What happened to Michigan cont... 1-05-11

According to Ed-and I have no reason to doubt him-he grossed over $100,000 in a good year. In fact, he was already eligible for retirement. But Ed had no interest in retiring UNLESS he was offered a buyout. He had a number in mind, and it was HUGE. Otherwise, he fully intended to continue going to work, read his newspaper, and exercise in the company-supplied fitness facility. Neither he nor his lovely wife had graduated high school, and their vacations and fishing cabin in northern Michigan sounded wonderful. I'm glad, because that cabin isn't worth much any more, in spite of what the northern realtors claim. In the meantime, Chrysler continues to ship business overseas and to Mexico. Fiat owns a huge portion of Chrysler. Every time a remaining Michigan assembly plant hires back a few hundred workers, the news is splashed across the headlines. Supplier jobs, however, continue to disappear. And the headlines always fail to mention that those new assembly jobs are at a $14 dollar an hour rate instead of $28 an hour. Michigan was the only state to lose population in the past decade. The golden geese (the auto companies) have been wrung dry by their unions and shortsighted shareholders. They have learned the hard way, and will not make the same mistake twice if they do not go bankrupt a second time.  I have to stop now, or Ed's wheezing giggle will never stop repeating in my head.