[PRCo] Re: Merry Christmas Westmoreland County

[John Swindler]

It's $1.59 at Sunoco and also Turkey Hill on 322 in Hershey, somewhat higher further east.
 
Thanks for correction on Shapp memorial railroad, as thought it was a Thornburg creation.  But not to be outdone, guess his legacy is empty Neoplan bus assembly plant building in Blue Bell (?) or whatever.
 
Suspect suppliers will be able to make a living selling repair parts for people keeping their cars a few extra years, as new car market shrinks.  This is very uncharted water.
 
John
 
 
 
> From: fwschneider at comcast.net> Subject: [PRCo] Merry Christmas Westmoreland County> Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:42:37 -0500> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> > 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. > > 
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