers offered I decided that a Toyota was worth giving up the dollars I earned. Toyota agreed that the money was more important to them than keeping their car and a legal transaction was made. I got what I wanted and they got what they sought, and in the process saved a good amount of money. Wow, a completely destructive purchase that defied common sense! I don't need Friedman to teach me that choice in a marketplace is good, or if you can't produce a product that consumers want you should go the way of the dinosaurs.

Sure it sucks about Japan's currency manipulation, but that alone is not the cause of failure in the American auto industry. You're citing a lot of interesting literature on what the auto industry has done NOW to make their cars better and more appealing! That's awfully kind of them, but they somehow couldn't do this years ago?

Again, the main culprits of the industry failure are Politicians, Unions, poor management, and inferior products. It's nice to see them producing a product that consumers are starting to desire now, but you can't put the blame on the consumers for making them go bankrupt! And they should never have expected the American taxpayer to bail them out for their own failings. Good on Ford though for not sticking their hands in the cookie jar. If any American company is worth investing in, it's them for toughing it out and owning up to their mistakes!

Also, you had something about a Toyota exec stating it was much much cheaper to produce a car in Japan. He's right. Thanks to our politicians (and labor unions) manipulating workers wages it most certainly is. As workers, we can't compete globally. Why do you think almost all textiles are made in China (beside the obvious fact that they manipulate currency too)? BECAUSE IT'S CHEAPER TO MAKE IT IN CHINA AND SHIP IT TO AMERICA, THAN IT IS TO HAVE AN AMERICAN MAKE IT HERE!

[Canadian Bacon]

JugaRum wrote:

Wow, spit out the truth and the insults pour in. I never once said I was a "FAN OF JAPAN"! You must have skipped over the paragraph that stated I spend my hard earned money where I feel I'll get the MOST VALUE out of it. I felt TOYOTA provided that, and therefore they got my money. That's CAPITALISM for you! Apparently I'm not the only one who feels this way either, because Toyota is still in business and GM and Crysler are bankrupt (and I use the term bankrupt loosely because we all know if there is one single American taxpayer left, they'll never truly be bankrupt)! Funny thing how competition works. But I suppose that's just another insult to hard working, fine people who build American cars. I also bet the fact that I shop at Wal-mart for my necessities really insults the hard working, fine people of K-mart too. I must be completely un-American for almost putting them out of business as well!
You Sir, insult every hard working, wonderful American who wants the most bang for his/her hard-earned money with your accusations that we're to blame for GM and Cryslers failure, because we bought Japanese!
Here's a million dollar idea. Blame the real culprits! Politicians, Unions, poor management, and inferior products.
Also, to correct your ASSumption that you believe me to be a salesperson or employer of Toyota because I stated I had purchased a car from Toyota and why! Do you realize how stupid that makes you look, when you're spewing out lines like...
"And now with U.S. backing, GM and Chrysler are being made better, stronger. Even so, the Japanese and Koreans are circling vultures hoping to devour our auto industry. Shall we help them by not supporting our own companies?
NO! NO! Let’s back the new GM and Chrysler, as well as Ford, which on its own is strengthening. In May, for the second month in row, Ford outsold Toyota.
Support America’s economy! DRIVE AMERICAN!"
Who pays your bills Friendo? That jingoistic nonsense sounds like something straight out of Heinlein's Starship Troopers! BUY GOVERNMENT MOTORS, IT'S PATRIOTIC, WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE...blah blah blah!

Dude, you are wasting you time trying to reason with high school dropouts. Let them buy American crap and live with it.

[Inquirer]

What you all are missing is the fact you can't really tell what is or is not American anymore. Many American cars are either manufactured in other countries or at least the parts are and they are just put together here like a jigsaw puzzle. Many "Foriegn" cars are manufactured here (giving many Americans jobs they would not have, just check out they guys in TN). And no, I don't sell or make cars. I am an American and I have a Ford (made in Canada) A Dodge (made when the Germans owned Chrysler) and a Mazda, made with Ford cooperation and a Ford engine. I might get me a Chevy next, if they don't charge too much to ship it from South America where they make some of them.

[Vet]

It sounds like "ILUVAMERICA" just pasted someone else's article or EMAIL Spam onto this post. He is just regurgitating the pablum he is being spoon fed. Far be it for him to have an original thought.

[Moxie123]

Inquirer wrote:

What you all are missing is the fact you can't really tell what is or is not American anymore. Many American cars are either manufactured in other countries or at least the parts are and they are just put together here like a jigsaw puzzle. Many "Foriegn" cars are manufactured here (giving many Americans jobs they would not have, just check out they guys in TN). And no, I don't sell or make cars. I am an American and I have a Ford (made in Canada) A Dodge (made when the Germans owned Chrysler) and a Mazda, made with Ford cooperation and a Ford engine. I might get me a Chevy next, if they don't charge too much to ship it from South America where they make some of them.

In 2008, the Big Three averaged 72% domestic parts.

Foreign cars averaged only 33%.

http://www.levelfieldinstitute.org/files/scor... _v_Foreign.pdf

"Because Ford, GM and Chrysler conduct far more of their research, design, engineering, manufacturing and assembly work in the U.S. than foreign automakers do, buying a Ford, GM or Chrysler supports twice as many jobs as buying the average foreign automobile. Buying a Ford supports six times more jobs than buying a Hyundai.

Autos assembled outside the U.S. by companies based here support significantly more U.S. jobs than autos assembled here by companies with most of their engineering, design and headquarter jobs located overseas. For example, a Ford assembled in Mexico this year will likely support approximately six times more U.S. jobs as a Hyundai assembled in Alabama. "

http://www.levelfieldinstitute.org/jpc_rating...

[Vet]

Well Moxie, if the average American has to go car shopping with an Atlas and a Lap top to figure out part percentages and who got what job or profit, I don't think many cars would be sold. The average shopper that does research, just usually researches value, price and reliabilty.

[Moxie123]

Vet wrote:

Well Moxie, if the average American has to go car shopping with an Atlas and a Lap top to figure out part percentages and who got what job or profit, I don't think many cars would be sold.

It is quite simply. So why does one need an "Atlas and a laptop" to understand the basic fact that if you buy a vehicle from a Japanese corporation, the profits go to Japan. It does not matter where the parts came from, where the car is assembled. If it's Japanese, then you are hurting America. Period.

The average shopper that does research, just usually researches value, price and reliabilty.

Yes, and where do they research? Biased publications with lists and reviews generated with slanted, carefully hand-picked vehicles and data that supports the editors that coincidentally seems to always fall in-line with the publications long-standing, patently clear biases and prejudices?

Or do most educated consumers get online and dig through objective data? Do they objectively evaluate American cars versus the foreign competitors based on un-filtered raw data? I highly doubt it.

Because if they would, there is NO way so many educated people would buy foreign vehicles and categorically dismiss the Big Three. The facts are out there. Foreign cars are riddled with problems, defects, recalls, and lemons. But oddly, I don't see the media talking about it. I see lots of blind admiration, and flat-out unpatriotic hate.

The media is to blame though. Like Luv said, they perpetuate this ignorance by glorifying the likes of Toyota and ignoring the Big Three unless its negative.

For instance, until I did my own research, I had NO clue Toyota recalled 1.2 Million vehicles in January 09. I had NO clue that the Sequoia was plagued with serious problems year after year. I had NO clue the Accords transmissions were defective, year after year. I had NO clue how many times these foreign automakers refused warranty coverage only to be forced to make amends years later after being blanketed with complaints and suits. These are things the media should be telling the American consumer!

[iluvAmerica]

You tell it like is, Moxie. Touche!

DRIVE AMERICAN! The job you help save just might be your own.

[Vet]

Maxie, I bet your TV is from Japan, your dishes are from china and some of your clothes are made in Taiwan, Vietnam and Korea. What about those jobs? I bet you often buy items, other than cars, that are not made in the USA. Even a lot of the produce in the grocery stores are imported and they are not labled as such.
Given choice of two products comparible in price and quality, I will buy the American one. But often there is no American choice in a particular item.

[Vet]

one of the great things about today is for dinner tonight I can have wine from Italy, sausage from Germany, potatoes from the U,S., cheese from France, and for desert, chocolate from Switzerland. And in Switzerland, they can have beef from the U.S., wine from California and get a DUI in a Chrysler. It is now a Global society.
My brother-in-law is Romanian, lives in Germany and works there for an American owned Company, with Headquarters in Canada and factories all over the world. GO Earth.

[iluvAmerica]

Vet,

You make some good points.

Thank you.

[JugaRum]

Pretty interesting read...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/...

[iluvAmerica]

JugaRum,

You're right, that's an interesting article.

Thanks a bundle for posting it.