Gazette Commemorates GM Factory
GM Plant A Customer, Consumer
On Saturday, the Gazette published an article on the front page titled "City loses biggest customer" describing how the factory's shutdown will effect local property taxes, water and waste water rates along with air and rail business. On the Web they re-titled the same article as "GM Plant is a big consumer; loss will be felt all over."
JG Excerpt:The Janesville GM plant has been in operation for over 90 years and that's the best the newspaper can offer to describe the loss of this giant payroll engine - as a consumer or customer? Who would think just for once, the Janesville Gazette would bring themselves up to the level to call the GM plant and their workers a major "contributor" to the community, instead of the lesser "customer" or "consumer" user type reference? Why has that been so difficult for them to acknowledge?
To account for the reduced revenue, the city has approved a wastewater rate increase and is anticipating a water rate increase for next year. Rate increases also are planned for 2010.
But the story also seems to confirm the notion that the loss of whatever GM "consumed" will have to be made up in higher water rates and higher local taxes. Funny how they're quick to ask for higher "contributions" from the residents now that the plant is closing. It's not like the City of Janesville has to come up with a viable plan to deal with this "consumer" loss problem before they ask for taxpayer and user fee bail-outs.
In Sunday's Gazette Sound Off column was this comment...
On Cartoon:The cartoon in question was this Cagle cartoon.
Nice cartoon in Tuesday's Gazette slapping the UAW in the face a week before they're going to shut down in Janesville and you're going to publish your tribute to the GM plant. Way to go, right-wingers. -- anonymous
We all certainly hope that if and when the time ever comes for the last throes of newsprint media, possibly resulting in the unemployment of thousands of their workers, that most us who have bought their product would join in with the same level of professionalism, respect and compassion as the Janesville Gazette has shown for other troubled industries and reciprocate every chance we get. I really don't see a lot of cartoons and jokes about the collapse of the newsprint media just yet. Perhaps that's just what we all need since it's only for a good laugh and all the memories, right? Except we probably won't profit from it.
5 comments:
Pretty good observation. However, I will stick with my lonely view that the UAW and Democratic politicians such as Mike Sheridan helped grease the skids. The alliance between labor and ultra liberal Democrats is a one way street. If you want to see that street just drive around super Democratic Madison and see mostly foreign cars. The betterment of workers should have come before the betterment of a political party.
Rich, I know you're big on blaming Democrats for the rise of imports. I do, but only in going along with the trade agreements that gave an unfair advantage to foreign countries.
I've only seen two different kind of import buyers in America - the ones who refused to buy American because of their perception of quality, and those who bought foreign because of the perception that workers should give up the $2000 worth of healthcare, pensions and other union perks simply because others failed to negotiate the same.
I don't believe the Gazette owner is happy over the GM plant closing, profitwise. But ideologically speaking, you know they're clicking their heels. And the city just spent $70 million expanding the high schools to meet declining enrollment needs and now they're expanding the wastewater facilities to handle less usage.
Now that's vision.
I thought the commemorative section by the Gazette was excellent. Just more sour grapes from you.
Anonymous - You got me on this one. Two days of special commemorative sections about the history of Janesville GM is more than enough to make me forget about the years of politically driven anti-labor union Gazette editorials, along with the steady publishing of wonderful and heart warming anonymous comments about the workers and their benefits. I should be ashamed of myself for thinking otherwise.
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