Now that Washington has finally come to its senses on the Big 3, isn’t it interesting how this week’s mega-snow storm served as yet another reminder of how the U.S. automakers have been largely run through the ringer unnecessarily.
If you didn’t have all-wheel drive and/or a conscientious snowplower who didn’t take all day to remove the icy dump from the roads surrounding your abode, you probably didn’t get anywhere on Friday except stuck in a drift. And that’s my point.
The big SUVS that have long been in vogue to accommodate our lifestyles have not just been, here in the North Country, for pulling luxury craft or boasting that “mine is bigger than yours.” They have also been a necessity for getting us safely and efficiently around town during the often 8 months of the year where ice and snow can cause havoc in our daily lives and livelihoods. That’s something they just don’t understand in Tennessee or Alabama—or D.C.
The Big 3 may have been, over the years, shortsighted and arrogant in many ways, but they also have built vehicles that we have asked them for (and needed). That’s Economics 101/Supply vs. Demand and in no way deserving of the hand slaps they have endured in recent days.
It is one more example, as we have previously noted here, of the fundamental disconnect between our region and the rest of the country, including those residing day-to-day in the nation’s capital.