Quote:
Originally Posted by DMcCunney
I had some interesting conversations with an old friend who is a rabid conservative and felt the Feds should do just that. He's an entrepreneur, and has made his living in a variety of ways over the years. He's under the happy delusion that everyone else can emulate his practice, and letting GM go belly up would simply spawn a batch of smaller, nimbler independents filling the void it left. And so it might, but what happens to all the laid off workers in the meantime? Most would not be able become entrepreneurs and go into business for themselves, a fact that he can't seem to grasp.
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Dennis
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What happens to the laid off workers in the mean time? Does everyone have to emulate his practice, or just those who are displaced or those that don't find work elsewhere? Are you suggesting that they just die suddenly if GM disappears?
If a factory closes that employs 1000 workers, it's silly to think that even 1/2 of those would become entrepreneurs. I don't know if that many would WANT to. Some people are those kinds of movers and shakers. Others are scammers, others still are damn hard workers, etc. Some are hopeful, some are helpless, some are mobile, some are planted.
Some would do weird things like buying bulk goods and showing up at flea markets. Some would work out of their homes or sell stuff. Some would take multiple jobs (hard to with when 20k people get laid off). Some would learn new jobs skills or fall back on old job skills. Some would move out, find a new city, try again. Some would move back with parents or move in with children.
Some would despair, some would fall into depression, some would kill their pain through booze, drugs, or permanently.
But in spite of that, all in all, the majority of the people just ... survive. They live. Maybe not at the level they're used to, maybe more cautiously. Some do better, some do worse. Some draw from reservoirs of spirit and character that they never knew they had. Others withdraw and quite trying.
How is that different than life?
Good things, bad things - we keep going.
If your friend is a rabid conservative, then he probably feels that the keeping the GM money "in pocket" would be a lot better in the long run, and could actually have been available in the event of total catastrophe.
"Here;s a badly managed business with inefficient practices. Do we give the management 6 billions of dollars which we can't control, or do we wish them luck, hold 6 billions of dollars in reserve, and monitor the 20k workers, and maybe another 30k people in the surrounding areas. People who are husbands or wives or daughters or sons. People who have a famility member working at the plant, or people that work elsewhere that depends upon the spending of those folks who worked at the plant. Grocery stores, clothing, electric utilities, police, teachers, etc.
I guess it comes down to control for me...