Corker supporters might want to give this one a second look

Back in December, Gail Kerr was gah-gah over Bob Corker's stand against the unions and the "Big 3" domestic automakers based on the idea that they needed to become more like their non-union foreign counterparts:

The economy crashed and left the U.S. auto industry teetering on the brink. And there stood Bob Corker to save the day ....

[Corker said] The union would have to agree to match the labor costs of foreign automakers operating in the U.S. Like Nissan, Toyota and, soon, Volkswagen. Because if the union didn't agree to cuts, they'd end up with no contract and a bankrupt company.

Like Toyota, which is posting a 40% drop in February sales as it is getting retooled to start marketing its new lines? What is Toyota going to have to agree to match to get their sales back up? I can't wait to see how Kerr says Corker will save this one.

Corker cannot blame the unions for this one. The problem for the industry as a whole was executive mismanagement, the global financial downturn, and the inability of consumers to afford new cars or gas prices once the economic bubble burst.

In What Bunker Is Mayor Dean Huddled?

Jackson Miller wonders where Karl Dean is during Nashville's recent run on gas stations, which exacerbated an already slim fuel supply. He also has some good advice for Dean, who probably should have embraced his leadership role in our city by talking to distributors, massaging the media, and hitting the airwaves to reassure Nashvillians, many of whom may also be in shock over last week's stock market crash.

I have wondered where Karl Dean goes when he doesn't care about or doesn't want to deal with specific issues. Jackson refers us to a more general concern on which Nashville's Mayor should have gotten out front and lead Nashvillians away from knee-jerk panic. He may not be capable of doing that.

It Gives Me Gas

Given that Nashville's gas supply has been cut in the past 24 hours to 15% of our normal supply, I would seriously like to know how drilling more wells in the Gulf of Mexico would have prevented our primary transportation system from potentially grinding to a halt? Our pipeline comes from the gulf refineries that were knocked out by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, so how would multiplying our oil rigs have brought us more gas? The doomsday scenario here is that if vital links at the refineries and along pipeline are neutralized, increasing the amount of oil to those links is futile for us. So, how can we justify "drill, baby, drill," when there are no guarantees that more oil will get to us and when it assures that our dependence on petrol will continue? The only people who will win with "drill, baby, drill" in a fuel crisis are the oil companies, who will turn pretty profits even while others are suffering.

Now I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Well, I may not exactly know why the caged bird sings, but I do understand now why those who burglarized my shed the weekend before last stole a little bitty almost-empty gallon gas can along with my power washer and lawn mower. During a visit to Home Depot to replace my mower, I found out that they had experienced a run on gas cans. According to the employee with whom I spoke, no Home Depot closer than Lebanon had any gas cans to sell. I eventually found cans at Auto Zone, but the folks there told me that they were going fast, along with locking gas caps, which they could not keep in stock.

Consumers seem a bit panicky about gas prices.