What do I have to do to put YOU  in a FIAT today?

Some years ago, I pulled my 1980 FIAT Spider into the garage and told the mechanic the problem.  He asked me if I knew what Fiat stood for and answered my furrowed brow response with "Fix it again, Tony".

Now the foreign company inspiring that inauspicious acronym has been handed Chrysler in a move that heralds the death knell for capitalism in America.  Consider this from Newt Gingrich:

In a rigged proceeding in which the federal government disregarded bankruptcy law in favor of the political outcome it desired, the Chrysler bankruptcy laid the predicate for the much larger General Motors bankruptcy to come. Against law and precedent, the unions were moved to the front of the line when it came to who would benefit from the bankruptcy.

The Obama Treasury Department strong-armed Chrysler's creditors into a deal in which the UAW was given 55 percent ownership of the company while Chrysler's secured creditors - investors who would have received priority in a non-political bankruptcy proceeding - were left with just 29 cents on the dollar.

Subsequent to this comment, the Supreme Court allowed the sale, refusing to consider the actual legal issues at hand.  What a surprise.

What is ironic, is that a company legendary for making crap survived socialism and emerged in a strong enough position to rescue a Chrysler that couldn't survive capitalism.  Of course, 'capitalism'  killed it because it was laced with union poison...but for some reason FIAT is still going ahead with the deal.  Clearly, Chrysler is still toxic because of the union entitlements.    Newt too much a right-winger for you?  Try the Washington Post on for size:

...union concessions were 'painful' only by the peculiar standards of Big Three labor relations: At a time when some American workers are facing stiff pay cuts, UAW workers gave up their customary paid holiday on Easter Monday and their right to overtime pay after less than 40 hours per week. They still get health benefits that are far better than those received by many American families upon whose tax money GM jobs now depend.

I guess they know they can count on endless bailouts because the Obama crew has deemed the UAW to big to fail.

Now, while this is all somewhat ironic...it is the name Fiat which inspires the most sad chuckles.  First, by fiat, a fiat currency is introduced and freely abused to the point of destroying the economy...then, by fiat, a FIAT is introduced to save a traditional lynchpin of that economy in a deal that by fiat is allowed to freely abuse the laws (upon which that economy was initially founded and built) to the point of destroying the legal system.

There better be a fiat from on high that requires FIAT to build hover cars for the low, low price of one wheelbarrow of worthless fiat currency.