[KKF]⋙ PDF At the Crossroads Middle America and the Battle to Save the Car Industry Abe Aamidor Ted Evanoff 9781550229042 Books

At the Crossroads Middle America and the Battle to Save the Car Industry Abe Aamidor Ted Evanoff 9781550229042 Books

Download As PDF : At the Crossroads Middle America and the Battle to Save the Car Industry Abe Aamidor Ted Evanoff 9781550229042 Books

At the Crossroads Middle America and the Battle to Save the Car Industry Abe Aamidor Ted Evanoff 9781550229042 Books

Book was well packaged, in great condition, and came in a flash. I would have no problem ordering from this seller again.


Tags : At the Crossroads: Middle America and the Battle to Save the Car Industry [Abe Aamidor, Ted Evanoff] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <P>The U.S. auto industry has struck a brick wall. Can it get back on the road to recovery? At the Crossroads: Middle America and the Battle to Save the Car Industry argues that the Obama administration missed an historic opportunity in 2009 to launch a Manhattan Project­style effort to save not only Detroit,Abe Aamidor, Ted Evanoff,At the Crossroads: Middle America and the Battle to Save the Car Industry,ECW Press,1550229044,Industries - Automobile Industry,Automobile industry and trade - Indiana - Kokomo,Automobile industry and trade - Social aspects - United States,Automobile industry and trade - United States,Automobile industry and trade;Indiana;Kokomo.,Automobile industry and trade;Social aspects;United States.,Deindustrialization - Social aspects - United States,Kokomo (Ind.) - Economic conditions,Kokomo (Ind.);Economic conditions.,Middle class - United States,AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRIES (ECONOMIC ASPECTS),Automobile industry and trade,Automotive - General,BUSINESS & ECONOMICS Industries Automobile Industry,Business & Economics,Business Economics Finance,BusinessEconomics,Canada,Deindustrialization,GENERAL,General Adult,Indiana,Kokomo,Manufacturing industries,Non-Fiction,Road & motor vehicles: general interest,Social aspects,TRANSPORTATION Automotive General,Transport: general interest,TransportationAutomotive - General,United States,Automotive - General,BUSINESS & ECONOMICS Industries Automobile Industry,TRANSPORTATION Automotive General,TransportationAutomotive - General,Business Economics Finance,Automobile Industries (Economic Aspects),Automobile industry and trade,Deindustrialization,Indiana,Kokomo,Social aspects,United States,Business & Economics,BusinessEconomics,Manufacturing industries,Road & motor vehicles: general interest,Transport: general interest

At the Crossroads Middle America and the Battle to Save the Car Industry Abe Aamidor Ted Evanoff 9781550229042 Books Reviews

This book takes a long and convoluted journey to a strange conclusion The Obama administration did a poor job of saving Chrysler and General Motors from liquidation in 2009 because

a. They did not transform them into manufacturers of hybrid and battery powered vehicles.
b. They did not simultaneously create a domestic battery industry in Indiana.

This seems like blaming an emergency room doctor for not curing an accident victim's cancer because she was too busy saving his life.

A key unstated assumption is that the car market will be dominated by hybrid and battery powered cars in the near future. This ignores the fact that the market share for these vehicles is stagnant and has remained in the 2-3% range for the past five years despite many new entrants.

The authors admit in their introduction that they couldn't decide whether to write a book about the 2009 auto industry bailout by the federal government or one about the problems of small towns in rural Indiana caused by the slow decline of the domestic auto industry. By trying to do both in one book they produced a literary camel.

While the authors do not place all of the blame for the problems of the auto industry on the UAW they do create a memorable image of too many UAW workers who for years took advantages of their labor contract for in order to maximize their income and minimize their actual days of work. They note that these workers show no concern for the dismal future that their children face as the major employers in their hometowns face the threat of continuing consolidation and possible liquidation, partly because of their actions.
At the Crossroads is a winner all around. If you are interested in how Middle America has fought to save itself from oblivion during our tough economic times, this is the book for you. Authors Abe Aamidor and Ted Evanoff have thoroughly researched what occurred, and flavor the book with insightful interviews from those people most affected by Washington's failure to understand basic economics. The book is also a true slice of history regarding the car industry for those that forget what it has meant to millions of people who worked so hard to make the American automobile the best in the world. The stories are heartwarming and sad all at the same time, especially those focused on the people of Kokomo, Indiana who have suffered hardship and pain with broken promises and industry closings. I highly recommend this book. The writing is first rate, and the personal tone shows how much the authors cared about the people they met and interviewed.
Many analyses of the current state of the U.S. auto industry start with the assumption that one force or another is solely to blame for its decline (i.e., unions, the Japanese, poor quality, over-reliance on pickup trucks, etc.).

This book dispenses with a simplistic analysis and covers a wide spectrum of forces that have come together in the last several decades to bring the industry to where it is today. But it isn't a policy book either, as it looks at the industry through the fates of several Indiana towns such as Kokomo and Anderson, and the way that they have responded to the changes in the industry. This makes it a riveting book with a human dimension that puts a real face on the issues.

A major focus is the bailout of the industry, begun under Bush and continued under Obama, and the authors are not kind to the tactics or the results. Their main contention is that the bailout was short-sighted and done mainly to create firms that are efficient in the eyes of Wall Street, but not necessarily positioned for success in the global market. While GM and Chrysler may have been "saved", the authors contend that the efforts fell short because the feds failed to establish an actual industrial policy to ensure the long-term viability of American manufacturing.

But the book is also not partisan, as it reserves criticism for Reagan's economic policies as well as Obama's as major factors in the decline of the Big Three.

If the book was solely about policy, it would be boring, but it avoids that due to its meandering into union politics, electric car technology, small town life, interviews with mayors and autoworkers, the role of parts suppliers, and Wall Street.

Overall, a great way to understand how the Big Three got where they are, with policy prescriptions to get them going again.
The authors have done an exceptional job in presenting a holistic picture of what happened to the American auto-industry over the decades and its devastating effect in middle America.

Highlighting towns in Indiana (especially Kokomo), with personal input from local mayors (especially Kokomo mayor Greg Goodnight), union leaders, and working people -- and reaching back to the corporate history of GM or Chrysler -- the authors' penetrating analysis is even-handed and balanced. There is no extreme agenda here.

Here is one quotable, "Like the battle between the Left and Right in the culture wars, Middle America was the odd man out in a war between Big Capital and Big Labor."

The authors are particularly realistic and find plenty of blame and miscalculation to go around. At the same time, they are not simplistic and understand the complexities and inter-relatedness of the various decisions and approaches that converged to make this mess.

Very well researched and well written, the authors examine trees but never lose sight of the forests. Great job.
Book was well packaged, in great condition, and came in a flash. I would have no problem ordering from this seller again.