Chrysler Dealership Downsizing Creates Many Legal And Human Problems

All of the claimed money saving reasons for Chrysler closing 789 dealers nationwide are not entirely clear. However, many dealers in business for 50 or more years are now finding themselves in difficult straits where Chrysler now seeks to break state franchise laws in federal court through bankruptcy proceedings and leave about 75 employees per dealership without jobs.

Some dealers like Timberline Dodge in Portland, Oregon is a popular dealership with aggressive local TV advertising. Timberline Dodge has been in business over 60 years, yet finds itself on the cut list by Chrysler.

Chrysler's claim that cutting dealerships will save them money is a highly suspect claim to some such as Albany New York attorney for local new car dealers, Jonathan Harvey. Harvey claims that these dealerships don't cost the auto manufacturers any money to operate. All of the operating expenses and the franchise costs are paid for by the dealers themselves. If the auto manufacturers plan to sell more cars in the future, then they'll need the dealerships to sell them. Further, the cost of paying for advertising might be a huge expense for Chrysler, however Chrysler could trim back on this co-op advertising with the dealers to save some money, rather than simply entirely close the dealership itself.

Co-op advertising works like this. The manufacturers give an advertising allowance to dealers based on their sales volume for TV or print ads to help to support more vehicle sales. However, many ads that run nationally by the manufacturers are not aimed in the support of a single dealership, but for the corporate fleet sales as a whole, where the dealers will indirectly benefit.

Part of the problem here as well is that the so-called "wisdom of the marketplace" due to the recession has already forced many less productive car dealerships to close. A form of Darwinism factor always works to close weaker businesses during bad economic times. The dealerships that Chrysler is seeking to close are largely marginally to moderately profitable ones, although not as more productive or profitable as some larger dealerships. Chrysler claims that it wants to concentrate on the more productive dealerships, and that the less productive ones are only hurting sales at the higher sales volume dealerships. However that is a strange argument fails when the fact that Chrysler is not paying for any of the operating expenses for these dealerships. These dealerships pay all their own rent, lights and salaries.

By using federal bankruptcy law, Chrysler might be able to legally get away with their plans to ax so many local car dealerships. However, many of these dealers will not go away with a fight, and since state franchise laws vary from state to state and could offer some extensive legal protections for the dealers, Chrysler could be spending a lot of time in courts at the state or local levels as dealers file lawsuits in hopes of staying in business. The other possibility is that some dealers might be able to survive by switching to upstart Korean brands such as Hyundai and Kia who seek to build a stronger American dealership network. In Vancouver, Washington a major Ford dealer switched to Toyota a few years ago as an example.

Because of all the local impact creating more unemployment and economic damage to the local business communities, the Chrysler decision to close so many dealerships will remain one of the most controversial parts of their corporate reorganization plans. And this will be especially suspect in the light that Chrysler hasn't really presented credible claims why the closing of these dealerships is so essential to their continued survival. Chrysler is only setting themselves up for some legal battles with many outraged dealers over this issue.

Chrysler and many dealers may not have real great business right now due to the recession. But business for lawyers involved in business litigation issues is certainly looking up right now.

Dick Cheney, The Cowardly Lion Of The GOP

Dick Cheney wants to act as though he's still a relevant figure in American politics, despite an approval rating just barely in double digits when he left office as a greatly despised figure. He's gone on the antiObama attack tour recently, and when he couldn't launch some attacks himself, then had his daughter make some attacks for him. That should hardly be any surprise for someone who once sought several college deferments to avoid military duty in Vietnam, to now act as some sort of tough talking military expert guy, even if he needs his daughter to do the talking for him.

Dick Cheney's whole trip is to act as some sort of pseudo-foreign policy and military expert, although one would be hard pressed to find any glowing examples of Bush Administration foreign policy success stories. Iraq looks like a pretty good unresolved mess. There was a real absence of peace between Israel and the Palestinians or even Lebanon as another example. Iran is probably closer than ever to building a nuclear bomb. Afghanistan remains a real problem. North Korea is still building long range missiles. To find any Bush Administration foreign policy success stories would take a microscope. Yet Cheney is quick to voice his opinion, or have his daughter speak for him, condemning any attempt by the Obama Administration to search for something new that might just work in foreign policy.

Cheney also has made himself a poster boy advocate in favor of torture, viewing himself as some sort of latter day Grand Inquisitor figure or something. In his own mind, torture is the right way to get information, despite the fact that such practices only hurt the moral standing of the United States. But Cheney wants to hear nothing of that moral argument at all.

And when Cheney had an attempt to comment on some recent comments by Gen. Colin Powell in favor of the Republican Party turning more mainstream in order to win some elections, Cheney chose instead to cast his lot in with abrasive radio talk host Rush Limbaugh instead. During the Bush Administration years, Cheney reportedly fought battles with other more reasonable mainstream figures like Colin Powell and is now renewing that old feud.

Former President Bush has surprisingly turned out to be the real gentleman here, acting like a statesman like his father and reserving his judgment on the Obama Administration and giving them a fair chance to run the country and tackle the problems unlike Cheney. It is also another good example that Bush is a far more decent man than Cheney by all means.

Cheney probably has no real plans to run for president himself. His only real drive is to help to ruin his own party by denouncing moderates like Colin Powell, and reminding the public how glad they are to be free of Dick Cheney and the old Bush Administration.

If Cheney had some success to talk about it it would be one thing. But the Bush Administration failed on a lot of issues including the economy, Iraq, Afghanistan, to name but a few issues here. So about all that Cheney brings to the stage is his best imitation of the Cowardly Lion.

Cheney had a good chance to prove himself during Vietnam if he really wanted to prove some military toughness, but he avoided that with his several draft deferments. Cheney then had another chance to prove himself as former defense secretary and as vice president. But neither left a great legacy behind. What's left is a grumpy old man, quick to complain, but slow to offer real achievement. And that's not too much at all.

Cheney has nothing good to bring to the GOP. Certainly not success. Certainly not genuine expertise. He's only damaged goods and taking the stage from any rising figure in the party. Cheney is a major reason that the Democrats did so well in the last two elections. Cheney also gives the Democrats good hopes for a third good outcome as well.

College Students Build Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Motorcycle

Two students at Swarthmore College, seniors Alex Bell and Andres Pacheco, recently built a wild hydrogen fuel cell powered motorcycle, proving that even college students are able to produce technology that a company like GM has been unable to perfect, even after spending one billion dollars on failed experiments in which cold weather damaged the membranes of the prototypes.

Back in their freshman year, the two students worked on building an electric motorcycle, but finally gave up that idea. This last Summer, the pair began work on the hydrogen fuel cell motorcycle.

The two engineering students did manage to build this working fuel cell motorcycle despite some technical problems. Both are applying to graduate school for engineering, although both are also currently entertaining job offers.

Hey Detroit, I know a couple of guys you should hire.

James Carville's New Book Predicts GOP Will Spend The Next Forty Years As A Minority Party In American Politics

A new book by Democratic strategist James Carville, "40 MORE YEARS: HOW THE DEMOCRATS WILL RULE THE NEXT GENERATION" predicts one of the greatest American political realignments since the Roosevelt era in response to the Great Depression for the Democrats, leaving the Republicans with a minority party status for at least this next 40 years.

Interestingly, some Republican strategists are now privately concurring with the basic thesis of Carville's new book as well.

Carville does believe that a few pretty good GOP candidates might be able to still capture the White House once in a while over the next forty years, or that in 2010, the Republicans could make some minor gains in congress, as Carville believes it might be impossible for the Democrats to have three big elections in a row go in their favor. Yet, he still sees enough of a trend among young voters and minorities such as Hispanic, Asian and African American voters voting Democratic that it spells overall policy problems for the GOP whose values and positions on issues are from the economic or social views of many voters. As a whole, the Republican Party has simply become too conservative, and too much a party of some White voters from conservative regions of the country such as parts of the South or parts of the West to really be a true national party.

Even back around 1968, a Republican such as Richard Nixon could count on some regional strength from all regions of the country. However, in New England for example, very few Republicans now represent that region and reliable Republican states such as Maine and New Hampshire have now leaned strongly Democratic for years, unlike the past when they would traditionally lean Republican. In the West, Oregon and Washington once both leaned Republican as late as 1972, but then Oregon was nearly evenly split in 1976, when Gerald Ford just barely won the state. But in recent years, Oregon has leaned solidly Democratic. and the in the state, the Governor and both chambers of the legislature are run by the Democrats, and both U.S. senators and all but one member of congress, Greg Walden, are now Democrats as well.

Part of the difficulty for Republicans is that they really lack a charismatic figure like a Reagan right now, who was able to present a strong message as well as to act as a strong messenger. On the other hand, the Democrats have one of their best and most charismatic figures ever in President Obama right now. And Obama seems to make a real connection as appealing to the average person although he is a highly educated intellectual. The Democrats have the perfect message and messenger at this time, while the Republicans really lack both important aspects.

Part of the problem for Republicans as well is the increasing conservative trend of the party, where mainstream Republicans such as retired General Colin Powell were denounced by Dick Cheney and others for merely mentioning that he believed the party should move to a more centrist vision. Even Newt Gingrich. who was the architect of the highly successful "Contract With America" that helped Republicans to take control of both congress and the senate during the Clinton years, seems to have moved past seeking to build an electoral success with voters towards increased conservatism as well.

Many Republican leaders such as Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin also seem to want to champion only a small very conservative faction of voters, and to take their party down to a path of a disastrous 1964 Barry Goldwater type defeat. They seem to wholly reject consensus building politics. By comparison, Democrats may not be without some blame by voters as well, however they manage to make enough of a positive connection on enough issues such as economic ones to satisfy enough voters to probably end up on the top end of most future elections for decades.

The unfortunate fact is that some Republican leaders are acting like some painter who did not plan ahead, and slowly painted himself into a smaller and smaller corner, with no viable way out of a real unfortunate disaster. If anything, that's not very smart politics. That's also nothing like the consensus politics that some Republicans such as a Dwight Eisenhower or Richard Nixon once used to win the White House, and it's even less like the charisma of a Ronald Reagan who promised a return to greatness for America if elected.

For a growing number of apparent political factors, the basic thesis of political consultant James Carville's new book may indeed be correct. Democrats may well be in the very best position of the two political parties to be in the driver of policy as well a most of the electoral successes. The social and political demographics are simply not running in the Republicans favor right now. Unless the Democrats can blow their opportunity to rule big time, then the Republicans really have very little to look forward to in the near future. But for now, their attacks seem largely petty and like mere pinpricks compared to really effect issue building.

Harley Davidson's Rare Topper Scooter

Few people know that Harley Davidson once produced a rare scooter model that sold from 1959 as a 1960 model until 1965. The Topper was the only scooter model ever produced by Harley and is certainly a real classic today. It featured a 9hp two stoke engine that required premixing oil and gas. The Topper's engine measured out at 165cc, and it featured an automatic CVT transmission. The bodywork was part stamped steel, part spray gun painted fiberglass. Only 3,000 total Topper scooters were ever produced before production was suspended. It rates as one of the rarest Harley products ever built.

When Eight Cylinders Isn't Near Enough

Here's a wild 64 cylinder bike from an unknown origin. But it's definitely a cool machine, with what looks like 3 old 30's style 16 cylinder engines mounted in-line somehow. Not much details are known about this wild custom bike such as the total displacement, top speed or horsepower rating. But it looks fast. In fact, real fast.

Hey the weather's getting better. And it's getting time to be thinking about getting back on two wheels again and rolling Old Betsy out of the garage again for the Summer season. What you say about that kids?

Put On Your Own All Biker Puppet Show?

Everyone knows that children love loud big motorcycles and leather clad bike riders more than even Barney the Dinosaur. So it was only natural that some enterprising seller on Ebay would offer these four biker figure puppets so they can put on their own all Harley rider puppet show. Of all the strange items ever to appear on Ebay, these items seem even more without an audience of buyers than most items. What's the market for these?

Also strange from the seller is one collection of all Asian puppets, so someone can put on an all Asian puppet show. The seller even has a William Shakespeare puppet for sale as well and a Civil War General. Kids love the Civil War or Shakespeare you know. Very Strange stuff indeed my friend.