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A Raw Deal in Michigan

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41–50 of 201 posts

Re: A Raw Deal in Michigan

#41
post #33

Harsh statements, but no facts from objective sources. Looking for that, I can find stuff from 'the other side' at http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(ejuo53qtuul1s2fn2o4sa255))/... where if I reading this right (aside: 'interesting' reuse of "(i)" as both ninth letter of the alphabet and Roman numeral) section i reads "(1) A manufacturer shall not do any of the following: (i) Sell any new motor vehicle directly to a re…

[deleted]

Re: A Raw Deal in Michigan

#42

Using a procedure that prevented legislators and the public at large from knowing what was happening or allowing debate, Senator Joe Hune added new language in an attempt to lock Tesla out of the State. Unsurprisingly, Senator Hune counts the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association as one of his top financial contributors, and his wife’s firm lobbies for the dealers. In the Netherlands, we call this corruption. (It h…

Yes, thanks, we know. One could even say this is the core reason for many of the USA's other problems: the continuing financial crisis, for-profit medical system, huge rates of incarceration, justice system inequalities based on money, ever-widening income disparity, obscenely massive government spending, I could go on.

The only solution is to have the legislators pass a law to stop it. Because they are huge beneficiaries of the current corruption, that is unlikely to happen and the American government and economy will continue to erode.

Not sure how to fix this. Open to suggestions.

Re: A Raw Deal in Michigan

#43
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's nothing corrupt about it. The voting citizens of Michigan like the auto industry the way it is and they have an understandable fear of disruptive new technologies. It makes good sense that someone representing a state known for producing automobiles would accept campaign contributions from automobile manufacturers. Many of the people he represents are employed by those companies in some way and it's his job t…

Do these donors represent the interests of the corporations or the citizens?

They represent the corporations but in the case of an autodealer association they are probably claiming to represent their employees. Think of them similar to a union except they are lobbying legislators instead of corporations.

Re: A Raw Deal in Michigan

#44
I think this might be the relevant change (contained in bill S-1 which was substituted in the Regulatory Reform Committee):

"2 (i) Sell any new motor vehicle directly to a retail customer 3 other than through its franchised dealers, unless the retail 4 customer is a nonprofit organization or a federal, state, or local 5 government or agency. This subdivision does not prohibit a 6 manufacturer from providing information to a consumer for the 7 purpose of marketing or facilitating the sale of new motor vehicles 8 or from establishing a program to sell or offer to sell new motor 9 vehicles through the manufacturer's FRANCHISED new motor vehicle 10 dealers THAT SELL AND SERVICE NEW MOTOR VEHICLES PRODUCED BY THE 11 MANUFACTURER."

Link to the passage of the bill: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(zkgdwb45ddzp3imtvsszat55))/...

Link to the substitute bill: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(zkgdwb45ddzp3imtvsszat55))/...

Re: A Raw Deal in Michigan

#45

Using a procedure that prevented legislators and the public at large from knowing what was happening or allowing debate, Senator Joe Hune added new language in an attempt to lock Tesla out of the State. Unsurprisingly, Senator Hune counts the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association as one of his top financial contributors, and his wife’s firm lobbies for the dealers. In the Netherlands, we call this corruption. (It h…

[deleted]

Re: A Raw Deal in Michigan

#46
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do these donors represent the interests of the corporations or the citizens?

The two are not necessarily opposed

If A and B agree on 99% of issues then awesome. But, siding with A means that for the other 1% your choosing A over B.

Re: A Raw Deal in Michigan

#47
The State of Illinois would like to extend a warm welcome to the people of Michigan, and invite them (and their tax dollars) to visit one of the several Tesla stores in the Chicago area.

Re: A Raw Deal in Michigan

#48

I think this might be the relevant change (contained in bill S-1 which was substituted in the Regulatory Reform Committee): "2 (i) Sell any new motor vehicle directly to a retail customer 3 other than through its franchised dealers, unless the retail 4 customer is a nonprofit organization or a federal, state, or local 5 government or agency. This subdivision does not prohibit a 6 manufacturer from providing informati…

Setup 100% Tesla-owned franchise. Sell through that.

Re: A Raw Deal in Michigan

#49

Using a procedure that prevented legislators and the public at large from knowing what was happening or allowing debate, Senator Joe Hune added new language in an attempt to lock Tesla out of the State. Unsurprisingly, Senator Hune counts the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association as one of his top financial contributors, and his wife’s firm lobbies for the dealers. In the Netherlands, we call this corruption. (It h…

Yes, thanks, we know. One could even say this is the core reason for many of the USA's other problems: the continuing financial crisis, for-profit medical system, huge rates of incarceration, justice system inequalities based on money, ever-widening income disparity, obscenely massive government spending, I could go on. The only solution is to have the legislators pass a law to stop it. Because they are huge benefici…

A friend of mine pointed out that the way US politicians have to campaign, they're always in need of donations for funding for electoral reasons. Even if you're not particularly prone to corruption, there's the problem that the only people you have time to give your ear to are the people who are going to give you money. It's a simplified view, but it does illustrate one problem with the way the US elects its officials.

Re: A Raw Deal in Michigan

#50
Honestly Tesla, STAY OUT OF MICHIGAN.

If you refuse to do business with the state, go as far as to discourage people living there form buying them, eventually there could be enough public pressure to bring about a change.

If not that, perhaps a few billboards equating the politicians to Neanderthals might work

Its time to ignore the states that refuse to play fair, shame them, and perhaps their voters will wake up.

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