One Bailout, One Scotch & One Beer

By Doug Powers  •  September 24, 2010 10:49 AM

**Written by Doug Powers

I am changing my name to Chrysler
I am going down to Washington D.C.
I will tell some power broker
What they did for Iacocca
Will be perfectly acceptable to me
I am changing my name to Chrysler
I am headed for that great receiving line
So when they hand a million grand out
I’ll be standing with my hand out
Yes siree I’ll get mine

–Tom Paxton: I’m Changing My Name to Chrysler

Could there be a more symbolic follow-up to President Obama’s visit to Chrysler’s Jefferson North Assembly Plant where he touted how wisely our $6 billion bailout money was spent than this?

The union says they “strongly oppose” this kind of behavior. Who are they kidding?

Cool classic rock in the video though — the only tunes missing were Sabbath’s “Sweetleaf,” Thorogood’s “One Bourbon, One Scotch and One Beer” and The Cars’ “Drive.”

The scramble is on to portray this as an isolated incident, but I’ve lived in the heart of auto country just about my entire life and know and have known many auto workers and their families. I don’t think there’s a single one who doesn’t have pitiful stories about goings-on at lunch time (or on the clock for that matter) and how the union does nothing but defend the offending employee(s) — which at that point is the same thing as encouraging it.

Doug Ross concludes:

Actually, I view these developments as helpful.

Because this is the Obama administration in a nutshell. Waste, fraud and outright criminality, all under the umbrella of the Democrat Party and the union bosses that are helping to destroy America.

Don’t get mad. Get even. Remember in November.

**Written by Doug Powers

Twitter @ThePowersThatBe

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Comments


  1. #1
    On September 24th, 2010 at 10:44 am, TigerLady said:

    Waste, fraud and outright criminality, all under the umbrella of the Democrat Party and the union bosses that are helping to destroy America.

    Buddy, can you spare a dime?

    This is where we’re headed if we continue to let Obowmao have his way. Get out and vote and take a neighbor or two.

  2. #2
    On September 24th, 2010 at 10:51 am, Doug Powers said:

    This is where we’re headed if we continue to let Obowmao have his way. Get out and vote and take a neighbor or two.

    Yes, take two or three neighbors, because at least one of your votes will be cancelled out by somebody who dreams of taking lunch hours just like this one!

  3. #3
    On September 24th, 2010 at 10:57 am, Dexter Alarius said:

    So THAT’S what they meant when they said they found a lot of roaches at the plant!

  4. #4
    On September 24th, 2010 at 10:58 am, tarpon said:

    The people who are building what is billed as the savior of Chrysler, the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the new Durango.

    While both seem like much improved cars, this can’t help.

  5. #5
    On September 24th, 2010 at 11:07 am, walterc said:

    Since I refuse to do business with a government run business, no more Chevy’s for me (or Chryslers, although a 3/4 ton with a cummins is my ideal truck) and my grandad always told me that buying foreign cars just contributes to the demise of America, I guess it’s Ford from now on.

    Oh wait Ford is UAW too.

    Guess I’ll just fix up the old ones a little longer.

  6. #6
    On September 24th, 2010 at 11:08 am, RobM1981 said:

    In Germany – a much stronger manufacturing economy than our own – beer is often served with lunch, at the company cafeteria.

    Workers enjoy the taste of this, their culture, while eating their lunch, talking with their peers, etc.

    They then go back to work and make some of the finest products in the world for another 4 hours.

    Contrast that to these imbeciles. They run from the factory, grab jumbo-bottles of beer, doobies, and who knows what else. They then sit in their cars, or stand next to their cars, drinking specifically to get drunk. Smoking to get high.

    They then go back to work, and build “fine automobiles.”

    They are losers.

    Barack Obama and all that support him in supporting these people, are losers.

    Our job is to stop these losers, before they turn this into “normal” everywhere.

    I drink almost every day. I enjoy a nice drink, with my family, after work.

    But this is disgusting. These people are animals.

  7. #7
    On September 24th, 2010 at 11:21 am, Flyoverman said:

    It was a woman who drove me to drink – and you know, I never even thanked her. – W. C. Fields

  8. #8
    On September 24th, 2010 at 11:25 am, Reg.conservative said:

    It’s criminal what they did to Chrysler, I understand the union got a far bigger share of Chrysler than General Motors.

    this is what union run and government owned can do for you.

  9. #9
    On September 24th, 2010 at 11:35 am, Dexter Alarius said:

    UAW = Under-the-influence Auto Workers

  10. #10
    On September 24th, 2010 at 11:39 am, poppop said:

    A few years ago I was in a bar and ran into a friend with his coworkers.They were slamming drinks,dancing, having a great time.Another coworker ran up to the group and said ‘we gotta go’. I asked ‘which club were they going to next’?Answer,’We have to get back to work,we’re on our lunch hour and we’re late’.Very eye opening.

  11. #11
    On September 24th, 2010 at 11:44 am, Dexter Alarius said:

    When unemployment is hovering around 10%, what are these guys thinking?
    Is it arrogance? Stupidity?
    Un-freaking-believable.

  12. #12
    On September 24th, 2010 at 11:59 am, RedDog said:

    On September 24th, 2010 at 11:25 am, Reg.conservative said:

    this is what union run and government owned can do for you.

    And of course, when it collapses again they will ask for taxpayer assistance again. This is why unions must be abolished.

  13. #13
    On September 24th, 2010 at 12:03 pm, RedDog said:

    …. And these thugs would have no problem burning your house down if they thought you would interfere with their taxpayer gravy train. Scumbags. Bolsheviks with a midwestern accent.

    “Wadda ya gonna do about it?”

  14. #14
    On September 24th, 2010 at 12:04 pm, TooMuchTime said:

    They were slamming drinks,dancing, having a great time. Another coworker ran up to the group and said ‘we gotta go’. I asked ‘which club were they going to next’? Answer,’We have to get back to work,we’re on our lunch hour and we’re late’.

    This is because they can’t be fired due to union rules. If there was no union, this wouldn’t be happening. Two of my uncles worked for auto companies: Pontiac and Ford. Neither would buy cars from their own companies. They would see people sleeping on the job, drunk on the job, or doing shoddy work like only installing two bolts where the requirement was 4 or 5. They knew it happened at other plants too and were careful about what they bought.

    Do you think this happens at Toyota, Honda, or Hyundai plants in this country? NO! Because there’s no union and the workers would be fired, as they should be.

  15. #15
    On September 24th, 2010 at 12:07 pm, RedDog said:

    I see these guys all the time rolling down the I75 corridor in their $100K motorhomes on the way to their Florida condos. If they earned an honest living they would likely be spending their vacation dollars in Michigan and Ohio. I wonder how much that would help the local economy?

  16. #16
    On September 24th, 2010 at 12:10 pm, greenfairie said:

    Somehow, I just don’t see this happening at Asian factories.

  17. #17
    On September 24th, 2010 at 12:25 pm, TooMuchTime said:

    This is why unions must be abolished.

    I think we need to qualify that.

    Two of my brothers were union house painters. All vacations were unpaid. The union provided health, dental, and eye care. This is what unions should be doing; just be “friendly societies” so workers can join them for some benefits that give them peace of mind.

    Unfortunately, the UAW management is nothing more than marxist/socialist thugs.

    Also, I can’t understand why someone working in a nice clean, safe, office (teachers) need to join a union. Teachers get more time off than Obrainless, their benefits are safe, their profession is one of the best paid, so why? I can see where the teachers’ unions need to be abolished.

  18. #18
    On September 24th, 2010 at 12:39 pm, Dexter Alarius said:

    Also, I can’t understand why someone working in a nice clean, safe, office Government (teachers) need to join a union.

    Who is it the NEA and the SEIU are ‘protecting’ the rank and file from?

    I can see where the teachers’ Government employee unions need to be abolished.

  19. #19
    On September 24th, 2010 at 12:48 pm, Roland said:

    I can see where the teachers’ Government employee unions need to be abolished.

    One of the basics of any true government reform.

    DirectorBlue at the Green Room wrote an excellent article on what the “Pledge to America” should have been:

    http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2010/09/23/a-half-page-pledge-to-america-should-suffice/

    The GOP Pledge to America

    We pledge that every action we take will be gauged by the answer to a single question: Does it show fidelity to the Constitution, our highest law?
    With that as our guide, we solemnly pledge the following as our first actions:

    • We will repeal the Democrat health care bill and, if vetoed by the President, will de-fund every aspect of that bill until such time as the American people have input into a sensible health care reform process.
    • We will slash the size of the federal government bureaucracies (Commerce, Education, Energy, the EPA, Labor, etc.) by 20% in 2011 with a goal of reducing each by 50% over the next three years, thereby saving hundreds of billions of dollars.
    • We will secure the border with physical fencing suitable to repel drug smugglers, human smugglers, and terrorists, while encouraging legal immigration and enforcement of the law.
    • We will confront the entitlement crisis — Social Security and Medicare — by preserving benefits for those who depend upon them and moving to privatized options for younger workers. Anything less condemns future generations to mountains of debt and economic catastrophe.
    • We will strengthen our armed forces, space and missile defense programs to retain our unparalleled superpower status.
    • We will begin the process of paying down our debts, spending within our means every year.
    • We will ban public sector unions, which exist solely to wage war against the taxpayers who fund their operations.

    Put simply: we intend to adhere to a strict interpretation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Faith, Family, and the Founding. That is our creed.
    And for your support and with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.

  20. #20
    On September 24th, 2010 at 12:51 pm, Buy Danish said:

    Cool classic rock in the video though — the only tunes missing were Sabbath’s “Sweetleaf,” Thorogood’s “One Bourbon, One Scotch and One Beer” and The Cars’ “Drive.”

    Other possible background tracks: Los Lobos’ “I got loaded”, and Little Feat’s “Willin’”

  21. #21
    On September 24th, 2010 at 1:12 pm, AmericaFirst said:

    This exact same situation with union boys drinking and pot smoking was going on at the St Paul MN Ford Ranger assembly plant 10 years ago. One of the local tv stations busted them in the same way. EVERYONE knows this stuff has been going on since the 70′s.

  22. #22
    On September 24th, 2010 at 1:32 pm, TooMuchTime said:

    EVERYONE knows this stuff has been going on since the 70′s.

    My uncles worked in auto plants in 30s-50s. At that time the only smoking was cigarettes. But…the employees still got drunk. So, it’s been going on since the unions muscled in.

  23. #23
    On September 24th, 2010 at 1:37 pm, TooMuchTime said:

    Who is it the NEA and the SEIU are ‘protecting’ the rank and file from?

    The bogey man under the bed called “management.”

    Bascially, union members need a union to protect them from their own union management.

  24. #24
    On September 24th, 2010 at 1:38 pm, Dexter Alarius said:

    When there is no fear of getting fired there is no check on behavior, nor incentive to be productive.

  25. #25
    On September 24th, 2010 at 1:51 pm, rambler said:

    Of course the unions condone this. The unions create job security to the point that the members can jolly well do whatever they want. Gee, there’s no telling how prosperous the auto makers would have been if the unions had stayed out. Where there little risk for losing one’s job, productivity falls. So nice that the gov, in its infinite wisdom, chose to bailout a bunch of under productive druggies to buy votes. Maybe there wouldn’t be so many retirees if the auto makers needed half the number of employees to build the same number of cars. Anybody want to buy a Jeep Cherokee?

  26. #26
    On September 24th, 2010 at 2:09 pm, Dexter Alarius said:

    Anybody want to buy a Jeep Cherokee?

    If anyone does, they should ask the police to have the drug dogs check it out first. I wouldn’t want to get busted because an assembly line mechanic left a joint in a door panel.

  27. #27
    On September 24th, 2010 at 2:09 pm, right_on said:

    Could there be a more symbolic follow-up to President Obama’s visit to Chrysler’s Jefferson North Assembly Plant where he touted how wisely our $6 billion bailout money was spent than this

    Maybe it’s just me, but I think that in order to believe all the nonsense that Obama is portraying, one would have to be either high, drunk, or ignorant! Voila!!!

    Is it any wonder so many in the Democrat Party think the average Joe American is Homer Simpson?

  28. #28
    On September 24th, 2010 at 2:25 pm, thetoysurgeon said:

    Don’t be messin with the unions now. All that you saw was a UAW mandated mental health policy in full swing. Thats why we have so much respect for the unions down south cuz we have the good ole boy system here.

  29. #29
    On September 24th, 2010 at 2:27 pm, rambler said:

    This must be the reason that bhocare is to include drug rehab.

  30. #30
    On September 24th, 2010 at 2:31 pm, cicerokid said:

    Operation: 1976–1986
    Conrail was incorporated in Pennsylvania on October 25, 1974, and operations began April 1, 1976. The theory was that if the service was improved through increased capital investment, the economic basis of the railroad would be improved. During its first seven years, Conrail proved to be highly unprofitable, despite receiving billions of dollars of assistance from Congress. The corporation declared enormous losses on its federal income tax returns from 1976 through 1982, resulting in an accumulated net operating loss of $2.2 billion during that period. Congress once again reacted with support by passing the Northeast Rail Service Act of 1981 (45 U.S. Sec. 1101 et seq.), which amended portions of the Regional Rail Reorganization Act by exempting Conrail from liability for any state taxes (45 U.S.C. 727(c)) and requiring the Secretary of Transportation to make arrangements for the sale of the government’s interest in Conrail (45 U.S.C. 761). After NERSA was implemented, Conrail began to improve and reported taxable income between $2 million and $314 million each year from 1983 through 1986.

    Nothing new under the sun. Throw money at the problem. When that does’t work, throw more money.

    TITLE 45 – RAILROADS
    CHAPTER 20 – NORTHEAST RAIL SERVICE

    -HEAD-
    Sec. 1101. Congressional findings and declarations

    -STATUTE-
    The Congress finds and declares that –
    (1) the processes set in motion by the Regional Rail
    Reorganization Act of 1973 [45 U.S.C. 701 et seq.] have failed to
    create a self-sustaining railroad system in the Northeast region
    of the United States and have cost United States taxpayers many
    billions of dollars over original estimates;

    Having worked on the Railroad in the 80′s, I can attest to the accuracy of these lines from Bob Seger:

    In the heat of the day, down in mobile, alabama
    Workin’ on the railroad with a steel drivin’ hammer
    Tryin’ to get some money, get some brand new shoes
    Tryin to find a lady, chase away my blues
    Hot and wasted lord sweatin’ in the sun
    ’cause I’m not a foreman ’till my work is all done

    Later in the evening when the sun is sinking low
    I’ll be out there waitin’ for the whistle to blow
    Sittin’ in the teepee smokin’ out on the track
    Rollin’ them bones till my foreman get back
    Suddenly I hear the breakman up and shout
    There’s a non-stop train comin’ two miles out

    I saw tons of money being wasted (and the employees making tons of money). After the party was over, everyone got richer from the carpal tunnel lawsuits.

  31. #31
    On September 24th, 2010 at 3:14 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Well the drug use at least explains why Obama showed up.

    Too harsh? Nah….

  32. #32
    On September 24th, 2010 at 3:27 pm, max said:

    aw c’mon, they were just having a beer summit….

  33. #33
    On September 24th, 2010 at 3:27 pm, rambler said:

    Were were the cops to issue DUIs?

  34. #34
    On September 24th, 2010 at 3:31 pm, spaceycakes said:

    Bolsheviks with a midwestern accent.

    Car Cossacks

  35. #35
    On September 24th, 2010 at 3:40 pm, jrlingreenbay said:

    What’s poetic is going to lefty blogs like HP and watching the libs fall all over themselves to deflect and defend this behavior.

    I think the most popular comment I saw there was ‘what about the executives and their 3-martini lunches?’

    I think the new Democratic Party symbol should be a Donkey, on a trampoline, holding a shield in one hoof and pointing the other direction with another.

    Nothing but bouncing around the subject, deflecting criticism, and pointing to the faults of others in defense of their own.

  36. #36
    On September 24th, 2010 at 4:48 pm, roadrage said:

    This explains a LOT about that POS Dodge Intrepid I had a few years back. Worst car I ever owned.

  37. #37
    On September 24th, 2010 at 5:08 pm, BlameAmericaLast said:

    And you wonder why American cars suck?

  38. #38
    On September 24th, 2010 at 10:06 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    On September 24th, 2010 at 1:38 pm, Dexter Alarius said:

    When there is no fear of getting fired there is no check on behavior, nor incentive to be productive.

    Call it the Reuther Brothers Effect. The UAW was always political, bitter and angry; it looks as if they still are.

  39. #39
    On September 24th, 2010 at 10:44 pm, traffic_robot said:

    Workers are suspended pending further investigation? Simple: they have 2 hours to report to the nearest lab, pee in a cup, then they are DONE. That should wrap up the investigation pretty quickly. I can only imagine what the UAW negotiated on drug testing. And I’m sure that sweet pension is protected (probably more to do w/ERISA than UAW, though).

  40. #40
    On September 25th, 2010 at 1:58 am, political junkie said:

    The only thing that shocks me about this is that they were off the clock.

  41. #41
    On September 25th, 2010 at 2:12 am, Freddy said:

    Just a couple of frugal guys brown bagging their lunch.

    Nothin ta see, move along.

  42. #42
    On September 25th, 2010 at 6:09 am, Tennessee Dave said:

    On September 24th, 2010 at 3:40 pm, jrlingreenbay said:
    What’s poetic is going to lefty blogs like HP and watching the libs fall all over themselves to deflect and defend this behavior.

    I think the most popular comment I saw there was ‘what about the executives and their 3-martini lunches?

    And that is right how? Isn’t that the liberal way to defend something with the “he’s doing something just as bad” theory.
    Just because someone sticks their head in a bucket of crap doesn’t mean you have to.

  43. #43
    On September 25th, 2010 at 9:32 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    The union says they “strongly oppose” this kind of behavior. Who are they kidding?

    Shop Steward: (cough) Hey man, don’t bogart that, (cough) and try not to get the end so wet! (cough cough)

  44. #44
    On September 26th, 2010 at 11:31 am, cheapseat said:

    ONE TOKE OVER THE LINE, SWEET JESUS! Our money hard at work. The GM IPO will require a $134.00 per share price to pay back the billions we gave to GM and the consensus is that it may fetch $20.00 per share. But that amount presupposes massive Chinese purchases. Ford stock can be bought today for $13. per share, and it will make money without debt over the next several years. Gubmint motors will PROBABLY never be able to repay it’s debt, while Chrysler will NEVER repay it’s debt.

  45. #45
    On September 28th, 2010 at 8:38 pm, T-Bone said:

    I worked in a factory for a while and this behavior was common. Remember who these people are. Typically high school graduates that are just getting by in life. They work hard when they have to , play when they can, and generally just aren’t trying to lead the goodie two-shoe life style.

    I say, so what, its a free country. Some people are just meant to sit around a park or a garage somewhere and drink and get high. They are not running for President and generally don’t have much ambition. Some may call it lazy, some call it stupid. Either way, some people just are not going to push themselves to the limit, others are. To each his own. They risk losing their jobs doing this so they are living dangerously.

    I went to lunch a couple of times with guys that drove to the liquor store with the 7-Eleven next door. A Big Gulp and bourbon along with a joint and they would drive around the local park etc and get high. I hated it. I didn’t want to get drunk and high. I wanted to eat. They also noticed I wasn’t participating, hence I didn’t get asked again, which was fine with me. I still liked those guys though. They were fun, they were nice, wouldn’t hurt a fly etc.

    We were not Union though and I don’t work n a factory anymore because I have too much ambition. I finised college, got my MBA and got a better job where I can go to a nice restaurant and get a strawberry margarita. I can snort my cocaine in the car on the way back. :)

    All right, maybe not that last part but I do have some sympathy for these guys. I also despise Unions so there.

  46. #46
    On September 28th, 2010 at 8:51 pm, T-Bone said:

    I also remember watching shows on TV like Bewitched. Larry Tate had a wetbar in his office. They all did. A client would come in and they would offer a glass of scotch or bourbon. I used to think about how these guys would go to work every day and have 6 or 7 glasses of scotch while doing their jobs. Then they would go home and their wife would have a drink waiting for them. I always thought that was crazy but was portrayed in television as quite common back in the day.

    I guess I am a lightweight. One drink around noon and I would be looking for the couch to take a nap. Or looking for another drink to keep the party going. I certainly wouldn’t want to go back to work. :(

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