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DEL.ICIO.USFord dealer in Savannah goes after ‘rice-ready’ imports
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A frustrated Ford dealer, angered over the way lawmakers in Congress are approaching the bailout of Detroit, has put out two radio ads in the Savannah area, condemning politicians as useless and dismissing Japanese cars as “rice-ready…not road-ready.”
Listen to the two ads here and here.
Here are the details from the Associated Press:
O.C. Welch, who owns a dealership near Savannah in Hardeeville, S.C., began airing the minute-long ad on a dozen stations in the area over the weekend. The ad sounds more like a talk-radio tirade than a sales pitch.
“All you people that buy all your Toyotas and send that money to Japan, you know, when you don’t have a job to make your Toyota car payment, don’t come crying to me,” Welch says in the ad. “All those cars are rice ready. They’re not road ready.”
Floyd Mori, executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League, said Welch’s remarks evoke anti-Asian sentiments often aimed at Japanese and Chinese immigrants to the U.S. from the 1930s through World War II. He also noted many Japanese automakers’ cars are manufactured in America.
“It’s a blatant, ignorant, racist remark from somebody who should know better,” Mori said.
Welch said he’s mostly mad at politicians, blasting them in his ad as only being good for “slinging mud and spending our tax dollars.” He said the government should offer tax incentives for consumers to buy new cars rather than spend money bailing out Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.
Comments
By Keith
December 10, 2008 12:24 PM | Link to this
Another American brand car dealer with his head in the sand. I bought a new 2005 F150 Supercrew Lariat 4wd loaded. It stayed in the shop for most of the first three months as the dealer continued to fix manufacturing defects. I purchased a new 2006 Toyota Sequoia for my wife and other than oil changes it has never seen a dealership and has run flawlessly. I suggest OC look at grabbing a foreign car dealership if he wants to stay in the biz.
By The Snark
December 10, 2008 12:24 PM | Link to this
The Snark is a satisfied Ford owner, but recognizes ignorance and racism when he hears it on the radio. This guy is a fool.
By the way, Mr. Welch — here is a list of Toyota plants employing American labor on American soil, and the number of cars put together by said Americans over the last 20 years:
http://www.toyoland.com/toyota/plants.html
By The Truth
December 10, 2008 2:08 PM | Link to this
When stupid people self-destruct, don’t stand in their way.
Recently Fords have improved in their reliability ratings, but chiefly because they use Japanese derived designs. Were it not for having the Mazda 6 as a platform for the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, et. al., we’d be stuck with a tired Ford lineup that remains below average in reliability.
Union guys, don’t give in on this fight. O.C., keep running those spots. Fight to the bitter end. And bitter it will be.
By mickeyd
December 10, 2008 2:33 PM | Link to this
57 year-old O. C. Welch is famous in the Savannah area for divorcing his cancer-stricken wife last year and shacking up with a 25 year-old intern that works for Congressman Jack Kingston. Jack doesn’t care…O. C. is his biggest campaign contributor.
By Elizabeth Edwards
December 10, 2008 3:27 PM | Link to this
Hey mickeyd, at leat O.C. divorced his cancer-stricken wife. John “The Breck Girl” Edwards just decided to have an affair and have a child out of wedlock. I know that Edwards claimed that he need a family for each of the “Two Americas”, but I never bought that. I wonder how many democrat politicans Edwards endorsed, campainged for, or help raise cash for?
By Denise
December 10, 2008 3:40 PM | Link to this
Elizabeth., WTF does John Edwards have to do with this?
Is there no end to conservative whining and deflecting?
By Elizabeth Edwards
December 10, 2008 3:55 PM | Link to this
Hey Denise, read the post by Mickeyd. He attacked O.C. because he divorced his cancer-stricken wife. I was just making a point. I am sorry if it offended your lib feelings. Please forgive. Bush made me do it.
By Denise
December 10, 2008 4:14 PM | Link to this
Elizabeth,
Whiners and deflectors always offend me—mostly because they are evidence of parents who don’t know how to properly raise their children. Don’t bother to apologize. You cant help what you are, can you?
By Elizabeth Edwards
December 10, 2008 4:32 PM | Link to this
I forget that open minded and tolerant libs hate to hear an opposing point or view, or that they hate sarcasm. Listen, Denise, if that is your real name, get over yourself. OK you guys won this election. But the Democrat scandals are starting before The Obama, peace be upon him, takes office. I think that it is perfectly germaine to bring up the Breck Girl. If some lib hack is going to attack a private citizen for divorcing a lady with cancer it is perfectly reasonable to bring up that dirt bag, Edwards.
By Wackolibhack
December 10, 2008 4:50 PM | Link to this
It is Bush’s fault that people get cancer. It is Bush’s fault that John Edwards is a cheating scumbag. It is Bush’s fault that Denise has no sense of humor. It is Bush’s fault that O.C. owns a dealership and hates his opposition.
By Aaron Burr V. Mexico
December 10, 2008 5:06 PM | Link to this
It’s Bush’s fault that America was dumb enough to vote for him twice…oh wait.
That was people like Wackomorph.
It’s Bush’s fault that American’s were dumb enough to vote for people who voted for the first bailout (yes that includes Obama and McSame)….
Oh wait, that was still people like Wackomorph.
It’s Bush’s fault that people are dumb enough to believe that the Alabama Senator is being purely altruistic in his opposition to the “Car Czar” instead of trying to benefit all those car plants in his state.
Oh wait, that was people like WackoMorph that believe the crap that they shovel.
By Bitter EX democrackkk
December 10, 2008 7:27 PM | Link to this
funny as heck!
if the Congress bails out the big 3, then no more American cars for me…
By Denise
December 10, 2008 7:28 PM | Link to this
Elizabeth:
Oh, WAH!
Now, try really, really hard not to WHINE, okay? Yes, my party won—because the GOP proved itself incompetent with regard to just about everything having to do with government. John Edwards had nothing to do with that and, at any rate, is no longer in public life.
In addition to trying very hard to pass yourself off as an adult, you might want to work on your critical thinking skills. If you do, you might develop the ability to discern the difference between relevant and irrelevant facts when analyzing the events and issues of the day.
Good luck!
By The Thin Guy
December 10, 2008 7:29 PM | Link to this
Used to be a Buy American guy. Then I found out that the Ford Escort I was drving was made in Mexico and now I drive a 15 year old Toyota that was made in Kentucky. My 79 Ford Mustang at one point used two quarts of oil on every tank of gas. Then I spent $ 1,000 on a valve job and it only used one quart of oil on every tank of gas. My 93 Toyota Camry with 185,000 runs fine and has never used a drop of oil. Rice is good for you. Ford means Fix Or Repair Daily. If you need a lawyer or hooker get an American one. If you want a car or camera or a tv or anything electronic, Japan is the place where they know their Hillary from a hole in the ground.
By ged oar ur mommas dirty pannies
December 10, 2008 7:34 PM | Link to this
yo military morons,
get ur ged and go kill the brown man. Sempre whatever ur paid 2 b a dumbass. Quit ur whinin; free riders’ lifes a b*** then u marry 1
By patrick
December 10, 2008 8:45 PM | Link to this
Did this guy graduate from high school? If that’s the voice of American ingenuity then we’re doomed.
By Aaron Burr V. Mexico
December 10, 2008 11:04 PM | Link to this
I am still mad at one of my personalities. I am stuck in my basement covered in gravy, because one of my personalities (Wacko) spilled gravy from my biscuit. I think I may have also soiled myself earlier.
By The Snark
December 11, 2008 9:31 AM | Link to this
Sounds like some of you guys have been hitting the mushrooms pretty hard.
By GeezGuys
December 11, 2008 12:53 PM | Link to this
Job or no job, I don’t have to cry to anyone about my Toyota car payment. It’s paid off. You won’t be paying for a rice-ready car after it’s been sent to the junkyard…unlike the pieces of crap O.C. sells.
If every bit of the American car industry goes under, it’s a good thing. That’s less tax dollars for HERO units assisting broken-down American cars.
By Aaron Burr V. Mexico
December 11, 2008 1:15 PM | Link to this
Yes Morph. You are. You are. You did. You did.
By Aaron Burr V. Mexico
December 11, 2008 2:06 PM | Link to this
I am still in the basement looking for my shoes. I am not as mad at my other personalities anymore…maybe it is the Christmas spirit. My wife, a working girl, only has 3 dates tonite with Johns so she will be home early enough to change my bag. Things are looking up.
By Aaron Burr V. Morph
December 11, 2008 2:32 PM | Link to this
Well they were until you spoke Morph.
I guess we’re not getting better at all.
Then again, since one of us is a Republican that likes to Hump Bush’s leg, I can understand your identity issues.
(P.S….it’s not me.)
By Aaron Burr V. Mexico
December 11, 2008 2:35 PM | Link to this
What’s formless, spineless, cowardly and shifts to meet whatever will get it elected?
a) Republican Ideology b) Morph c) All of the above.
By Aaron Burr V. Mexico
December 12, 2008 12:26 AM | Link to this
I am Morph.
By Bitter EX democrackkk
December 12, 2008 6:13 AM | Link to this
GM and Toyota sold about the same number of vehix in 2007. GM LOST $38 BILLION, while TOYOTA MADE $19 BILLION. UNIONS have ruined the US auto industry, but you NEVER hear them say it.
UNIONS ruine everything eventually in the ‘free’ market. Sickening.
By JerryT
December 12, 2008 9:49 AM | Link to this
Sales are down for all the cars that Toyota and Honda make in the US too. The only cars they make that are selling well are the ones they import. I suppose this is because suddenly the US consumers desire cars that are made for the rest of the world. Even so, the best selling cars in this country are still pickup trucks and sport utes. The car companies are responding to the market. It’s not the unions forcing them to make those big a* cars that suddenly no one wants.
It’s like Wal Mart. Everybody wants to shop there because of the low prices, but after they put 15 other local stores out of business, people don’t understand why they are unemployed.
By Denise
December 12, 2008 11:07 AM | Link to this
Jerry T,
Interesting how you don’t talk about all the subsidies Southern Governors have thrown at foreign-owned automakers manufacturing vehicles in their states.
What these opposing Southern senators are trying to do is to bust unions—so that workers everywhere will make as little money as they do here in the South, have as crappy healthcare, enjoy the same infant mortality rates, the same toothlessness generally, etc.
Moreover, if unions and labor are sufficiently disempowered up North, employers in this part of the country can feel assured that their own workers will be further discouraged from organizing. Who cares if Southerners slave their lives away for substandard wages and have no healthcare? Certainly not our dear Southern Republican Lawmakers. After all, those are not their problems, are they?
By JerryT
December 12, 2008 12:52 PM | Link to this
I completely agree Denise. The only role the unions have in this is that the car companies have large legacy pension and healthcare expenses which the foreign companies don’t have (at least not here). Instead of trying to protect those benefits for US workers, some here choose to side with rich corporate executives and greedy shareholders. Instead, we should be talking about universal healthcare and non-stock market based retirement benefits. But the real problem is that the market is shrinking due to the crappy economy. The Big Three have a lot more shrinking to do than the relatively small US production capacity of the foreign companies. And that is George Bush’s fault for totally mismanaging the economy, just like every other thing he touches.
By Will Jones
December 12, 2008 2:01 PM | Link to this
His “mismanagenent” is predicated on the People’s failure, heretofore, to bring him, and Cheney, to justice for committing 9/11(Viz. “The New Pearl Harbor,” Griffin, PhD).
This ignored/tolerated/condoned evil has substantially destroyed our “Oeconomy.” The Truth is known and obvious. The Treasury’s depletion, profiting the Bush Cabal, and Debt bondage serving fascist plutocracy to subdue and destroy the Sovereign People are pattern and practice of Anti-Christ/Amalek in history.
Agents of false-elite may wish it denied but G-d is not mocked…and America needs Annuit Coeptis/G-d for a prosperous and just economy…not the ‘pseudo aristoi” which is patently the Anti-Christ upon us…that accomplished the Holocaust only a few decades ago, with impunity.
Follow the money and the crimes. We, the People, must cast the Beast into the Pit. Did some believe it would happen by “magic?”
G-d, alone, is the “magic.” By Which does each of us have reason and the sense to know the Truth. Jefferson and King are Our Prophets. Read and learn.
It is no coincidence the JP Morgan Chase was found owning 40% of the Republic Door and Window Co. outside Chicago, now wanting to mollify the outraged workers they tried to rip-off. It is the Rockefellers’ family bank. Corporations were permitted in America originally only because they were doing public works projects on the People’s behalf. The camel has followed its nose under the tent and must be “put out.”
Bush “managed” the economy just as his masters wished. They have drained it to reduce the People.
They must now be expropriated, tried, banished, or extirpated.
Death for Treason
Jeffersonian Exegesis
By CPO Sharky
December 12, 2008 4:13 PM | Link to this
Non-executive compensation in the financial industry dwarfs the labor costs of the average US auto industry worker. Bonuses and retirement benefits are extreme in the world of finance. 700 billion dollars was given to them with little or no accountability.
It makes no sense to me that the UAW is now the new scapegoat for the sinking American auto industry and US economy.
By OLDSKOOL
December 12, 2008 4:35 PM | Link to this
The Republicans just asked the execs of the “Little 3” to make pay cuts in order to honor the new bailout plan and to make it an actuality, but guess what….they said NO!! Hmmmm don’t let the door get your a$$ on the way out.
By Joe
December 12, 2008 6:40 PM | Link to this
It’s because of people like OC Welch that will make it harder for American cars climb out of the dumps. Let’s say “Hamburger ready!”
By Denise
December 12, 2008 7:09 PM | Link to this
“Non-executive compensation in the financial industry dwarfs the labor costs of the average US auto industry worker. Bonuses and retirement benefits are extreme in the world of finance. 700 billion dollars was given to them with little or no accountability.
It makes no sense to me that the UAW is now the new scapegoat for the sinking American auto industry and US economy.”
CPO Sharky,
Good point. No Wall Street workers were expected to take pay cuts as a precondition for government aid. I guess people who make cars for a living must eat less and have lower medical costs than people who work for financial institutions, eh?
By JerryT
December 23, 2008 9:56 AM | Link to this
I just wanted to mention that apparently Toyota will show its first loss since 1950. Their sales are way down too. Also, American assembly line workers average about $32 per hour. Those in Japan $30.
The UAW has very little to do with the US car manufacturers problems. As a matter of fact, of the top 20 selling vehicles, only four have shown an increase since 2007; the Ford Focus, the Ford Fusion, the Chevy Impala, and the Honda Civic. It’s the free market that caused the car manufacturers to make the pickups and sport-utes that we all kept buying. It’s the free market that caused gas prices to fluctuate so wildly. How can anyone blame the auto executives for not having forward vision when we don’t want to let them survive long enough to take chances? They respond to us, not the other way around. The government has tried to mandate increased fuel efficiency standards but the free-market acolytes freak out and go into socialist fear spasms. The current administration doesn’t even try. Now hundreds of thousands of workers are losing their jobs (and not buying as much stuff or paying as much taxes as a result) because those who DID have the forward vision were thwarted by the greed and selfishness of capitalists… and then try to blame it on the very workers who are losing their jobs!