PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES

GUESS WHO’S ROLLING OVER???

(CBS) As Congress mulls over a bailout for U.S. automakers, some may be thinking about more than jobs and the economy.

The auto industry spent nearly $50 million lobbying Congress in the first nine months of this year.

And people tied to the auto industry gave another $15 million in campaign contributions, CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson

It’s not surprising that a lot of that money went to members of Congress from Michigan, where the auto industry is the biggest employer and politicians are passionate advocates for their constituents.

Take Sen. Carl Levin, who received $438,304 from the automotive industry. And in the House, Rep. Joe Knollenberg received $879,327. Rep. John Dingell got nearly a million from the industry. All have enjoyed generous support from the auto industry over their careers, with GM and Ford as their two top contributors. All support a bailout.

But nobody’s been a bigger advocate for Motor City interests than Dingell. And for him, the stakes aren’t just political, they’re personal. LINK

It appears that what we are seeing with this attempted “Bailout” is a dramatic shift in our economy from a consumer driven, free market model to a central committee, politically driven model. A model that history points out has failed time and again. Washington politicians have now taken an active part in dictating the course of free enterprise. They are worried that if they let the Big Three automakers fail (AS THEY SHOULD) they will lose some of their political muscle not to mention hefty campaign contributions.

What happens when politicians and bureaucrats interfere with market based economies? Well there are plenty of examples. Take Robert Mugabe and Zimbabwe for example. A once prospering agriculture sector was utterly destroyed and replaced with famine and starvation. Well done Bob.

GAME CHANGER He 280

But one of my personal favorites is the Third Reichs battle between the Messerschmidtt 262 and the Heinkel 280 to be the worlds first operational jet fighter. Nazi internal politics intervened and Heinkels early design HE280 was shelved. It was well established that Ernst Heinkel was no fan of Hitlers Reich and his lack of political loyalty and connections cost him the contract.

ME 262 POLITICS AS USUAL

By the time Hitlers favorite Willie Messerschmidts ME 262 became operational later in the war it was too little too late. The Germans had lost a golden opportunity to field a “Game Changer” early enough to be effective. Had the Luftwaffe hierarchy embraced the HE 280 for what it was when they had the opportunity instead of letting politics dictate, they would have had an operational jet fighter long before the allies and history may have turned out much differently.

Had the He 280 become operational, it would have had no possible opposition, and at a time when the Third Reich was at its wartime peak. It would have swept enemy opposition from the skies over Britain, allowing for operation Sealion to go forward unopposed. Along with the Fw190 and good old Me109, it would have smashed North Africa and possibly the Soviets with it. And then where? Who knows. This is a fine example of the luck that certainly played a part in the eventual Allied victory. LINK

So now our Congress is deep into the bailout business now. They are using tax payer money to dictate what corporation lives or which firm dies. Like the Air Marshalls of the Third Reich, little thought will go into what is best for the economy. The decisions will mostly be made with political considerations first and foremost. Like the eternal loyalty of the UAW. It’s a quid pro quo plain and simple. And it’s wrong, history will bear that out.

The Big Three have had their chances. Now it’s time for a game changer, before it too late.

HOMELAND INSECURITY

I’d like to buy a clue…

Well the messiah looked into his crystal ball and made his pick for Homeland Security Chief this week. Guess what? He blew it! He picked Janet Napolitano Governor of Arizona, essentially a LAWYER and POLITICIAN. This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt: Barack Obama either cares little about securing this country or is too stupid to do it. Janet Napolitano couldn’t secure a lunch box. Her record on illegal immigration and border security is a bad joke.

If the messiah WAS serious about confronting the threats facing our country he would have looked at someone with a military, intelligence, law enforcement, or emergency services background at the least. Instead he blunders along picking a career bureaucrat for one of America’s top jobs.

I guess the libtards have forgotten Hurricane Katrina already. Remember how the media and the left excoriated President Bush for appointing Mike Brown the head of FEMA while giving Ray Nagin and Kathleen Blanco a pass? Please tell me that you haven’t forgotten that one. It really is amazing how hypocritical they are. But I know I’m on to something:

Check out what they are saying in SAN FRANCISCO about her:

One thing that helped fuel her ascent, her critics say, is that Napolitano rarely takes action without doing the political equivalent of a cost-benefit analysis. She often makes decisions based not on what is right and wrong, but on the benefit she’ll derive and what that will cost her politically. A lot of politicians do the same thing. But Napolitano does it better than most, and she’s more obvious about it. At the end of the day, she is a lawyer with one client: herself. And that instinct gets her into trouble when she puts political expediency before principle. LINK

Thats what we need, indecision at the top of homeland security. In the interest of fairness maybe I missed something:

Experience Prior to Governor:

1983-1984 – Law clerk for the Honorable Mary Schroeder of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

1984-1993 – Attorney with Lewis & Roca, a top Arizona law firm. Napolitano was made a firm partner in 1989.

1993-1998 – U.S. Attorney for District of Arizona, appointed by President Bill Clinton. As U.S. Attorney, she supervised the prosecution of more than 6,000 immigration cases.

1998-2002 – Attorney General of Arizona

Nope. I didn’t.

I can bet you one thing right now-terrorists, drug lords and rogue nations all just got a little bolder. Reservations at terrorist training camps are sold out! There’s no room at the Inn.

So once again a critical government appointment is made purely on the basis of politics not qualifications. Surprised? Not me. But coming from the messiah I’m sure some of the chosen are wondering when exactly the change will arrive.

UP, UP AND AWAY…

CITY’S TALLEST BUILDING GETS COUNCIL

COMMITTEE APPROVAL

By Jeff Shields

The developer of the proposed 1,510-foot American Commerce Center has all but secured the zoning necessary to build the city’s tallest structure at 18th and Arch Streets, tilting Center City’s core westward.

City Council’s Committee on Rules voted 9-0 yesterday to allow Hill International Real Estate Partners to blow past a current 125-foot height limit for that property to create a $1.1 billion, 63-floor office tower and 26-story hotel with a department store, a movie/dinner theater, and a supermarket at the base.

A full, final Council vote on the zoning could come as early as next Thursday.

The American Commerce Center would be one of the tallest buildings in the world and dwarf Philadelphia’s highest skyscraper, the 975-foot Comcast Center, which sits across 18th Street on JFK Boulevard. LINK

Well just when you thought it was safe to go back in to the water… more madness from City Hall.

We now have preliminary approval for one of the tallest buildings in the WORLD to be built in Philly, just in time to watch three of the fire companies who would respond to any future emergency at said building, be deactivated. How’s that for forward thinking huh?

While developers lay plans to build ever higher, down here on Earth where the air is much better those of us who have to deal with whatever goes wrong with man’s best laid plans just stand back in amazement at the insane naiveté’ of these dopes.

Look it’s not like I have anything against tall buildings, developers or progress. Actually I applaud this decision. As I said before I’m a homer. I really like my city. (Ok the weather sucks) but I actually would like Philly to be a world class city unlike the whiners in that part of town who complain about the shadow and their obstructed views. Big, giant, tall buildings are a sign of a thriving metropolis, a place where everyone wants to be. Great. I get that. But what about when things go wrong? That’s where me and my guys come in. Building a building like this is tough work. But as long as things follow the plan it’s just that- tough work.

Now think about what happens when things DON’T follow the plan. High rise buildings present one of the greatest challenges a modern firefighter can face. From pumping water, to evacuation of casualties nothing is easy. Firefighters must rely on the buildings internal systems if they are to have any chance to succeed. But what happens when those systems fail? People die thats what happens. Often times it the firefighters that pay the price for our governments shortsightedness. High rise operations are the most manpower intensive operations we face, period.

There is a plan on the table right now the would deactivate SEVEN fire companies from the Phila. Fire Department. Two of the Engines serve Center City, the economic base of Philadelphia where thousands of citizens commute to work and shop every day. Both of the Ladder companies serve parts of Center City as well.

This building would be built in an area already crowded with other high rise towers such as Liberty Place, (I & II) The Comcast building, Melon Bank Tower, Bell Atlantic tower just to name a few and the Commerce Square twins. Each of these buildings and the hundreds of others, draw people from all over the city and surrounding suburbs every day to work and play. They essentially become neighborhoods unto themselves. The closure of these companies means less fire protection where it is needed most.

It’s not just during the day that we feel the strain on our capabilities anymore either. The city for years now has been marketing itself as an after hours destination. They actively promote the urban nightlife in a never ending quest to have people leave as much of their hard earned cash behind as possible. As a matter of fact Engine 8, (slated for closure) is one of the busiest companies in the city on any Thursday, Friday or Saturday night as soon as the weather breaks. Their local encompassing Old City and the riverfront is packed with crowds of revelers enjoying the Cafes’ and pubs.

So while the politicians and bureaucrats tell you “Everything will be fine”, take it from me. The look at lines on a map and ignore things such as TRAFFIC, NEIGHBORHOOD DENSITY, CALL VOLUME, GEOGRAPHY, and BUILDING HEIGHT. Yet they are giddy while cutting our throats. When it comes to emergency services “Doing more with less” equals less survivors.