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Mirror Image: Star Trek and Lessons of the Detroit Bailouts
Yahoo! Finance ^ | Jun 16, 2009 04:41pm EDT | Aaron Task

Posted on 06/17/2009 9:13:25 AM PDT by Redcloak

GM's recent bankruptcy seemed inevitable to longtime followers of the auto industry. But Barry Ritholtz, CEO of Fusion IQ, believes it could have been avoided.

In his recent book, Bailout Nation, Ritholtz recalls an episode of the classic TV series Star Trek, "Mirror Mirror", in which Captain Kirk finds himself in an universe where everything has been altered ever so slightly.

Applying this concept to Detroit, Ritholtz asks: What would have happened if Chrysler hadn't been bailed out in 1979?

(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: governmentmotors; startrek
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There's a video interview with Ritholtz at the link. For those who don't get the reference, Mirror, Mirror is an original Star Trek episode where members of the Enterprise crew find themselves in an alternate reality. One small change in history causes their entire universe to go haywire. In this case, the author suggests that the Carter-era bailout of Chrysler in 1979 is where our universe went haywire. Now Carter's true heir, Obama, wants to bail out GM for the same bad reasons that Carter used to bail out Chrysler 30 years ago.

Our Spock sports a beard!

1 posted on 06/17/2009 9:13:25 AM PDT by Redcloak
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To: Redcloak
Yes but Lee Lacocca is the difference, the Zero would have to stand on a ladder to kiss his rear.
2 posted on 06/17/2009 9:18:10 AM PDT by Cheetahcat (Zero the Wright kind of Racist! We are in a state of War with Democrats)
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To: Redcloak
Fascinating (horrifying); certainly illogical.


3 posted on 06/17/2009 9:27:01 AM PDT by Servant of the Cross (the Truth will set you free)
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To: Redcloak

What was the one where Kirk is split into two different guys by a teleporter accident?


4 posted on 06/17/2009 9:27:02 AM PDT by Perdogg (Sarah Palin-Jim DeMint 2012 - Liz Cheney for Sec of State - Duncan Hunter SecDef)
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To: Perdogg

“What was the one where Kirk is split into two different guys by a teleporter accident?”

Obama has experienced that. He thanked himself in a telepromter accident.


5 posted on 06/17/2009 9:28:42 AM PDT by brownsfan (The public schools and the SRM, they are killing us.)
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To: Redcloak

“Mirror, Mirror” was written by the late, great Jerome Bixby, author of the best scifi short story of the 20th century, “It’s a GOOD Life.”


6 posted on 06/17/2009 9:35:59 AM PDT by pabianice
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To: Perdogg

That was “The Enemy Within”. One of my favorites.

Incidentally, “Mirror, Mirror” is consistently on the list of Star Trek fans’ Favority Episodes. In fact, IIRC, it usually tops such lists.

Regards,


7 posted on 06/17/2009 9:38:40 AM PDT by VermiciousKnid (Grab your gun and bring in the cat.)
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To: VermiciousKnid

“Star Trek Enterprise” had a “Miror, Miror” episode, I wonder why TNG didn’t.


8 posted on 06/17/2009 9:41:02 AM PDT by Perdogg (Sarah Palin-Jim DeMint 2012 - Liz Cheney for Sec of State - Duncan Hunter SecDef)
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To: VermiciousKnid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWbSXjZlZ7U


9 posted on 06/17/2009 9:44:57 AM PDT by Perdogg (Sarah Palin-Jim DeMint 2012 - Liz Cheney for Sec of State - Duncan Hunter SecDef)
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To: Redcloak

Not only did Mopar get the FedGov bucs, the FedGov pushed thru massive cutbacks/limits on Jap imports, so they switched to luxury cars for imports.

Remember the inexpensive Datsun/Toyotas pickups?
Remember the inexpensive cars?

Some say the SUV was invented by the Jap auto industry to get around auto quotas....

As far as TOS Trekies - like the ‘new’ ST?


10 posted on 06/17/2009 9:52:28 AM PDT by ASOC (Who IS that fat lady, and why is she singing?????)
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To: Redcloak
I much rather prefer the "Star Trek: Enterprise" epsisode titled "In a Mirror Darkly". It's an homage to TOS "Mirror, Mirror" episode and it rocks.

I can't even discuss the whole 0bama/GM/Chrysler mess without my blood pressure approaching Warp 9.

11 posted on 06/17/2009 9:58:10 AM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (The code word for the new racism is "diversity.")
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To: Perdogg
What was the one where Kirk is split into two different guys by a teleporter accident?

No. That one was called "The Enemy Within".

12 posted on 06/17/2009 10:00:26 AM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (The code word for the new racism is "diversity.")
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To: Perdogg

But they did. There was an episode with the Enterprise-C (can’t remember the title). In that episode, because the Enterprise C falls through a hole to the time of the Enterprise-D, it isn’t around to save the Klingons at some conference. As a result, the D’s time is changed. The Federation is no longer a “UN in Space”, but rather something closer to the Klingon Empire. And Tasha Yar didn’t die. She actually ends up going back with the Enterprise-C to the past, since she was supposed to be dead anyway, and becomes the mother to a half-romulan version of herself that comes back later to trouble the Enterprise-D.

/Nerd


13 posted on 06/17/2009 10:02:31 AM PDT by Little Pig (Is it time for "Cowboys and Islamofanatics" yet?)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

Mirror universe? Cool! We could shove the Gitmo inmates into the agony booth!


14 posted on 06/17/2009 10:03:50 AM PDT by Loyalist (Now married. Life sentence, no parole!)
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To: Redcloak
There is no human situation which cannot be further clarified via Star Trek references.

This "government" is truly composed of barbarians trying to pass themselves off as civilized men, and in this crazy parallel universe, we are all under the ACORN Empire because of the worst decision in American history: Failure to execute all domestic communists immediately upon discovery.

Now, we're all in the Agony Booth.


15 posted on 06/17/2009 10:09:46 AM PDT by Costumed Vigilante
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To: pabianice

Mirror, Mirror was about my favorite. There were some amazing science fiction authors who penned some of the episodes: Richard Matheson, Theodore Sturgeon, Jerome Bixby, just a few off the top of my head.


16 posted on 06/17/2009 10:13:10 AM PDT by bootless (Never Forget. Never Again. And NEVER GIVE UP!)
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To: Little Pig

That was “Yesterday’s Empire”. The “Mirror, Mirror” episode had it was the Imperial Starship Enterprise part of Terran Empire. The on in YE TNG was not.


17 posted on 06/17/2009 10:16:17 AM PDT by Perdogg (Sarah Palin-Jim DeMint 2012 - Liz Cheney for Sec of State - Duncan Hunter SecDef)
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To: Costumed Vigilante

18 posted on 06/17/2009 4:23:03 PM PDT by Perdogg (Sarah Palin-Jim DeMint 2012 - Liz Cheney for Sec of State - Duncan Hunter SecDef)
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To: Redcloak
What would have happened if Chrysler hadn't been bailed out in 1979?

Kennedy might have taken the nomination away from him in 1980. Maybe there would have been a three- or four-way presidential race that year with Carter as an independent.

Or perhaps with Carter opposing the bailout, Detroit would have thrown itself behind a Republican who would give them what they wanted. If they lined up behind Connolly or GHW Bush, would this have made trouble for Reagan?

19 posted on 06/17/2009 4:39:04 PM PDT by x
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To: Perdogg

which led to this:

She...


20 posted on 06/17/2009 8:08:27 PM PDT by Costumed Vigilante
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