Another 30,000 jobs are lost to the auto industry, the major newspapers tell us today. In unrelated news [or is it?–ed. ] Canada elected a minority conservative government and a new Prime Minister, Stephen Harper.
Faced with deepening losses at its North American operations [Ford Motor Company] yesterday announced plans to shut 14 North American plants and cut as many as 30,000 positions in the next four years.
Ford’s boss, William Clay Ford Jr. is excoriated in the Globe and Mail’s business pages for being to lenient with big labour, but what ALLDERBLOB readers will want to know is what does Ford mean by
“My great-grandfather once said of the first car he ever built: ‘If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have said a faster horse,’ ” Mr. Ford told a news conference in Detroit.
“At Ford, we’re going to figure out what people want before they even know it — and then we’re going to give it to them. It’s where we began and it’s where we must go.”
Obviously, what people want is a bigger muscle car or a larger SUV, if the actions of the Ford Motor Company are to be judged.
Let us hope Stephen Harper is better at prognistication.
Hey, Mr. Luddite, I just figured out that that thing at the bottom of your page isn't actually a counter. It's the year you'd like to drag us all back to, kicking and screaming. Keep up the good work!
[...] Minister Stephen Harper, a regular follower of all things Allderblobdignagian, has selected one of our more frequent correspondents, Guy [...]