Where I live, the economy was a mess before the auto bailout was even an issue

[gollygee]

Bernie's vote on the auto bailout doesn't concern me. It was a complicated issue. NAFTA enabled our (at the time) huge unemployment rate, but the auto corporations are the ones who physically moved and left their employees out of work with no way to pay off their houses and with the housing market flooded and house prices deflated. I didn't have any warm fuzzy feelings for any auto executives in those days. I was in favor of the bailout, but only because I was afraid that things might get even worse, and it was too scary to consider.

I wish people would stop saying "Bernie voted against the auto bailout, therefore he hates Michigan." We know it was more complicated than that. We aren't stupid. We were here.

[WDIM]

1. If it wasn't for NAFTA and all the Free trade deals that followed.

We wouldn't of needed an auto bailout.

GM and Chrysler never bailout the consumer when they can't afford to pay their car payment.

"Government should never bailout billionaires when we have homeless children starving on the street" that should of been Sander's response.

[spyker29]

2. Sad to see Democrats downplay auto bailout.

One of Obamas great achievements.

[gollygee]

3. I am not downplaying it

And like I said, I was in favor of it. President Obama has done a great deal of good.

I'm saying it was more complicated than people let on and it wasn't as clear at the time as people are making it seem that it was absolutely the right thing to do. It was a time where things were already horrible and we were hoping things wouldn't get even worse. It was not something that saved us from having things become horrible. There was no guarantee that the auto bailout would help, and there was fear at the time that it might be "throwing good money after bad."

In the long run, things have rebounded here, and I credit President Obama with that.

[spyker29]

4. Sorry. I misunderstood.

[Bread and Circus]

5. Michigan got killed by modern trade agreements. It decimated my hometown and made people suffer.

Never forgive, never forget.

[Jitter65]

6. Except that is not true.

More than just trade agreements were involved.

Automation is a huge factor in manufacturing job losses.
And jobs were being loss BEFORE trade agreements were enacted. Textile industry across the south, coal jobs all over, and consumer demand for goods made abroad long before NAFTA and other trade agreements were contributing factors.

If you can get consumers to stop wanting cheap goods which raise their standard of living in some respects then we won't move manufacturing abroad. It's just like if you can get Americans to stop being the highest consumers of illegal drugs we wouldn't need a drug war and the cartels would die out.

SELF and GREED are the two biggest motivators in the country. Those two forces used to be held mostly by the 1% but over the past several decades...maybe since Reagan told us we needn't sacrifice for anything...those two forces have been spread among the 99% at an alarming rate.

NOTHING OCCURS IN A VACUUM!

[Bread and Circus]

7. Except it is true because I know the exact companies in my hometown that went to Mexico

and it wasn't for automation. It was for low wages.

One of them was a Bose speaker factory. My best friend had to go to Mexico to train the person who took his job.

We lost dozens of light manufacturing jobs in the same way through my community. I know the people, I know what they did, and I know robots in Mexico didn't take their jobs.

So stuff it.

I want to say it more forcefully, laced with vindictive expletives, and to tell you where to go... but I don't want to get hidden, so the mere truth as stated above will have to do.

[gollygee]

8. Same here

I know the specific places factories were sent, and I know people who were involved. I know why they moved. It wasn't because of automation. It was because of cheap labor, fewer environmental restrictions, fewer workplace rules.

[Bread and Circus]

9. Right but the elite want to bamboozle every one with statistics (it's easy to lie with statistics)

and not have them believe their own eyes.

[Jefferson23]

10. +1. Cheap labor, greed. n/t