CalMatters is a publication that I perceive strives to report fairly and without bias. Here’s why I’m alarmed the nonprofit has tapped a veteran top editor from Gannett’s USA Today.
San Francisco: The Detroit of California
If Detroit’s economic history is a guide, the closing of Nordstrom’s massive department store in downtown San Francisco possibly means San Francisco has reached the point of no return. The two cities already share much in common.
Mary Barra: GM’s $29 Million EV Dilettante
Some thoughts on GM CEO Mary Barra’s 2022 compensation and why communist China is mighty proud of the city council in Marshall, Michigan.
Democracy Stands Trial in Marshall, Michigan
The City Council of Marshall in rural Michigan on Monday is scheduled to vote whether to uphold or reject a decision by a Joint Planning Commission to deny a rezoning request that would have allowed Ford Motor Co. to build a lithium battery plant on fertile farmland. A Michigan economic development person is on record as saying it doesn’t matter what the elected officials decide, the plant will get built.
So much for all of Ford’s talk about “building trust” with the communities where it operates.
Remembering My Uncle Davey
My Uncle Davey died last week, just weeks shy of his 99th birthday. He lived an active and vibrant life almost till the day he died.
Here’s the secret to his longevity.
CEO Hall of Shame: Andi Owen & James Clarke
Social media was aghast last week as leaked videos of Zoom calls revealed the lack of empathy the CEOs of MillerKnoll and Clearlink showed their employees. Observers uniformly blamed the disparity of CEO pay for the insensitivity, but research shows that lack of empathy is among the psychopathic traits that land CEOs their corner offices.
Elon Musk: The ‘Crazy Eddie’ of Our Times
Some thoughts on why an educated consumer should be Elon Musk’s biggest fear.
Ford’s F-150 Electric Lightning Flambé Pickups
It’s unimaginable that anyone could still have faith in the Biden Administration’s accelerated plans to force Americans to buy electric vehicles after reading today’s extraordinary report by CNBC auto writer Michael Wayland revealing just how little thought and preparation has gone into the conversion.
Wayland also reveals that when it comes to ensuring that first responders are properly trained to extinguish EV fires, GM is the far more responsible company.
EPA’s Michael Regan Takeover of GM & Ford
The EPA’s proposal last week effectively requiring that electric vehicles comprise more than 60 percent of U.S. auto sales by the end of the decade made clear that America’s EV conversion isn’t being overseen by competent and experienced bureaucrats. That shouldn’t come as a surprise: Michael Regan, the head of the EPA, has never run a business.
Bud Light’s Transgender Tempest in a Teapot?
America was a deeply divided country in the early to mid-70s, and U.S. marketers created brilliant advertising promoting harmony and laughter. America is again divided, but today’s marketers have agendas and seek to fan the flames of anger and discontent. Alissa Heinerscheid, who oversees marketing at Bud Light, is responsible for the latest furor, which sadly will likely blow over in short order.
I’d welcome making an example of Bud Light.