Whatever happened to chrysler, 10 years ago they were at the top of their game, selling thousands of vehicles, millions of performance auto parts. The sudden rise might have gotten the best of them.

One would hope that now we are coming out of recession, car rental firms would be expanding their fleets and doing their bit to help the automotive industry. Yet it is still difficult to get car hire in France, Spain and other European countries at peak times.

This is somewhat off topic but you have to check out this map of job loss across the country since Jan 07’.  Consider that we know not all unemployment is included in official statistics.  ( Of course, I suppose that could be said of 07’ also )  Just hit the green arrow button.  Shock and awe….. oligarchy-style. 

http://www.slate.com/id/2216238

I know Sen. Kennedy was a major force behind the Serve America Act and at this time a much needed program.

From the LA Times:

“Propelled by Sen. Kennedy and Republican Sen. Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, the act will deliver $1.1 billion to AmeriCorps this year, in addition to $200 million that the president’s economic stimulus act has funneled to the organization.

Alan Solomont, chairman of the agency that oversees AmeriCorps, noted that interest in the program is growing: 17,000 applications were submitted online in March, triple the number recorded in March 2008. “We know that people want to serve, as witnessed by ‘the Obama effect’ of people answering the president’s call to service,” Solomont said in a conference call.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-service22-2009apr22,0,5559222.story

Although I’m not quite sure that this article is “technically” accurate, since all of these programs in the past offered educational grants AND living expense stipends concurrently.  It doesn’t sound as if the new legislation changed that portion, but moreso expanded it.  The new booklet is not yet available.

So if you find starvation an uncomfortable reality…. this might be an option .... you may at least feel good about what you’re doing as opposed to working at some dead-end, slimy boss type venue for scavengers wages.

Here’s what I don’t understand:
1) Chrysler and GM are headed for bankruptcy.
2) They both have cars they can’t sell and big factories that are going idle, putting millions out of work.
3) Railroads are FAR more energy efficient.
4) But there is and has been a SEVERE shortage of R/R cars…Only passenger cars are new and…they are all coming from Europe!
5) Like something out of Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” last year’s wheat crop couldn’t get to market because there wasn’t enough rolling stock to carry it!  No new freight cars have been built in 2 decades.

So…Why don’t we invest our taxpayers’ money in helping GM and Chrysler retool a portion of their production into making freight cars?
The nation needs them.
There’s a market for them.
They are FAR more green than GMC and Dodge Ram trucks.