GM's Ignition Switch is a direct result of Republican beliefs in the Myth of Self-Regulation

General Motors has revealed (or had exposed) a flaw in their ignition system affecting the following models; Chevy Cobalt and HHR, the Pontiac G5, and Saturn ION mainly between the 2005 to 2007 models. The ignition flaw known to GM engineers and officals, possibly as early as 2002, and which underwent a quiet in-house redesigning in 2006, was not announced for recall until February 10, 2014.

Currently, 34 traffic crashes and 12 deaths are linked (albeit not yet conclusively) to the flaw which causes the ignition to turn off under heavy jarring as in an impact or while driving on bad road conditions.

Government Regulations require Corporations report flaws to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as soon as they become reasonably aware of the flaw or defect, but under George W. Bush, General Motors, as illustrated with the 2006 quiet redesign, and other Corporations in the United States felt utterly secure in not reporting or following any regulations.

Like all Republicans, The Bush Administration cultivated an Air of Neglect and assured Americans that Corporations would Self-Regulate. The Myth of Self-Regulation is that Companies would never defraud, negligently or maliously harm consumers because by doing so they would, in fact, be harming themselves. So since it's in their self-interest Corporations will correct problems and not engage in criminal activity. What actually happens is Corporations routinely flout regulations because they know No Republican will ever prosecute them for their criminal negligence.

Part and parcel of their absolute devotion to the Myth of Self-Regulation, Republicans often hamstring Regulatory bodies by underfunding and slashing their budget or neutering their enforcement powers, but even worse Bush and other Republicans often place people who are explicitly hostile to Regulatory Bodies in positions of authority over those organizations.

Under Bush and his Republican brethren, the NHTSA, the EPA, the MHSA, the SEC and every other Governmental Regulatory body were neutered so that Businesses could engage rapacious profiteering and whatever criminal activity they desired.

Because Republicans want a Corporate Plutocracy controlling the Nation while the 99% are shackled in perpetual Corporate Bondage and Wage Slavery.

Heartland Institute it's Time to pop the Champagne!

The owner of Moët & Chandon, Diageo Brands, has announced it will cut funding to the Heartland Institute over their idiotic Unabomber Global Warming billboard on the Ike (the perennially under-construction Eisenhower Expressway).

Heartland, ran an unabashedly emotional appeal, precisely because the overwhelming evidence indicates man-made climate change is an occurring phenomenon. Heartland is also standing by their original "experiment" by keeping the statement, "most prominent advocates of global warming aren’t scientists. They are murderers, tyrants, and madmen" proudly displayed on their website.

Fortunately, Heartland has been steadily losing funders and supporters. Back in March, General Motors confirmed it ended funding and it's 20 year association with the Heartland Institute.

Of course, dozens of companies still donate to Heartland Institute including a nice little Koch. The Charles G. Koch Foundation reportedly donated $200,000 in 2011. But, One-Fifth of their 2011 funding came from One Anonymous Donor,

"Our climate work is attractive to funders, especially our key Anonymous Donor (whose contribution dropped from $1,664,150 in 2010 to $979,000 in 2011 - about 20% of our total 2011 revenue). He has promised an increase in 2012…” [See the Story: Heartland Institute Exposed: Internal Documents Unmask Heart of Climate Denial Machine over at DeSmogBlog for more details of the chicanery of the Heartland Institute.]

So the loss of Diageo and General Motors funding won't affect their mission of lying to sow doubt about man-made climate change. And there is absolutely no conflict of interest from having Koch Industries, one of the worst most profligate polluting Conglomerates in the United States, or any Corporation heavily invested in undercutting the EPA or environmental laws, providing Heartland funding.

But, Heartland please keep up the billboards along the Ike! You're helping the Illinois economy, hurting yourselves and making more people view climate change deniers, such as yourself, as dangerous loons.

Image created by NewsCorpse.

Hey Tea Party! Mitt Romney spikes the football and takes the credit for the Saving the Auto Industry and creating Government Motors

Professional candidate, Vulture Capitalist Mitt Romney is now spiking the football and taking credit for the Auto Bailout. “So I’ll take a lot of credit for the fact that this industry’s come back,” Mitt Romney.

Ha ha ha ha ha! Oh Tea Party! Remember all that internet bile and vitriol you spewed at President Obama for creating Government Motors? Here's Chicago's own Warner Todd Huston's lambasting President Obama and Government Motors. So what are you going to do now? Blame Mitt Romney for the Auto Bailout or Praise him? Or be the cheap tawdry frauds we all know you are and claim credit while still bashing President Obama for saving millions of American jobs?

Besides the sham Tea Party this whole claim by Mitt Romney is beyond ridiculous. Mitt Romney is a despicable fraud, who profits off of firing Americans and reducing their standard of living. Everyone knows Mitt Romney proclaimed loudly Let Detroit Go Bankrupt. Here's the telling line from Romney,

It would permit companies to shed excess labor, pension and real estate costs.

What Mitt was declaring was let the American workers and Union Labor get shafted while the rump of the companies could be bought up cheaply by Bain Capital and other Vulture Capitalists.

Romney made his fortune on buying companies laying off workers and selling off assets to artificially raise the "value" of the company and then selling off the husk of a company for profit. This is how Romney and the Hedge Fund Vultures with whom he congregates operate.

Shameless. Years ago I correctly summed up Romney's character [See my post: Uncle Mitty and Blood in the Water].

It's unbelievable, Romney is The Dauphin of the Republican Aristocratic Kleptocracy, as the Son of a Governor and Presidential Candidate and then a life long college student, draft dodger, "hard working" consultant and now professional politician. Romney has never done an honest days worth of work in his life opting instead to be a professional socialist, a bureaucrat through and through who has lived his life of leisure and largess at the expense of the American Taxpayer. Fittingly as a Republican he is also a Chicken Hawk, bravely wanting to risk the lives of other men's sons while his sons sacrifice for America by trying to get him elected President. His perfect hair is greased with the oily drippings of his rank cowardice.

If Romney is elected, you can expect his buddies the 1% of the 1% to reap massive amounts of Tax Payer Assistance while the Poor and Middle Class pay higher taxes and see their pensions, social security and Medicare all funneled into the coffers of the Plutocrats.

Update:
A Fantastic Post by Green Eagle, Mitt Romney's Excellent Adventure at Bain Capital, does a great job of summing up Romney's horrid record of killing American jobs to squeeze a few extra bucks for his off-shore accounts and Wall Street portfolios.