Reply #20: I don't work for a car company, so I guess I can't take that pay cut

[Psephos]

I'm self-employed. Which is another way of saying I take my pay cut every day.

Do you enjoy generous benefits, Uncle Ray? Or any benefits at all? Cuz I don't. No health care, no insurance, no company pension, nada, nip, nothing. Get it?

As alluded to in my O.P., I do have close relatives, going back over generations, who have been proud to be UAW members AND proud to work for GM. GM fed and clothed a good chunk of my family for a long time. I've eaten plenty of meals that were paid for with a GM paycheck. I have a UAW jacket and about ten GM hats. I've seen things from a different vantage point than you. Up close and personal.

I understand your frustration with unions. Big unions, like big companies, like big government, like big anything, tend to become inefficient and bloated unless they are facing the disciplining effects of competition, and accountability for their power. However, the UAW does "rock" for protecting a good middle-class lifestyle for its members for many decades. Conversely it deserves blame for becoming greedy, demanding more than good economic analysis showed to be sustainable, and then assuming some magic fairy would fix things later. GM deserves ten lashes with the same whip. I said all this in my post. Take another read, if you missed it.

If you don't care about the outflow of capital from the US to foreign owners, then you don't care about the trade deficit. Is that true? Trade deficit and weak dollar don't bother you one bit? Capital is like water in a bathtub. Drain enough of it out without pouring more in, and one day you will no longer be taking baths.

Regarding your challenge, I've already more than met you halfway, Uncle Ray. Now it's time for *you* to pony up.