I can't stand Thomas L. Friedman

As I was searching for an op-ed to use for the assignment, I stumbled across the familiar name of Thomas L. Friedman. I figured that since Mr.Daszenski picked his op-ed for the two past assignments I should try to use him again. For that reason I printed the Op-ed and began to read it. It was called "Cars, Kabul and Banks." Basically Friedman believed Obama had to focus on three essential issues: Cars, Kabul, and Banks. As I began to read I was reminded of how much I hated Friedman's views. In this op-ed I really could not stand his views especially those on what to do with Detroit. His perspective on Detroit is completely illogical. He believes "we have to let nature take its course" with the Big Three. Does he have any idea what would happen if the Big Three went down? Does he know how many jobs are at stake? How many families will be destroyed? Or even how America as a society would be damaged? Thomas Friedman obviously does not know what will happen and that is why he says that only “the core truth” in this problem is important. He says that the problems that the Detroit automakers stated on the union, retirement costs, health care, and other numerous factors was not part of “the core truth.” His core truth is that the Big Three were not fashionable enough. He compares this situation to the ill put analogy of his Sony walkman and his I-pod. He says he was always happy with a Sony walkman but when the apple came out he had to get it because apple made him. That is nowhere near the problem of the Big Three’s sales. A $300 I pod does not compare anywhere near a $10,000 purchase for a car. People don’t go out and buy a car because a nicer or better looking car came out. They buy a car because they need too. It had nothing to do with fashion and everything to do with price and gas mileage. The Big Three have to pay an average of $55 an hour with benefits while nonunion workers at American plants of Honda or Toyota get paid $45 an hour. It then becomes simple math. If you have to pay your workers more you have to make your cars more expensive. Also this extra money going to workers takes away from devoting money to other sections of the company. This all tied in with the oil spike ultimately led to the problem we have today. People were faced with new decisions to make. Do I want the more expensive gas guzzling SUV or the smaller and cheaper 30 miles per gallon car? It did not have to do with “Oh everyone has a nice I-pod I want one too.” Hopefully Friedman’s simple minded view on what to do with Detroit does not come true because if it does not only will Friedman feel stupid but America’s economy will fall to an even lower point than it is at now.

-Matthew P.