Posted on 05/20/2009 6:46:46 AM PDT by yankeedame
By Neal Boortz @ May 20, 2009 8:24 AM Permalink |
A listener pointed me to this letter from a Dodge dealer down in Florida. Thought you may enjoy ....
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My name is George C. Joseph. I am the sole owner of Sunshine Dodge-Isuzu, a family owned and operated business in Melbourne, Florida. My family bought and paid for this automobile franchise 35 years ago in 1974. I am the second generation to manage this business.
We currently employ 50+ people and before the economic slowdown we employed over 70 local people. We are active in the community and the local chamber of commerce. We deal with several dozen local vendors on a day to day basis and many more during a month. All depend on our business for part of their livelihood. We are financially strong with great respect in the market place and community. We have strong local presence and stability.
I work every day the store is open, nine to ten hours a day. I know most of our customers and all our employees. Sunshine Dodge is my life.
On Thursday, May 14, 2009 I was notified that my Dodge franchise, that we purchased, will be taken away from my family on June 9, 2009 without compensation and given to another dealer at no cost to them. My new vehicle inventory consists of 125 vehicles with a financed balance of 3 million dollars. This inventory becomes impossible to sell with no factory incentives beyond June 9, 2009. Without the Dodge franchise we can no longer sell a new Dodge as "new," nor will we be able to do any warranty service work. Additionally, my Dodge parts inventory, (approximately $300,000.) is virtually worthless without the ability to perform warranty service. There is no offer from Chrysler to buy back the vehicles or parts inventory.
Our facility was recently totally renovated at Chrysler's insistence, incurring a multi-million dollar debt in the form of a mortgage at Sun Trust Bank.
HOW IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CAN THIS HAPPEN?
THIS IS A PRIVATE BUSINESS NOT A GOVERNMENT ENTITY
This is beyond imagination! My business is being stolen from me through NO FAULT OF OUR OWN. We did NOTHING wrong.
This atrocity will most likely force my family into bankruptcy. This will also cause our 50+ employees to be unemployed. How will they provide for their families? This is a total economic disaster.
HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN IN A FREE MARKET ECONOMY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA?
I beseech your help, and look forward to your reply. Thank you.
Sincerely,
George C. Joseph President & Owner Sunshine Dodge-Isuzu
No, it stopped being a private business once the Democrats decided on their auto bailout plan.
Mr. Joseph, Are you a member of the Republican Party? If you are, then that answers your question. I pray for your family, and for the rest of America.
This issue really, really pains me. It must be because there is a real face to these people. And then they came for the car dealerships... AND I DID NOTHING.
Dear Mr. Joseph,
Do you have any cliffs nearby?
I can think of some excellent You-tube footage I would like to see.
This letter was posted in a different thread yesterday, and I’ll post my same reply . . . Something about this letter makes me wonder if all the facts are laid out clearly here. Who owns (or owned) the dealership business? Who owns (or owned) the property where it was located?
HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN IN A FREE MARKET ECONOMY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA?
“How can this happen?”, he asks. He needs to ask Chris Matthews, CEO of the Tingly Media Corporation.
Obama is what happened.
George,
I know it doesn’t help now but you are getting off easy.
Those dealers that are left will go further into debt
and will not be able to compete with the 125 ‘new’ cars
that will be dumped on the market at liquidation prices.
My advise would be to start a car club. Sign up members that
pay a fixed monthly fee for the use of a car that includes
all insurance, maintenance and repairs.
...
And then they came for the car dealerships... AND I DID NOTHING.
IMO there are millions who feel just the way you describe.
Roll over & die while "the American workers" are simply given controlling interest.
When are people like Soros going to be held accountable? That goes for Oprah and the rest who hate America.
Our country has traded freedom for the gimme quick fix. The constitution is the biggest casualty.
The nation won't truly wake until another 20 years or so (when the goodies run out, or more have been denied their freedoms), but by then, it will be too late.
George, George, George, don’t you realize that this is stimulas? Don’t you realize we all have to make some small sacrifices like this for the better good of all? Why would you want to be strapped with the responsibility of managing a car business when we all know the gubment will run it better and more effeciently? Hell they’ll have the highly efficient and productive U.A.W. to help them out. You too can now become a roof-sitter and ward of the state. Quit your complaining, you, you...capitalist. Now shut up and eat your soylent green wafer.
This is just stunning. Don’t they have any legal recourse? This is criminal - stealing private property from citizens.
Hell yeah, he does have legal recourse. Get into federal court quickly. Don’t just whine.
Wyatt’s Torch comes to mind. Ayn Rand was a prophet. This man is a modern day Ellis Wyatt. He should torch the dealership just like Wyatt did to his oil wells and then disappear. “Here, you can have it all now, just like I found it - a parking lot full of nothing.”
It was suggested yesterday, by another Dealer who shares same story, that there may be some political 'targeting' here.
Meantime, all should know by now; that what is passing for Obama's Government assistance' is just the wolf; slipping into Grandmother's nightgown.
I ain’t buying it.
Bush at best was complete blindsided as were Paulson and Bernanke. I don’t think any of them had the foggiest clue as to what to do except try to stop the crash by throwing money airbags at it.
The house Republicans defeated the first bill, the second bill was passed with some severe arm twisting reservations and was never intended to go to the auto companies.
That is dumbledoins, if I recall correctly.
Gm and Crysler are getting exactly what THEY deserve for picking up the snake. What did they expect and why did they expect it would turn out differently?
But guys like this dealer are the real victims. Best he can hope for is to sue everyone he can think of.
Bump.
All dealerships carry an inventory, but this dealership’s recent “insisted” renovation seems to contradict the previous claim of how financially sound the dealership is. It implies they may not have made that decision had not Chrysler intervened. That’s debt upon debt.
Still, one can’t conclude the dealership was struggling. But in today’s economy, it could well have been healthier.
You’re using logic, friend.
Remember where you are.
Oh, now when the economy collapses as a result of trillions of borrowed (created) dollars, we good conservatives must just excuse Obama of being blindsided. Don’t give me that crap about Bush being blindsided. He was an integral party to all that happened and if he had a modicum of conservative principles he would never have consented to the use of socialism to save capitalism, what an idiot. And with respect to the auto bailout, the republicans in the senate led by Corker refused to approve it but Bush went ahead with it anyway. Until the Bushbots and Rinos leave the GOP and join up with the socialists the republicans can never successfully present a position that can win again.
You don’t buy vehicles from Dodge, GM, Ford or whoever. You buy them from your local dealership. The dealers buy from the manufacturers. The dealer pays the manufacturer for the franchise. He owns the property, facilities and inventory.
Yes. . .it’s called the Czar MO. . .love it; or else.
The bots are desperate for a hero figure, so they either dream about a W who never existed (”whom” never existed?), or grasp onto straws like Jindal or Limbaugh.
There are serious candidates out there, like Duncan Hunter, but supporting him requires thought and effort, since he seems to be a serious dude who doesn’t run his mouth for a living.
Blaming this on Bush? Amazing. . .
I’m not a ‘get-a-lawyer’ kinda guy, but these people, and a lot of others, need to pool their resources and get the biggest, ugliest, meanest, hairy-knuckled attorney they can find.
No. Skank Paulson knew. He’s to America what Putin was to Russia. A closet fascist, he threatened Wells Fargo with tanks to take the stimulass money. He’s in fascist glee right now.
My suggestion Mr. Joseph, trade your vehicles for weapons and arm your family, friends, employees, and community. Prepare to save yourselves. The Gas chambers are next.
I do NOT excuse Zero as being blinsided...he is using this to completely destroy us.
I do accuse Bush of being blindsided. Or he was smarter than I give him credit for.
And I am not seeing anything that says he was that smart. I simply do not think he had a clue was was easily manipulated by Bernanke and Paulson. They reached for socialism as you put it to stop the complete collapse of a whole host of financial companies. I am not sure they or anyone else had the foggiest clue of what to do. Did you? I sure didn’t.
Was it the best thing to do? I don’t think so...we could have saved trillions by letting them fall all at once instead of bleeding trillions and having the fall stretch out over the months it is going to happen.
Just a theory.
Wouldn’t filing for Bankruptcy protection be a good strategy here?
Obama has made closet deals with their competetion. Here in South Florida, the Arrigo brothers are literally dancing on TV, while they use Adolf Obama’s face and voice to advertise their dealership. It’s about politics, not profit.
Obama is using the surviving dealerships to do indirect political campaigning. It’s quite clever. Bravo, Marxist O (strictly in the sinister sense of course)
I can’t wait for Obama to dismantle the sellout dealerships. They will reap what they sow.
GM is filing for bankruptcy and Obama is giving them to the Union. How, I don’t know except he thinks he can.
Stop bitching and get an attorney, nitwit.
As long as what Chrysler did, regarding this dealer, it did with the approval of the bankruptcy court, then it’s actions still adhere to the laws, standards and history of U.S. law.
The purpose of Chapter 11 bankruptcy IS to work out a way for the company that files bankruptcy to remain viable, which includes the courts’ ability to alter or revoke contracts that the company would otherwise have to remain committed to.
Keep in mind that the dealership networks in each state have been very good at working their state politicians in the support of state laws regarding the contracts between auto manufacturers and auto dealers, to the clear advantage of the auto dealers (outside of bankruptcy proceedings) and making it very expensive, for the auto makers, to end those contracts. When GM ended the Oldsmobile brand it costs them billions just to end their contracts with Olds dealers.
That said, and knowing how der leader operates, IT IS appropriate to ask WHO ALL was involved in making up the lists of which dealers Chrysler asked the bankruptcy court it be allowed to end its relationship with.
To actually find that answer will probably take a new POTUS and a special prosecutor.
Welcome to Chicago Mr. Joseph. Thank you for your contribution.
“It was basically a self serving act to save themselves and their friends and someday we may actually find out the identity of those who pocketed the trillions of taxpayer money.”
You got that right. And its arcane enough that the majority of people just roll their eyes and go back to sleep. But we were robbed in the greatest crime in history!
I don’t think it was planned to happen but once the cards started falling, what an opportunity!
Brevard County, Florida ping.Let me know if you want on or off this ping list.
(not associated with the county government)
Tragic loss for Melbourne. Property will be empty, local taxes lost and all the jobs too.
Wonder how far I will have to go for DODGE service? Merritt Island or Vero Beach?
My son in law sent this to me as well....
...what a pity!...I drive by there all the time.
Doesn't that have something to do with the franchise fees the dealers paid to the manufacturer, securing their right to be dealers?
First thread on this:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2254042/posts
Analysis of Campaign Contributions by Chrysler Dealerships who are Scheduled to Close
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2254275/posts
VERY telling.
I understand closing dealerships.
What I don’t understand is giving away someone else’s dealership to a stranger.
Something’s not right about this story.
I don’t think you understand this man’s issue. Nobody took his land or his building. He lost his Chrysler Franchise...or in other words, his right to sell new Chrysler vehicles with dealer incentives and his Authorized Chrysler Repair Center.
This is a tragedy, and my prayers go out to this poor man, his family, his employees, and all the other dealerships who face the same dilemma. This is not the America where I was born and raised. :(
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