Toyota knew about it’s cable problem then also but did nothing to fix it.  It knew that it needed to develop better technology to prevent these types of problems from occurring in it’s vehicles.  Unfortunately, almost 24 years has passed since the MR2 cable issue surfaced.  It still remains unfixed by Toyota.  One can only wonder if Toyota had investigated the problem further back then if the lessons learned could have made a difference with it’s current problems regarding moisture infiltrating mechanical cable systems.  Perhaps lives could have been saved?

Toyota quality & it’s response to those situations simply isn’t what it used to be.  In recent years it’s Tacoma model has suffered from frame rust issues which forced a recall of entire vehicles.  There is good evidence to suggest that it’s Tundra model suffers from a similar problem however nothing has been done on that front.  The cost of recalling entire vehicles is just too high and Toyota has put it’s bottom line ahead of customer safety again.

There in lies the problem, by its nature Socialism discriminates between the haves and haves not.  It is a Robin Hood system, taking from the “rich” and giving to the poor.  As stated before people typically don’t have a problem feeding someone in need they do have a problem when they feel they are being given the short end.  For example, Person A.:  You work hard growing up and you go to school and get your masters, you spend a lot of time studying.  As a result you don’t get to enjoy as much time with your friends  or family and in general you miss out on a lot of fun things.  In the end though you have a nice house, nice car, and a good job.  Person B:  You spend a lot of time partying.  You live life to the “fullest”, you party hard but your education takes a back seat.  You never go to college and end up in a mill.  During this recession you’ve been laid off.  Where is the fairness in that?  Socialism in this case “punishes” Person A while “rewarding” Person B.  Our systems here in the US don’t make a distinction between those two people.  Programs such as welfare are meant to be a hand up not a hand out.  If you work hard and you still lose your job you should receive some help.  If you have decided you time is better spent on other things then you should reap what you sow.  It is unfortunate but especially in the US people need to start taking responsibility for their actions.  We need systems here that encourage that responsibility.

Apple is not a company content with just making money by selling hardware.  Their business model is to keep making money on that hardware long after it is sold.  Whether that be in the form of selling music for iPods or selling applications to iTouch/iPhone users or selling books and newspaper subscriptions to iPads.

Fortunately for Apple their timing couldn’t be better.  Newspapers and other printed media are in a definite decline and now is a perfect time for Apple to put the proverbial nail in their coffin.  Amazon has proven that there is a market for electronic books with their Kindle device and Apple is not going to sit idly by and watch Amazon take that market out from underneath them.  While the Kindle is certainly a great device watch for the iPad to do everything the Kindle does (with the exception of the Kindles always on connection) plus it will do it with a slicker interface, access to thousands of applications, and better integration.

Attempting to legislate our way to racial harmony makes about as much sense are trying to legislate common sense.  It pits one side against another which only serves to perpetuate the problem.  Creating divisiveness will never help heal our nations racial problems.  In fact the result is almost certainly the exact opposite.  Divisiveness is tearing this country apart.  We don’t see ourselves as one country, one people.    Some where along the line we became Asian Americans, African Americans, Caucasian Americans.  To get back to that spirit we used to have the country needs to stop allowing discrimination of any kind.  Race and Sex should not be a factor is a hiring decision for any reason.  There is no excuse.

If you want an excellent example of how our country is being torn apart look at this recently posted article on CNN.  Available Here. There was a firefighter promotion exam in New Haven, CT.  After the test was completely by those involved the down discovered that non of the black firefighters passed the test.  Their reaction, declare the test invalid.  The firefighters who did pass the test have now decided to sue the city and it has made it all the way to the US Supreme court.  The cities actions are nothing short of ridiculous.  Everyone was given the same exam, everyone had the same opportunity to study before hand.  Firefighters are vital to the safety of the public, do you want the most qualified person or someone who passed their test after your city made it easier to pass.  Obviously the test is not possible.  20 of the firefighters were able to pass.  If you think race and sex should be factors in employment try this experiment.  Next time your child or a loved one gets sick, don’t take them to the person you feel is most qualified, take them to the person you think is most deserving based on their race and sex.  See how far that gets you.

When is discrimination no discrimination?  Never…

The problem is as Americans we want a great deal but when it comes time to pay up, no one wants to do so.  We need to decide, do we want lower taxes or do we want more services?  There is a trade off between the two.  If you want “free” health care for everyone then be prepared to pay for it.  If you want Social Security then be prepared to really pay for it.  Recently the Peterson Foundation calculated the federal government accumulated $56.4 trillion in total liabilities and unfunded promises for Medicare and Social Security as of September 30, 2008.  That is $184,000 for every man, woman, and child here in the US.  To put it another way that’s $483,00 per household.  Do you have that kind of money?  That money is going to have to come from somewhere so be prepared when your taxes start to go up.

Socializing programs sounds great until you have to pay for them.  Ideally everyone would have health insurance and a roof over their head and food on their table.  However, is it the governments job to take from the haves and give to the have nots?  Or perhaps should government be limited in it’s powers and scope?  If providing comfort to ones neighbors is as much of a priority for people as the government thinks it should be then there won’t be a problem with private citizens and organizations taking on the burden of helping the less fortunate, correct?

The governments place isn’t to provide a utopia, it is incapable of such actually.  The role of the government here in the US should be reduced and the responsibility of taking care of those who are less fortunate should fall with it’s citizens.  Private citizens and organizations are able to do so more efficiently and with more compassion.

Considering GM is on the verge of bankruptcy one has to wonder why GM would even contemplate such a vehicle.  Concept vehicles have their place and in many cases they stir up some positive PR for the company.  However, in the case of the PUMA it just goes to show how out of touch GM has become with their consumer.  They are designing concept vehicles which have no future, hopefully zero possibility of being built, and that give GM an even worse name.

Would you buy a PUMA?  It’s estimated that it will cost 1/3-1/4 of the cost of an average car.  Considering it is exposed to the elements and can not be driven on the highway the PUMA is nothing more than a toy really.    The average cost of a new car in the US is $28,400 dollars.  So 1/3-1/4 of that would be $7,100-$9,500.  Unless you’ve got money to burn this isn’t the vehicle for you.  For most people $9,500 will pay for a lot of cab rides around the city.

It is unfortunate that GM has fallen so far out of touch…

GM's Next Failure?

The problem now is they are finding out that it wasn’t in their long term interest. Telling everyone that the economy is worse than it was eventually became a self-fulfilling prophecy.  As the economy shrank so did the number of companies who wanted to advertise in newspapers and on local news stations.  The result is the failing and bankruptcy of many news organizations across the country.  To date several large newspapers have gone under and countless newscasters have been laid off from local affiliates.

They did not report the news responsibly.   That is ultimately what it boils down too.  They mislead many people in an effort to boost their ratings in the short term at the expense of advertising revenues in the long term.  Truly they have reaped what they have sown.

So what is the “Secret” to world peace?  Sound economics.  When countries are dependent on each other for goods and trade they cannot and will not go to war.  Take the US and China for example.  Just recently China harassed one of the US Spy ships operating in international waters off the their coast.  In 2001 a US spy plane collided with one of their fighter planes, killing their pilot.  So why haven’t these issues cause a war or conflict?  Certainly the US has gone to war over less.  The reason neither country would even dare go to war with the other is because of economics.  Each country is so dependent on the other economically that going to war would be an act of suicide.  China’s economy would crumble without the US to buy it’s goods and the US economy would do the same without the constant influx of cheap Chinese products.

That is the “secret” to world peace.  When countries depend on each other economically they cannot afford to go to war.  It would be great if everyone took some magical happy pill and loved each other but that isn’t going to happen.  Trying to get Israelis and Arabs to kiss and make up is an unrealistic goal.    It will never happen, the cultural differences are too great.  However, trade between Israel and Arab countries is entirely possible and with time they will become reliant on each other which prevents conflict.  Healthy economies also help lift the standard of living for each countries citizens.  This also helps create peace.  When you’ve got a pool in your backyard and a Lexus in your driveway you’re a lot less likely to strap dynamite around your waist and blow yourself up in the neighborhood deli.

Fostering trade and healthy economics with 3rd world countries should be a priority.  Ideologies are difficult to change.  Initiating trade agreements and contracts is a much easier and more economical way to bring about peace.  Sound economics brings about lasting peace.

The prospect of Facebook being bought out has been around for a very long time.  It is an attractive business which markets itself towards a very desirable demographic.  There really isn’t anything new there, that’s been known about Facebook for several years now.

The real problem is with the second assertion that is made, “People Who WILL turn it into a paysite.”.  That is almost laughable in it’s ignorance.  It’s also pure speculation, with zero reasoning to back it up.  You don’t buy a company and then change it’s business model.  Facebook makes their money by running advertising.  Plan and simple.  Why would someone invest a few Billion dollars to buy a company and then change what it is doing right?  People who have Billions of dollars to spend usually aren’t stupid.  They got their money because they know what they are doing.

There isn’t anyone out there who can afford to buy Facebook who would also be stupid enough to turn it into a pay site.  It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that charging people for something they can get for free else where (ie Myspace, Hi5, MSN Spaces…) will ruin your business in a hurry.  Perhaps someday Zuckerberg will decide to sell someday but Facebook won’t turn into a pay site.

Now certainly not all Chinese made goods are health hazards but enough of them are becoming high profile health scares that it is now an issue for many businesses. Many companies have benefited from the low cost of having their goods produced in China. The problem is that now they are gambling with continued existence of their companies. A single recall or product scare can be enough to wipe a company out, especially with so many companies already in precarious financial positions because of the economy.

Businesses, sooner rather than later, will have to start considering the chance that there could be a health scare if their product is manufactured in China.  Sure you can probably save  a few cents per item having your product manufactured in China but when there is a real chance you could get hit with a class action lawsuit a few months down the road suddenly those savings don’t seem as attractive.

This is a persistent problem in China.  The temptation to “cheat” a little and use a less costly but potentially hazardous material is a serious concern over there.  It’s one that even the Chinese government has not been able to successfully mitigate.  To that end, we are going to see companies scaling back production in China and shifting it to other countries or potentially back to the US where the risk of contamination is dimished somewhat.