Romy C. Schultz

Detroit, America's Waterloo

2008-11-29T14:03:38Z

Detroit, America’s Waterloo by

Romy C. Schultz

Ever since Henry Ford gave us the ‘Model T’ Detroit has dictated what America should drive. The tsarist attitude of Motown remained unchallenged for decades while the Big Three reigned supreme.

In their assembly-line fortresses pregnant with delusory arrogance, erratic leadership ignored sound business practices and substituted gimmickry guaranteed to snaffle success. Any break-through system technology was haughtily dismissed. The rigorous discipline of William Edwards Deming’s statistical quality control, eagerly embraced by Toyota, was reluctantly recognized only because quality imports were flooding U.S. highways, not because Detroit was concerned about building quality cars with greater fuel efficiency. When executives at Ford, after a whopping 3 Billion dollar loss, went looking for a miracle cure from Deming they were stunned that he questioned not only their flagrant disregard for consumer satisfaction and sloppy manufacturing processes, but his utmost concern was their utterly dismal corporate climate.

The formidable financial flop of John Z. De Lorean and the scorched earth management style of Jose Ignacio Lopez, to name just a few of many myopic superstars, systematically piloted the shipwreck christened ‘Automotive Industry’ into the reefs. Continuous mafia style intimidating demands for price reduction from suppliers forced many small companies into bankruptcy and poisoned supplier relationships. Lopez’s idiotic hype that workers should wear their wristwatch on the right wrist until Ford showed profits did little for their moral. I guess they are still looking to the right for the proper time of day.

The glaring obfuscation of performance vs. compensation for CEO’s is unacceptable. “Parachutes”, lifesavers for skilled skydivers, should not be available for non-performing executives. A bone-crushing landing might be incentive to shake up Detroit’s self-complacent air of superiority. The free fall to corporate suicide must be averted by making the leaders walk the plank, and replacing them with executives of broad global wisdom.

In World War II the Automotive Industry was forced to re-tool and to manufacture tanks, weapons, even airplanes. Around 1930 the Detroit sector developed the Burlington Zephyr, doubling the average speed of existing trains. When the war was over, plans to produce high speed trains a la Europe and Japan were aborted at embryo-stage by the automotive despots.

Detroit, responding to the initial Angst over gasoline shortages in the past, offered déjà vu lip service that they would build more fuel efficient cars. As soon as the waiting lines at pumps disappeared so did their short lived promise. We have seen no reason to trust these incompetents to reform their self-assigned throne nor is there any indication that they would shed their royal robes trimmed in ignorance.Apathetic to the oil-producing countries holding us over a barrel by skillfully manipulated supply vs. demand, distracted administrations were lulled into complacency. Assisted by special interest groups and a lethargic Washington, Detroit returned to producing larger profit gas guzzlers.

Unfortunately it is not only Detroit that failed us. Manufacturers across America who have adjudged conspiratorially to fabricate products with designed premature obsolescence should be horse-whipped. Our present economic nightmare is directly traceable to corporate greed, government lack of conscience and our own acceptance of their substantive ‘spin’ output. In World War II the Automotive Industry was forced to re-tool and to manufacture tanks, weapons, even airplanes. Around 1930 the Detroit sector developed the Burlington Zephyr, doubling the average speed of existing trains. When the war was over, plans to produce high speed trains a la Europe and Japan were aborted at embryo-stage by the automotive despots.

A Holiday Renaissance

2008-11-20T17:49:50Z

A Holiday Renaissance

Romy C. Schultz

There was no writer’s block, nor waning literary enthusiasm, nor lack of interest that muted me. It was a sensitive and emotional quest to reflect realistically and to search for wisdom to decipher the hubris of our times.

As I began this article, Americans, dazed by devastating reports from the financial sector, struggled to search for truth.

At the premier performance of this play, some egocentric actors displayed unbridled raw ambition for the starring role. Scripted dialogues of falsehood and insincerity fell flat of substance.

The critics, having assumed the presumptuous role of kingmakers were unable to rise above their quest for Nielsen ratings; they distracted us with inane discussions about costume designers, make-up artists and improper dialogue coaching.

Faced with potential lousy ratings, the director called for a re-write with demands for integrity and for adherence to the Leitmotiv: the ravages of war, the homeless, the jobless, the uneducated, the sick and the poor. Such drama of epic proportions, still plagued by uninspired acting and uneven direction, tried our patience to remain through the end of the show.

Yet the award-winning performance by the star embraced our emotions and held us firmly until a rousing finale: the eagle soared, on wings of strength and hope, toward the sun. In this extravaganza of monumental historical significance, we, the people made our choice. Time will tell if we chose wisely.

At the beginning of this holiday season we are a nation in great distress. It is a linguistic struggle to link reality to hope and to find a reasonable liaison between anguish and cheer, to seduce misery into becoming joy.

“Happy Holidays”, a well meaning wish, sounds almost oxymoronic in the face of reality. Referencing to expected joyous celebrations of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa seems insensitive at a time when so many have lost their homes, jobs and savings.

It is helpful to say that the children were happy with a rag doll made from an old sock when I was a kid. Do I dare to write that it was actual “quality time” spent with parents, grandparents and friends while everyone was folding three-dimensional stars from strips of old newspapers to decorate the tree? Would it be wrong to say that the Christmas tree alone was enough of a wondrous gift then? Can I suggest that threading prunes or dried figs onto wire, adding a walnut on the top made exciting eatable dolls?

It was wartime then and we had very little. But we had each other. We also had an old radio that provided classic music, Christmas carols, and stories like Treasure Island. We all listened while the adults were chatting, knitting socks and mittens from recycled old sweaters or making clothes for the rag-doll from grandpa’s bare-thread shirts.

Collective pain is easier to take than singular pain. During war or in a great disaster we bond and help each other because we are all in the same boat, hence our psyche is less vulnerable. There might be an iota of truth to that, but I would think that the individual pain of just having lost one’s home or one’s job can not be diminished.

What I know as certainty, because I have lived through World War II and the struggle in my native Germany, is that the collective will of the people to survive and to rebuild is an awesome force. In this Holiday Season America is engaged in unpopular battles at home and abroad. There is no forecast for immediate victory; it will take time and a united effort for national healing.

Risking criticism of being presumptuous, I dare say we can scale back and test-trial simplicity. We have the ability to say NO to temptation for excess. We can have the courage to swim against the stream and play word games with the kids. We can turn off the computer games and ask them to rake leaves with their friends. We can skip the gym club; vacuuming, washing windows and running up the stairs is the best exercise there is. I would not want to call such changes ‘sacrifice’. Being pushed out the door after homework was finished, and being told: “go play!” made us creative. We collected

Cockleburs and used them like Lego building stones, which became the furnishings for dollhouses carved out of cardboard boxes. It was not so bad an idea. George de Mestral, a Swiss amateur mountaineer, annoyed that those cockleburs kept clinging to the coat of his dogs, became famous for having patented Velcro. His genius idea sprung from nature’s flawless original.

The lasting memories from wartime are not about what we did not have, but are preferably memories of appreciation for the smallest gifts, and more so a recall of unity and warmth among family and friends. Difficult times lie ahead for all of us. Unfortunately we may have to brace ourselves for worse to come.

We have raised our children to recognize all the colors of the rainbow; as young adults, they made us proud by confirming that they have. Now they are reminding us that we should go beyond the rainbow and that united, we can.

In this historic holiday season, let’s turn Christmas over to the children. Let us ask them what they would consider meaningful and if there is something they are willing to contribute to the common good. With their keen sense for reality they may surprise us with their generosity of heart. When they do, let’s allow ourselves to get in step.

What are they thinking or are they?

2008-09-02T18:09:45Z

Yes, she is energetic, articulate, and pretty too. She seems to be able to balance marriage, motherhood and the governing of Alaska with the ease of a juggler. Sarah Palin also has grit and sharp elbows, which, alas she has used incautiously; hence she is presently under investigation for, let's call it politely, 'inappropriate influence peddling'. I have little doubt that she can zero in on a stampeding moose in her crosshairs and finish him off like a pro. Despite the enthusiastic accreditation of Sarah's foreign policy experience by a simpleminded Fox News commentator, citing as proof the geographic closeness of Alaska to Russia, I don't expect that Vladimir Putin or Dmitry Wedvedev were intimidated by her aim and shoot abilities to fear a charge across the tundra by her Alaskan National Guard.

Even the faintest possibility of Sarah Palin, by any cruel twist of fate, becoming President of these United States sends shivers of panic down my spine. I am already deeply troubled that there might be a remote chance that McCain could succeed and continue a clueless administration where the blind try to lead the blind in a Keystone Cops reckless chase.

If the conservatives thought that Sarah would draw from the 18 million Hillary votes, they must be brain-dead. Hill's ladies are feminists, activists, and some disillusioned housewives who think they missed the boat on life. Most importantly, they are card-carryig Democrats FIRST and they will NOT vote themselves back into oblivion. We should no longer accept artificial 'abilities'that don't exist. We should ignore hyped biographies and we should judge only on facts. Personally, I believe that the selection of Sarah Palin will help torpedo the Republican dreamboat. After the last administrations have done a fine job of running this country into an almost bottomless abyss, why would we want to allow a clueless McCain/Palin team to continue our domestic and international descent? We must seize the opportunity to throw open the windows of the White House and watch the eagle soar toward a brighter future.

Romy C. Schultz