The Government's War On Toyota as Sleight of Hand

By Victor the Contractor:

President Obama's federal government is in high gear this week condemning the mechanical problems that automaker Toyota is scrambling to rectify after five fatalities and scores of injuries these last few years. That Toyota dragged its feet in issuing warnings and repair orders is a given, but the U. S. Government smells blood in the water and instead of proceeding with caution it is fanning the flames with statements designed to destroy Toyota's reputation. Now I'm not going to bat for Toyota in this instance; they reacted at glacial speed and made some of the mess worse. It seems they ignored a problem or came up with quick fixes in the hope the problem would rapidly fade. But to single them out seems opportunistic.

Trimming a floor mat where the gas pedal got stuck seemed to fix most of the problems -- for a time. But as the cars aged a plastic bearing started to stick and cars got into accidents because the pedal, again, would get stuck in a depressed position. Instead of issuing a recall they decided to fix the problem on a case by case basis and redesigned the pedal using a different plastic bearing. That didn't work either and Toyota's new cars, with the redesigned pedal, wound up with the same problem as well as suspected electrical throttle problems. An accident that resulted in five fatalities was perfect fodder for the press, who piled on and cited every problem with Toyotas for the last ten years.

Every automobile maker has product problems, bulletins that proscribe repairs during normally scheduled maintenance, and outright recalls for important deficiencies; so why would the Government be giving interviews about one manufacturer and ignoring the same problems with other automobile makers? To me, the reasons are twofold. The first is about shoring up support for a key constituency and the second is yet another example of political sleight of hand and misdirection.

Firstly, The U. S. government is the owner of the means of production of two once-omnipotent automobile companies. General Motors and Chrysler are on a form of welfare that negates the need for profit. The new mission for these businesses is to 'park' all of those union workers who were instrumental in bankrupting the companies in the first place. They vote in large numbers, and Democrat at that, so it is paramount for the White House to maintain this new welfare class. A crisis like a foreign car maker in trouble is like a gift horse for the administration. It can beat the drum to buy American. Never mind that American cars are really assemblages of the same foreign auto parts the other manufacturers use to construct similar models. And please ignore that the sales Toyota has lost are likely being subsumed by Ford, whose products are in sufficient demand that it has not required a bailout. Chrysler and G.M. continue to hemorrhage market share and will remain in that situation as long as consumers perceive their products as substandard.

But there is a second reason to focus a the public eye like a laser on the Toyota at the expense of other stories. And this one is so much more serious than the support of an unworthy business or two. The White House wants to distract the American people from more important issues like the growing debt, subversion of the Constitution and the growing problems with Iran.

Today the Iranians launched a rocket they said was for space research but could just as easily be used to lob a nuclear bomb at an adversary. And we all know which adversaries they'd like to be 'lobbing' at. It was a nice touch that they put some rodents, two turtles and a worm or two on board, but all sane people know why the Iranian Government would like to master the art of sending rockets into near-Earth orbit and having them come down in a predetermined spot. Iran with ICBMs -- not a pleasant scenario.

All thanks go to the press for playing up Toyota's problems and minimizing some very real difficulties now facing America. I look forward to the house of cards they will build around President Obama's nonexistent record as the midterm elections approach. I can't wait to hear the press lionize the Congress for wanting to improve our lives and demonize the Republicans for trying to preserve that antiquated document: The Constitution.

Victor The Contractor

Victor omitted a discussion of the trial lawyers, but his point is absolutely valid even without the leeches.