Reply #34: Encomium for Car Talk Before Bed

[Demeter]

Tom and Ray Magliozzi host Car Talk, a weekly program featured on National Public Radio that covers cars rather in the same style WEE covers the economy.

While they are certifiable, in that way that any siblings are in each other's presence, their program is entertaining and helpful. It even helped me keep sane while watching my world crumble in California...their familiar Boston accents bringing back nostalgic memories of life in New England...but that's another story.

Here is their website, and you can listen to their shows at your leisure:

http://www.cartalk.com/index.html


I think the greatest significance of the auto industry is that it never was primarily a means of manufacturing weapons, which was always the first purpose of technology and large-scale manufacturing. While the auto could certainly aid a war effort, it could equally aid a peaceful one.

The only similarly predominantly peaceful large-scale manufacturing enterprise I can think of was textiles, which we lost to Asia back in the 60's as the Corporations fled from the evil Unions.

As long as a nation permits capital outflow, Corporations will screw over the populations that dare try to equalize the power balance by sending the work overseas. Unfortunately for them and for us, few nations are as idiotic as the US about such things.