
 |
|
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
|
| |
Jewish World Review
June 4, 2009
/ 12 Sivan 5769
Who drove the Chevy off the levee?
By
Larry Elder
|

|
|
|
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
How on earth did this happen?
General Motors, the 100-year-old car company that once employed
more than 500,000 workers and had a 50 percent market share, just crumbled
into bankruptcy. The government now runs it.
In the mid-'70s, I attended law school in Michigan. Even back
then, foreign automakers especially the Japanese steadily shaved off
market share from the once-mighty Big Three: GM, Chrysler and Ford.
This foreign encroachment into the auto industry scared the
socks off executives of domestic appliance-makers. Manufacturers of
dishwashers, refrigerators and stoves scrambled into all-hands-on-deck mode.
They vowed to make better stuff, with continually improved features and zero
tolerance for defects. Westinghouse a major manufacturer in serious
trouble during the early '70s set up a "productivity and quality center"
to study Japanese manufacturing methods. A 1983 Business Week article quoted
one Westinghouse top exec: "We have sent more study teams to Japan than any
other American company. We are doing to the Japanese what they have done to
us for 20 or 30 years." Today domestic manufacturers of large appliances
still dominate the American market.
But while the appliance-makers manufactured better products, the
automotive Big Three manufactured excuses: "The Japanese pay their workers
less"; "the Japanese benefit from their weak yen"; "OK, the Japanese excel
at making tiny cars, but they can't compete with us on larger models and
trucks"; etc.
| FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO INFLUENTIAL NEWSLETTER |
| Every weekday NewsAndOpinion.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". HUNDREDS of columnists and cartoonists regularly appear. Sign up for the daily update. It's free. Just click here. |
|
The Big Three then turned to Washington. Their lobbying paid off
through protectionist policies: "voluntary" import quotas (forcing American
consumers to pay more for Japanese cars); domestic content rules (requiring
foreign automakers to use a certain amount of American-produced equipment in
their cars); and demands that foreigners "open" their markets to American
car products or stand accused of "unfair trade."
All of this shielded the Big Three from the rule of business
that determines success or failure: Improve or die.
My uncle Thurman worked at a Cleveland GM plant for 30 years
before retiring. He operated machines that, from time to time, broke down.
Mechanically skilled, though he lacked formal training, Thurman repaired
cars in his garage after work and on weekends for friends, neighbors and
referrals. But when his plant machine broke down, union rules required him
to sit on his hands sometimes for hours while he waited for a young,
often 20-something "tech" in a white shirt and tie to fix the machine.
"Never," Uncle Thurman once told me, "did the kid ask me anything even
though I could put together and take apart the machine in my sleep."
Chrysler, 30 years ago, teetered on the brink of bankruptcy. If
it had been allowed to collapse, the remaining Big Two would likely have
purchased much of Chrysler's plants and equipment and hired at least some of
its workers. Instead, Congress provided financial aid to "rescue" the
company. By not letting Chrysler fail, two major things occurred. First, a
feeble company remained alive, only to limp from financial crisis to
financial crisis for the next several decades. Second, it sent a message not
only to Detroit but also to the rest of America: Expect a taxpayer bailout
if the government deems a business "too big to fail."
Under pressure from American lawmakers, the Japanese built
plants on American soil, where they used American workers to produce
high-quality cars at a lower cost. If it wasn't clear and unmistakable
before, it should have become clear and unmistakable then. Big Three, look
into the mirror.
After World War II, manufacturers in Japan sought out the advice
of W. Edwards Deming, an American quality-control expert. American
businesses ignored Deming's theories on continual improvement, but Japanese
companies lingered on his every word.
The Los Angeles Times named Deming one of the 50 people who most
influenced business during the 20th century. "Scholars note that Japan was
also receptive to Deming at a time when America was not," wrote the Times,
"in part because Deming's ideas dovetailed with many of Japan's own
traditions. Japan had long held hard work and quality craftsmanship as
important virtues, and its technology even during the war surprised many
Americans. Deming preached that companies must treat workers as associates,
not hired hands, and he blamed management if workers were not motivated to
work well." Today outstanding Japanese companies receive the Deming
Application Prize for excellence in total quality management.
Back in Michigan in the '70s, I read article after article about
how the Big Three should/could/would respond to the foreign invasion. But in
practice, I saw excuses and pleas for protectionism.
"Why doesn't General Motors," I recall asking my roommate,
"offer a boatload of money, steal Toyota's No. 2 executive and put him in
charge?" My roommate laughed, "Because he doesn't speak English and wouldn't
be able to understand the American market." I said, "And General Motors
does?"
Today I know that my idea of stealing a Toyota exec was bad. GM
should have picked up the phone, asked the government to buy a majority
share in the company, handed the office keys to the President of the United
States, and said, "Here. You run it."
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Larry Elder is the author of, most recently, "Stupid Black Men: How to Play the Race Card--and Lose."
(Proceeds from sales help fund JWR) Let him know what you think of his column by clicking here.
Larry Elder Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate
|
|

Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Jay Ambrose
Michael Barone
Barrywood
Tony Blankley
Lori Borgman
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Richard Z. Chesnoff
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Alan Douglas
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
Frank J. Gaffney
Bernie Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Argus Hamilton
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Ron Hart
Nat Hentoff
Marybeth Hicks
David Horowitz
Jeff Jacoby
Renee James
Paul Johnson
Jack Kelly
Ed Koch
Ch. Krauthammer
Michael Ledeen
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Ann McFeatters
Dale McFeatters
Dana Milbank
Jeanne Moos
Dick Morris
Jim Mullen
Deroy Murdock
Judge A. Napolitano
Bill O'Reilly
Kathleen Parker
Star Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Sharon Randall
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Heather Robinson
Pat Sajak
Debra J. Saunders
Martin Schram
Culture Shlock
David Shribman
Roger Simon
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Ben Stein
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Dan Thomasson
Bob Tyrrell
Ben Wattenberg
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
ZeitGeist
Mort Zuckerman

Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
Lisa Benson
John Branch
John Cole
J. D. Crowe
John Deering
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Mallard Fillmore
Glenn Foden
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holbert
Lee Judge
Steve Kelley
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Jimmy Margulies
Rick McKee
Michael Ramirez
Kevin Siers
Jeff Stahler
Ed Stein
Danna Summers
John Trever
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters

Mr. Know-It-All
Dr. Peter Gott
GET A JOB! by Marty Nemko
Richard Lederer
Frugal Living
Tech Maven
On Nutrition
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
|