Sleaze
Lack of Integrity is a problem with human beings when money is involved, even when the lives of other humans are at stake. Some years ago there was a scandal involving defective Firestone tires on Ford products. More recently a safety issue with Toyota cars, which the manufacturer hedged and denied. Even more recent was the faulty ignition switch that caused injury and deaths in some GM vehicles while GM executives were stonewalling, lying and denying. And still underway, VW's sleazy fraud about emissions in their diesel vehicles and now scurrying to offer discounts and efforts to regain public trust. This morning we have the Department of Transportation announcement of a huge potentially bankruptive fine involving the Japanese airbag supplier Takata, and Honda’s severing their longstanding reliance on Takata because Takata lied and deceived and stalled and continued supplying faulty product that caused several deaths, and was defiant. Caught, they of course are contrite and remorseful.
Confronted with facts, Takata had defiantly taken the position that the U.S. government safety agency lacked the authority to order a recall of their faulty product. One might hope, for one I do, that Takata collapses and fails for their executives’ sleazy lack of integrity. In China, though the culture apparently is rife with corruption among officials, this case would not have concluded with recalls and fines, but with sleazy executives being arrested, imprisoned, and some hanged or shot.
With a key foreign supplier for American products, this conversation highlights that we have a global economy that I think is good because it leads to inter-reliance, no developed country’s economy is independent, we all depend on each other. This ought to be a factor in international relations and foreign policy. Not just family ties such as we have with the U.K. but when more Buicks are built in China than anywhere else in the world, and when the U.S. regards China as its go-to bank, where to go to borrow money, there’s an interdependence that sensibilities indicate ought to dampen hostilities unto war. I’m not sure our politicians are that smart, we elect idiots who install imbeciles in administrative posts. But after all, everybody is human, so that’s what you get: greedy selfish morons with no integrity.
It has been ever thus.
For anyone who wants to see if your car has the potentially deadly Takata product, this CR page has a link where you can enter your car’s VIN. Be sure to scroll down the CR page and read the comments: apparently the backlog for correction is so long that my inclination would be to get rid of any affected car, dump it and replace with a safe product. In short, what’s your child’s life worth to you?
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/10/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-takata-air-bag-recall/index.htm
William Steig was right.
Confronted with facts, Takata had defiantly taken the position that the U.S. government safety agency lacked the authority to order a recall of their faulty product. One might hope, for one I do, that Takata collapses and fails for their executives’ sleazy lack of integrity. In China, though the culture apparently is rife with corruption among officials, this case would not have concluded with recalls and fines, but with sleazy executives being arrested, imprisoned, and some hanged or shot.
With a key foreign supplier for American products, this conversation highlights that we have a global economy that I think is good because it leads to inter-reliance, no developed country’s economy is independent, we all depend on each other. This ought to be a factor in international relations and foreign policy. Not just family ties such as we have with the U.K. but when more Buicks are built in China than anywhere else in the world, and when the U.S. regards China as its go-to bank, where to go to borrow money, there’s an interdependence that sensibilities indicate ought to dampen hostilities unto war. I’m not sure our politicians are that smart, we elect idiots who install imbeciles in administrative posts. But after all, everybody is human, so that’s what you get: greedy selfish morons with no integrity.
It has been ever thus.
For anyone who wants to see if your car has the potentially deadly Takata product, this CR page has a link where you can enter your car’s VIN. Be sure to scroll down the CR page and read the comments: apparently the backlog for correction is so long that my inclination would be to get rid of any affected car, dump it and replace with a safe product. In short, what’s your child’s life worth to you?
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/10/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-takata-air-bag-recall/index.htm
William Steig was right.