Author Archives: SEH

The Toyota Circus

Was Toyota negligent?  I don’t know.  Did Toyota react too slowly to information about defects?  I don’t know.

But I know the following:

  1. Congressional hearings will provide little or no useful information concerning these questions.
  2. It serves no legitimate purpose to have family members of accident victims testify before the U.S. Congress.
  3. The U.S. government needs to get out of the automotive business as soon as possible.
  4. I’ll buy another Toyota before I buy car from GM or Chrysler.

No real news on healthcare reform

President Obama’s healthcare proposal is a costlier hybrid of the House and Senate bills — without the House bill’s public option and with the addition of a populist proposal for federal regulation of health insurance rates.  When all is said and done, it reflects the same basic approach that culminated in the election of Scott Brown.

There’s very little news here.  There is no basis for bipartisan reform.  Thursday’s healthcare “summit” is purely for public consumption.

No joy in BMW-ville.

BMW’s new theme is “BMW is joy.” The corporate geniuses who approved this campaign should be demoted or retired.  While it might help a little with would-be Mercedes or Lexus buyers, the winners will be Audi and Porsche.

BMW owners / lovers should complain about the diminution of the brand and boycott until the new theme is scrapped.