Wednesday June 14, 2006 Relocating jobs outside USA

Maybe we can immigrate to Mexico?
To whom will Ford be selling their new cars?
When Henry Ford first set up the assembly line, he created his own market by giving his workers higher wages so they could afford to buy the product they were manufacturing. It seems that the only cars that will eventually be made in the USA will be by Toyota, Mazda, Nissan and Volkswagen. Maybe Ford and GM will be selling to the wealthy people in China and India?

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. (F), which is slashing jobs and closing plants in the United States as it seeks to return its North American operations to profitability, is preparing to invest up to $9.2 billion in Mexico to leverage its low operating costs there, a Michigan newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The Oakland Press, a Detroit-area newspaper, said the investment was detailed in a confidential, 28-page document turned over to it by a Ford employee.

The document, part of which had been prepared for a presentation in early April to officials from the Mexican government, said Ford, the No. 2 U.S. automaker, could invest a total of $9.2 billion in Mexico over a six-year period from 2006 to 2012, according to the newspaper.

Ford spokesman Oscar Suris declined to comment on the report, calling it "speculative."
The newspaper said a second source familiar with Ford operations vouched for the authenticity of the document, "which suggested the automaker's investment could potentially create up to 150,000 jobs in Mexico within the next decade."

"The Way Forward - Mexico (offers an) opportunity to further leverage Ford of Mexico cost advantage and location to reduce corporate fixed costs," the confidential document said.
"We will leverage our global scale like never before and Mexico is a key partner as we're targeting lower fixed costs, better quality and speed to deliver our Way Forward plans," the document said.

Ford, which is struggling with rising costs and declining U.S. market share, currently has two assembly plants and an engine plant in Mexico. Under Ford's restructuring plan, which is dubbed Way Forward and was first announced in January, the automaker plans to close 14 plants and cut up to 30,000 hourly workers in North America.

Thursday June 8, 2006 doom and gloom

I have to admit that the doom and gloom soothsayers have me a bit worried.
If I didn't read the national news or watch the television news, I probably wouldn't be aware that the world as we know it is about to end. The dollar is going to go into a tailspin and inflation is going to cause us to wheelbarrow our money to the market in order to buy the diminishing amout of goods available. Meanwhile, the Chinese and Indians will dominate the new world commerce and will cause a shortage of all essential goods and energy products. Our country will go bankrupt and our new retirement plan will be to work till you die and our health plan will be to stay healthy. They say this looming depression will be far worse than the last great depression and our excessive debt has brought us to this crucial point in history.

Before the fall of our american empire and the beginning of the next dark ages, I plan on enjoying the great life I have right this minute. The first thing I'm going to do is STOP WATCHING AND READING THE NEWS! I can't stop the world from falling apart. I can't control what other people in other countries do. I can't stop other people from wasting their money or wasting their lives – I can only control how I live my life and how I think about life. The world may fall apart sometime in the future, but it won't happen overnight. If the quality of life as we know it declines, it will happen slowly and we will adapt. We just don't need someone running around telling us “the sky is falling”. My dad and his family lived through the great depression, but they didn't know that it was the “great depression” until it was over. They only knew that things were a bit rough and everyone had to pitch in and help each other. They made it through and they were able to find the joy that was available. We will too.

Saturday June 3, 2006 Little known facts

Bush energy plan whacks conservation
More than a dozen efficiency efforts are set for trims or elimination as the administration pushes long-term projects.
By Mark Clayton

A few years ago a little-known US Energy Department program helped produce a design technology for lightweight cars and trucks that in 2004 alone saved the nation 122 million barrels of oil, or about $9 billion.
Even without that breakthrough, the tiny Industrial Technologies Program routinely saves the United States $7 worth of energy for each dollar it spends, proponents say.
So, with energy prices spiking and President Bush pushing for more energy research, the ITP would seem a natural candidate for more funding. In fact, its budget is set to get chopped by a third from its 2005 level. It's one of more than a dozen energy-efficiency efforts that the Energy Department plans to trim or eliminate in a $115 million cost-saving move.

You can say the right words and sound sincere, but your actions really tell the story.