The Sunday Paper Staff Blog

Stephanie

You seem all a glee that our auto workers are taking a pay cut and no longer will be able to purchase the cars they will make. Will you now also reduce your pay by 2/3 so you will make the same pay as the reporters in Japan? Fair is fair. How long can your paper afford to pay you what you make with the loss of advertizing dollars? Sooner or later, with your opinion, all Americans will take a 2/3 pay cut.  

She makes me sick! I notice in one of her articles that she even supports keeping troops in Iraq for fear if we do not resolve the situation there, her 11 year old son may some day have to serve and protect this country. Why should any American expect alliance from a woman like this? Does she really have no clue what a current UWA member makes ( and I do not mean with the retiree's costs included, as current employees do not bring home a bonus for those) and what Honda and Toyota workers make? Many of who have 20-30 years, who she seems to think should be making less than a 3-6 year employee of "theirs". Let her drive her Mazda. She speaks of WW2 being the turning point for American Economic Power, who in the heck does she think built the machines that won that war and protected our country? It was not the Japanese, heck they were busy killing our men and bombing our country. It was the retired
UAW Auto Workers!!!!!!!!!!!!! Among many others.
She is un American, and is kind of reminding me of Jane Fonda!!  

Well, I watched her on Hardball and was NOT impressed. The angry white yuppie woman, RAILING against her "tax dollars" going to the Big Three automakers. Her anger was quite visible, and her arguments were ridiculous. Sure, allow 3 million people to lose their jobs, their health care, their pensions, and have them go on the dole for all of that! Hey, good ol' Steph is such a sport she even supports EXTENDING those unemployment benefits! What a gal; she's ALL HEART!

Bottom line is that the globalization IDIOCY that this country has embarked upon during the past 30 years or so has devastated the middle class, decimated our manufacturing capabilities and seriously damaged our economy. And now lil' Stephi, like all the other good yuppies, says "let 'em go bankrupt! Who needs 'em!"

Well, AMERICA needs them, that's who. They need not only the auto industry but they need to re-establish ALL manufacturing in this country. Manufacturing provides good paying jobs for the Middle Class./ Guess what, lil' yuppies? Not EVERYONE is gonna go to college and get a real good job like hedge fund manager. Some people have to do or want to do manual labor. Jobs in manufacturing provide people like that with the means to make a DECENT LIVING. Instead our greedy corporate swine have taken all our factories and moved them into Third World countries where they can pay people $5 a day. Not only that, in this way they have succeeded in smashing the unions; only 8% of all jobs are union now as opposed to 25% when Reagan took over.

But anyway, Lil' Stephie proposes to just let the Big Three and all the related suppliers go bankrupt and have those 3 million people become wards of the US government; that makes MORE SENSE to her than bailing those companies out. Who cares about those nasty blue collar workers anyway!

Her opponent arguing the opposite viewpoint was Pat Buchanan, a guy whose politics I abhor EXCEPT when he talks about ECONOMIC PATRIOTISM. THAT I agree with 100%, and he is one of the few Republicans that was SMART ENOUGH not to swallow that Global Economy garbage. We Americans need to not only do WHATEVER IT TAKES to help our automakers get straight, and we need to encourage OTHER COMPANIES to bring manufacturing jobs BACK HERE.

Thank God Obama is smart enough to recognize that rather than ELIMINATING three million good paying middle class jobs, we should be PRESERVING them. Geniuses like Lil' Stephi crack me up. We're in a RECESSION, right? We need people to SPEND MONEY, but guess what? They ARE NOT spending money! Why? Because they DON'T HAVE ANY TO SPEND. We need MORE good paying middle class union jobs like the auto workers; we DO NOT NEED TO CUT DETROIT SALARIES to make them in line with FOREIGN CAR MANUFACTURERS!  

"We're not providing dollar-in, dollar-out tracking," said Barry Koling, a spokesman for Atlanta, Ga.-based SunTrust Banks Inc., which got $3.5

I think good old Steph should take the lead and take a pay cut to help pay me back for my money I sent to her state banking system? How about it Stephanie? It is your state, and believing how you do and all, will you help pay back the money that Georgia received from the bank bailout????????????????????????????  

So Stephie is the "News Editor" over here? Seriously? I mean based on WHAT qualifications? Neither her views nor her DELIVERY of those views were noteworthy. She came off as SHRILL, ANGRY, INTOLERANT, and managed to do all that with an air of superiority that she obviously DOES NOT MERIT. I mean Buchanan & the other guy are trying to tell her about things like the trade imbalance and the INSANITY of expecting our middle class workers to compete with workers in Third World sweatshops and she blew them off with flippant comments like "that ship has sailed". This person is your NEWS EDITOR? I'm sorry, but I would BLOW HER AWAY in that job. Seriously.  

We have observed jobs being sucked out of our
country with the companies being given tax CREDITS where they should have had tarrifs.
As another person here noted, you need to listen
more often Stephanie. You don't make any form of impression other than the possibility that you are aspiring to be another Ann Coulter. We need to defend the workers but we need to make the management who chose to build awful cars for more than thirty years face the music. Learn your history. You aren't that impressive.  

With all your protesting against the UAW and your blaming them for the pickle the auto industry I noticed you didn't once mention management and their unbelievable high salaries. When you where asked about it you immediately switched to the lobbyists and their lawyers. Trouble with people like you is that you have forgotten about (if you ever learned) why unions came about in the first place.
And I never, ever hear any of you union busting motor mouths (let's face it, you did run off at the mouth) ever discuss the real reason the big three are in such trouble. The fact that management ran those companies into the ground while at the same time paying themselves unbelievable salaries and bonuses. Yet you never once addressed that inequity.... oh, I forgot, you people never do, because you people truly believe that they deserve what ever it is they can steal.

I also haven't noticed any one of them volunteering to give back any of that unearned money to help their companies or followed the lead of Lee Iacocca. You people sicken me. If I where in Obama's position, I'd of gotten word to those union busting Souther Senators that when the time came for handouts to those states, they would find the same cold shoulder they gave the Big 3. After all, they subsidize those foreign plants in their states with Sate Tax Dollars and ask Washington for more money when they start hurting because of those very same Subsidies.  

Wow. I was just subjected to the inane blatherings of this awful woman on a "Hardball" repeat and just had to go to "the google" to see what the hell her problem is.

How refreshing to see that each commenter on here thinks she's a basic moron who has somehow risen beyond her station. Listening to her union-bashing and all-out disdain of the American blue collar worker was... well, frankly, embarrassing for her.

Not only are her opinions ludicrous, she's just awful on TV. She was so rude to Mike Barnacle that by the end he was laughing at her. Don't think we'll be seeing Stephie again on our TVs anytime soon.

Finally, and this is important... you know you're messed up when you've got someone like me cheering on Pat Buchanan (!!) against you. That guy's a crypto-facist, and still, I was on his side. It was rather amusing watching him wipe the floor with her.  

I finally had the time to respond to what I saw, err ummm...witnessed on MSNBC the other night. I see many others felt the exact same way that I do after it.

Stephanie, please, you're suppose to be a journalist, no? Or are you one of those "Internet" basement businesses". Tell me that you're not living in your parents basement.

Yes, Pat is a right wingnut, but, he made a number of good points. Stephanie you acted like a person biased against blue collar hard working Americans that fear for their careers. Do the research about Toyota, Honda (which I believe you own one of them---yuckkk!!!! But, that's your choice) and the other companies that compete here against our brands. Are they all on the same playing field? Now, report on that fact and show us that fact or facts and we may take your side.

But, if the competition has the luxury of tariffs that favor them, subsidies that promote then (it does create jobs and support from Southern Senators like Shelby from Alabama) and parts made outside North America (Pat maybe is incorrect with that statement as alot of the parts plants went to Mexico). Also, if the majority of a company's business operations is in countries that have government sponsored health care and retirement isn't that also unfair competition?


One final comment, the American brands have equaled and surpassed most leading Toyota and Honda brands for service and dependability. Why, don't you write about that and the fact that Toyota loses money on the Prius? Also, with gas at the price it is, there is no incentive for us to change our ways of energy consumption. Write about how the Saudi's manipulate the flow and price. Yes Globalization has caused that also, but, where's most of the world's economy now?


Happy Holidays and if you want to create buzz for your journal, you've done that. But, you need credibility and humility to be seen when you're on TV. Do you watch, Alter, Meachem, Robinson or Wolffe when they're on that station? It's called being a professional and you need to learn to have some of what they have.



 

Great job debating with Pat Buchannon, I thought you were at your Breast, I mean best. wow, what a great rack you have.

Cheers  

Dear Mr. Mourau,

This is my first time visiting “The Sunday Paper” I had never heard of it until I saw Ms. Ramage’s appearance on “Hardball” in all honesty she did you no service.
Her ideas are mundane and corporate; there is no imagination or clever angles just a corporate shill blathering rightwing talking points.

In a marketplace full of ideas Stephanie’s lack of them leaves your paper wanting.
What does she bring to the table? How will she help your readership numbers? I for one will not be back and would advise you that the next time she is invited on national TV that you make sure she is busy with some other project.
 

Alex sez: "She came off as SHRILL, ANGRY, INTOLERANT". I missed the program, but I understand that it involved the UAW and the auto industry bail-out. Those not feeling "SHRILL, ANGRY and INTOLERANT" have their head up their collective asses.  

Drew

You are the example of exactly what is wrong in this country today. You did not see the show but you just had to post your comment. What you have posted is not based on the subject those of us saw and commented on and seems only to reflect your own addenda and not based on the facts portrayed in the show and misleading to those that will read your comments. Others that did not watch the show now will believe your comments were related to the show.  

Common Drew, we want to know, is your real name Senator Corker or Senator Shelby??  

Even funnier than Ms. Ramage's public persona is the fact that she is so insecure she deleted my friend's posting on this site.

She can dish it out, but she can't take it.

Do the right thing. Stop reading this paper. If you see it on the stand, take 5 or 10, as I'm sure there's a bird cage that needs lining somewhere.

Shame shame Ms. Ramage. So tough on the tele, so frail in real life.

Harris says "Hello".  

I have a question for our panel of critics . . . Wilson, Jennifer, Alex, Melinda, martin, Jenna, Bob, Justin.
Do you own a GM automobile? If you do not, then why don't you do us all big favor and go buy one; put your money where your large, gaping mouth is. If you do already own one, that explains why you would be stupid enough to buy into this bailout program.  

OH stop SamJ, your gonna make us cry! Let me guess, you live in the south? The great thing about America is it gives us the same freedom to free speech as it gives you the freedom to buy and support cars made by countries that give their citizens little or no rights, pay them $2.00/hr, and use children as slave labor. Way to go Sam, your opinion really matter so much to me.  

Thanks for answering the question, Jennifer.
Rhetoric; it does an economy good.  

samJ

My wife and I currently own a 1997 Cadillac, a 1995 Lincoln town car and a 1987 GMC telephone bucket truck. We paid $10,000 total for all three. I also was forced to retire early in 1987 from the original AT&T which was gutted because big business wanted to "compete" with one of the best companies with the best wages and benefits ever. This cost me $2,000,000. Soon you and most Americans will be working for a wage that will only allow you to eat bread and water! Enjoy what life you have today because it will soon be over!  

Wilson, nobody wants anyone to lose jobs. Nobody wants GM to go under. However it is touted, this bailout package is sticking the federal finger in the leaking dike. Federal finger=my tax dollars, past present and future. Delta Air Lines has emerged from bankruptcy as a strong, albeit much smaller company. That is the way it has to go. GM and Ford and Chrysler must be accountable for their current situation. They, all three, have been doing it wrong. It took an outside variable like the economic slump to wake them up.  

SamJ

You are missing my point. This started with this reporter gleefully wanting to put all American car workers out of work. We have given billions of tax dollars and tax breaks to bring foreign car makers to this country and send jobs over seas that these foreign car makers now unfairly compete with American car makers. In addition the host Country of the foreign car makers subsidizes the cost to build these cars. We now must do the same for the American car makers so then can compete fairly or make the foreign Countries pay an import fee.

My greater point is the continuing eroding of American wages of the working people while top managers pay has become far too much and must be brought into line. In addition the stock market, which was imitated years ago to capitalize companies and pay a dividend to stock holders, has become a cash cow for traders at the expense of the companies and workers.

If we do not reverse this trend of lowering wages in this country, your wages will become so low that you can not maintain a living standard that we all deserve. It may take years but it is going to get you and 95% of the rest of us if you and the rest of this country do not demand changes.  

Wilson
I absolutely agree that the trade deficit is deplorable and that we are on a collision course with disaster. We will soon be held by the jewels by foreign companies and their workers demanding more of the pie. So the cost benefit of outsourcing will be compromised, and we will either pay more for the stuff or start making it again over here.
In regards to the declining wages, that is a result of many factors that are very complex. The UAW has NOT realized a pay cut, and are not willing to. If they were, they would have themselves a bailout already. The fact that UAW workers will have to take a pay cut doesn't hurt my feelings. I have taken a pay cut over the past year. Who hasn't? That is precisely why I don't want more of my income going out the door to fund this pitiful bailout.
So, to say that American wages have suffered from cheap foreign labor is accurate, but to argue that the UAW worker has felt any of it (until just recently), is a total farce.  

You really do not know what you are talking about. As a matter of fact, many UAW workers have taken 2 pay cuts in the past 3 years, and have not had a raise in as long. And in the past year have seen their health benefits slashed. You repeat information that is inaccurate. That is the problem !  

samJ

You state that your wages went down!

They went down because you did not support others! We all must support all Americans and stop only looking at ourselves!!! We all need our wages restored to 1970 wages plus inflation added until today. Afterwards wages must keep up with inflation!  

Actually, if you knew how to read, you would see that I did not say MY wages went down. I do not work for an auto company, I have a degree in Nursing.

Maybe that is why you attempt to attack me, because you have been thinking I am a UAW member. How funny! Do you see what they are up against. People like you that want to see them fail and are for some reason angry at them for having good wages. This country needs more jobs with good wages so that they can survive and have it a little better than poverty, not the other way around.  

Jennifer

I assume you are referring to my statement. Only because you stated that I can not read I must tell you that I read pretty well and I addressed my comment to samJ as you could have told only if you could read. Maybe that is how 100,000 people die due to mistakes in hospitals. No Jennifer, don't get your panties in a wad because I do not believe my last statement only pulling your chain. I drove an ambulance year ago and greatly respect all medical workers.  

Jennifer
I don't care if you are a UAW worker or not. I don't care if you are a nurse or not. I don't care about any personal details in regard to you. You feel some need to take up the shield of the UAW and the transparent myth that out entire country will collapse like a house of cards if we don't cater the whims of the big three. Since you are a nurse, perhaps someone in your line of work can assist you in removing your head from rectum.  

No Wilson, I was speaking to samj.  

and samj, thank you for your kind comment about my head and rectum. That truly shows what a great person you are, down with the American workers and down with anyone who wants them to succeed. You are an American treasure!  

Jennifer
I like the spirited tone of this banter. Since you are the one that attacked Ms. Ramage, I didn't think you would get your feelings hurt so easily. I don't care that you did, but since your are accustomed to administering the pain, I guess you're a bit soft.
I'll bow out after one more interjection, then you can freely rip me to shreds without fear of rebuttal.
I buy American diligently and persistently. I read labels and pass over imported products whenever there is an option. That often means that I pay more for the domestic equivalent. I purchased a new 2006 Ford two years ago and plunked out $30k+ cash (buying used American autos doesn't infuse anything other than sentiment into the economy). The quality of this car is nowhere near that of an Asian import, and in fact had transmission failure at 6,000 miles(it was repaired under warranty, sure). I have NEVER owned anything other than American vehicles from Ford and GM. However, my next vehicle will be Honda or Toyota because they are the best products available. I will not support an inferior product.
You will sometimes hit a brick wall trying to buy American and one example is with electronics. When W. gave us the economic stimulus package, he told us to "go buy a TV" or something to that effect. Yeah, ok, take these American dollars and buy some Chinese TV's. I don't think we realize how captive we have become to imports, but we don't have viable alternatives most of the time. Sometimes it is a matter of there being NO American offering, or in the case with autos, they are simply inferior.
You can dismiss my observations as incoherent ramblings, as I am sure you will. But until these industries are held to a higher standard, all the money in the world isn't going to change their tendencies. The consuming public is going to scrutinize every purchase they make, because unlike you, we have less money with which to purchase. With the certainty of tax increases on the horizon, it is only going to get worse.
Ok, Jen- dissect my mania.  

Just checking back to see if Steph still has this feel of glee when hard working people loose their job. Is she still here?

Wilson