[PRCo] Merry Christmas Westmoreland County

[Schneider Fred]

For those that did not see it....

Back in the 1980s Volkswagen was touted as the economic savior of  
southern Westmoreland County when the opened a brand new factory to  
build the Golf automobile; the American version was called a Rabbit.   
I nicknamed mine Thumper.   After a few years of the union beating  
them to death including pouring things like sugar into the gas tanks  
of brand new cars, VW of America threw in the towel and closed the  
plant.   The United Auto Workers won.   They didn't have to work any  
more.

Eventually VW sold the plant to Sony.   The announcement that made  
today's papers is that SONY is laying off 8,000 people worldwide.   
Closing the New Stanton plant in February is included.   A total of  
560 people in Westmoreland County will be idled.   Note the word  
worldwide.   Underscore it.   Don't for one minute think we are in  
this by ourselves.

Will we tear up the Milton Shapp Memorial Railroad or will someone  
else buy the empty factory?   (I think it was Ed Lybarger who coined  
that name after Governor Shapp spent millions to build a branch north  
from Mount Pleasant to the factory for Volkswagen.)

If you want to tie this to trolleys, the factory was probably half  
way between the Hunker and Hecla Junction mainline routes of West  
Penn Railways south of Greensburg.

Back to worldwide.   If you have not picked up on it, General Motors  
has factories in something like eight countries.   If we bail them  
out, we are bailing out the economies of seven other countries.   If  
we don't bail out GM, Ford and Chrysler, we also let the other  
suppliers collapse.   They are also building parts for BMW, Honda,  
Nissan, Toyota, Mercedes Benz who also have factories in this  
country.  If the guy making seat fabric and wiring harnesses and  
tires goes down, so do those other cars and their factories close and  
layoff people.   Goes back to I see the problem but I don't see the  
answers.

Lowest gas price I saw today was $1.69 9/10s at a Sheetz station.