1,100 more nails in Dayton's coffin

It was announced Friday that 1,100 GM workers in Dayton will lose their jobs just in time for Christmas. Just two days ago, Bush quietly signed a spending bill that included a $25 billion auto industry subsidy, supposedly to help the development of fuel-efficient vehicles. For what seems like decades, progressives have been pushing to raise mileage and emission standards, but US automakers resisted, claiming it would drive them out of business (a position stalwartly supported by oil companies). Meanwhile, these same auto makers have done quite well selling high-mileage cars elsewhere around the world. But evidently they couldn't convert the Dayton plant to produce anything but "light trucks" so it'll just be shuttered. Maybe if we're lucky, someone like Honda or Kia will buy the place, but that's not very likely, as I'm sure GM has been starving the maintenance of the place. It's probably also so contaminated that it would cost millions and millions just to tear it down, so it will just sit there, another ghost in the ghost town.