The Great Buggy Bailout of 1905
What happens now that the Big 3 Auto Bailout is dead? Often, a look at our own history can shed light on the future…
Let’s take a look back at the turn of the last century, when Teddy Roosevelt tried — but couldn’t quite convince Congress and taxpayers — to hand a billion dollar bailout to the wagon and horse-drawn carriage industry.
Blacksmiths and Equestrian Real Estate Decimated
Without the bailout, thousands of blacksmiths in Cleveland alone were booted out of their shops, into the streets.
While Teddy Roosevelt tried to convince John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil to loan $2 billion to Cleveland’s struggling buggy industry, Rockefeller accused the industry of being short-sighted for too long, and resistant to change:
Everybody saw this coming. Why did not the horse-drawn industry adjust to the changing economic landscape? Because they’re content to be fat, dumb, and happy — resistant to innovation and reluctant to change. If, instead, the bankrupt buggy industry had any responsible leadership, they could have been producing horses that run on gasoline ten years ago!
Without Rockefeller’s support, Roosevelt let the bailout die.
Soon, the demise of horse-drawn carriages rippled through the rest of America. Blacksmiths everywhere closed up shop. Hundreds of thousands of acres of equestrian real estate were sold and turned into parking lots (save for a few counties in Kentucky.)
A Bleak America Without Buggies
In a matter of years, only a few horse-drawn carriage makers remained. With Cleveland’s great buggy assembly lines gone, only a few Amish in Pennsylvania had any horse-drawn vehicles at all. Perhaps a handful of Tennessee Mennonites, too. But, everbody else, my grandparents have told me, was soon left to walking 10 miles in the snow just to get to school.
I’m certain if Teddy Roosevelt could have seen this country’s bleak future without streets filled with horse-drawn buggies, he would have put up a tougher fight to convince the Congress to bailout the wagon and horse-drawn carriage industry. Let’s hope today’s leaders don’t make the same mistake.
Read More: Great Buggy Bailout, Teddy Roosevelt, Standard Oil, John D. Rockefeller, horseless carriages, buggies, auto bailout, big 3 auto bailout
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I read the other day that the hookers in Nevada are having a real hard time. Having to drop their prices for two reasons:
1. Bad economy
2. New girls affected by bad economy are flocking to Nevada just to survive.
Where is the government in this? Why isn’t Bush going before America and asking us all to spend? Calling for a bailout?
After all, these are American girls, not foreign models.
I think all American’s need to knock on the door of http://www.shadyladyranch.com, http://www.sherisranch.net or thewildhorseranch.com and check out the “lineup” of new models.
Make sure you check out the new “green” models.
Terrible, just terrible when the Shady Lady Ranch has to lower prices to get through an economic downturn. Some of their new models looked used to me, though.
Speaking of foreign models…here’s some food for thought:
Overall, Detroit’s Big 3 get 77% of their parts from U.S. and Canadian factories. Japanese brands built in America get almost 50% of their parts from America. Honda gets 59% of its auto parts from the US.
So, while a bailout might have saved many jobs, some of them would be at the engine plants the Big 3 have offshored to Mexico.
Why has it changed from when I was growing up? If you screwed up you paid the price. Now you can do anything you want and someone will be there to bail you out of trouble.
Kids fail in school and we still promote them so as not to hurt their feelings. Athletes break all sort of rules and regulations, and owners trip all over themselves to sign these misfits. CEO’s run companies into the ground and we pay them millions to leave and someone else quickly hire them at millions more. What ever happened to paying the piper for your misdeeds?
Well, an Iraq reporter has led the way in holding people accountable.
I need to make a new t-shirt.
“I support drive by shoeings”
Okay, was I the only wondering why it took this long for someone to throw something at Bush?
I know, it’s mean and unpatriotic or whatever, but all I could think when I saw that footage last night was, “It’s about time!” I mean, I’ve been throwing things at W’s image on TV for years, but no one Knew about that… until now…
It’s hardly unpatriotic to oppose corruption and/or despotic rulers.
But I have a theory that the nice man was just offering up his shoe phone
because the Bushtard had a call. The second shoe may have been thrown in anger because of the rude refusal to take the call.
Xman you may be in favor of “drive by shoeings” now, but what happens when the governament starts getting involved. We will all have to register all of our shoes with our local police departments. We will have to fly everywhere shoeless as they will be banned at all airports.
No longer will we be able to enjoy pitching horse shoes at picnics, as they will be considered WMD’s and only the military will be able to possess them.
We will be surpassed by Holland as a super power with their vast inventory of wooden clogs.
And LaSirena will have to go back to shoeing in the privacy of her home unable to do so in public because of all the rules and regulations.
Indigo will not be able to afford calls on his shoe phone as it will be taxed to death by local, state and federal taxes that will be imposed.
And lets not forget Joe, who will be burdened with all the research to find the TEN SHOES that changed the world.
Pelmo,
You have me ROTFLMAO!
It must be good eggnog.
I didn’t know you were such a funny guy.
Hahhahha…too funny, Pelmo! When I first heard about the video, and that Bush was ok, I felt a sense of rightness…that a little thread in the universe had finally come full circle, that the Iraqis who beat Saddam’s statue with their shoes 5 years ago now were throwing shoes at the idiot who liberated their country without a plan beyond securing the oil and generating war profits…and then screwed up securing the oil.
Then, when I first saw the video, my first reaction: pretty impressed by Bush…he’s quick, and that’s the first time he’s seemed engaged with reality in the last six months. His moves looked pretty graceful, actually, and it made me wonder why he chooses to walk around with the gorilla-arm stuff-chested shuffle, walking like he’s been cursed to tote a pineapple in his shorts.
Then…I was really impressed when he didn’t he hit the floor like the Presidents always do in the movies when a balloon pops; instead he stood back up and waved off the second shoe.
My next reaction was: where were all the security dudes? How could the guy get off a second shoe throw?
Anyway, what a fitting image to almost perfectly sum up the Bush presidency.
I wasn’t impressed by Bush’s reactions at all.
Don’t forget, the reporter yelled at Bush, got his attention and then threw the shoes. My granny could have dodged those shoes.
You are beginning to scare me Joe. The Shady Lady comment scares me. Doe’s my sister read these tales?
I pray that Obama lives to see his term through. But if some wacko busta cap off in his backside I you could have another flag to add to your fiction.
> Does my sister read these tales?
Ummm, not trying to get her in trouble, but Jodi was reading along when I was replying to that comment. If talking about brothels in Nevada in the news is scary…well, I don’t know where to go from there.
What’s much more scary to me is talk about busting a cap in Obama’s backside…doesn’t the secret service investigate if you just mention that sort of stuff? Anyway, I think you’re taking the comments waaaay too seriously. But you’ve got your opinion, and I’ve got mine, and I appreciate you sharing your views…that’s what makes the world go round…
Xman the one thing I like about the comments on this blog is that we can discuss topics like grown adults. At times we use humor and at times we are serious. Everyone gets to voice their opinion with no one going over board. The only thing missing is a jug of wine, some bread and cheese.
Pelmo, you expressed my feelings better than I could say myself. Nothing like having a good deep conversation with friends and visitors. That is life, no? And a good life!!! Cheers! Joy! Salut! Pura Vida! Hey is Jambo! Proost! Maljanne! A votre sante! Okole maluna! A la sature! L’Chaim! Salute! Kampai! Oogy wawa!
Hi Mike,
I don’t hold Joe responsible for what other people write on his blog. :) I don’t think his article is scary though. He was just joking about the buggy stuff.
An Austrian friend sent me 4 boxes of tea bags to make Gluhvine a couple weeks ago. We finally have snow and I am enjoying my walks in the weather sipping my hot mug of spiced wine.
I agree with Jodi. No way Joe would let anyone else run his sock puppet, but I have appreciated the many ways Joe has shown us how Cheney has had his hand up Bush’s.
Oh, man, a walk with a hot mug of Gluvine sounds awesome. If it ever cools off and stops raining here, I’m gonna do it. If it keeps raining I’m still cooking up a batch, just will skip the walk.
Here’s a recipe: gluwine recipe. This looked like one of the easiest…I’m sure there are better ones. If anybody’s got recomendations, please post the recipe before I go to the store! :-)
That looks like a very tasty recipe, Joe.
The one thing most recipes don’t tell you is what kind of wine. They just say “red”.
You DON’T want oak flavor, so you know that eliminates all the so called good wines.
I have used a Boo-Zue-Lay and it has been good.
It needs to be sweetened a bit though.
There is a Taylor Vineyards wine called Catawba that is made with Native American grapes. Pretty sweet, but pretty good. It is a blush.