Lansing, MI Mayor Virg Bernero on Fox Business, addresses manufacturing and debates some jackass.

[tmyers09]

He talks about how he got money from the government to renovate old automotive plants, and also mentions NAFTA and the Race to the Bottom.

http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/4203006/how-to-boost-us-manufacturing

I cannot believe what a pretentious jackass that guy is.

"No manufacturer is gonna walk back into Michigan, and set up a car factory, if he has to use union labor."

Therein lies the problem. I am happy he addressed it. And did you hear the utter contempt in his voice when he said union? It was absolutely disgusting. The nerve of that man!

I met Virghis a few weeks ago at the Winans Dinner in Livingston County, and I was so moved by his speech, that when I got up to meet him, all I could do was give himhe a hug. I will do anything and everything to make sure that he is Michigan's next governor.He al

[lakerboy]

1. I saw him a month or so ago

What a great guy! I've really been impressed by him too. Much better than Dillon, by far.

[tmyers09]

2. Andy Dillon would be an absolute nightmare.

IMO, Virg is the only way to go right now.

[Barack_America]

3. I can't watch the video and am a bit confused about who the "jackass" is.

[ellie]

4. Yes, me too.

[tmyers09]

5. Apparently the guy's name is Stuart Varney.

He's a British-American journalist and business contributor, according to his Fox News.com bio (blech).

I will type up a transcript of the interview and post it here in a few minutes.

[tmyers09]

6. *TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW*

VARNEY: Joining us now is Lansing, Michigan Mayor Virg Bernero, in Washington D.C. and joining us here on Varney & Company.

You're in Washington D.C., you're the mayor of Lansing, Michigan...are you asking D.C. for a "bailout"?

BERNERO: Not really, no. We were asking for assistance, a number of mayors came together, the Mayors Automotive Coalition, which I started; asking for help to clean up the abandoned automotive sites, which we would like to redevelop, because of the environmental contamination left behind.

VARNEY: I mean, money is fungible(?). If you get money, flowing from D.C. to Lansing, Michigan, ostensibly to clean up old car production plants. That's money that's coming to you from the federal government, that's gonna boost your finances. I put it to you Mr. Mayor, it is a form of bailout. You want it, and you're gonna need some more.

BERNERO: There's no "ostensibly" about it, the money would be earmarked, it would be targeted specifically for environmental cleanup. This is not coming with our hand out. Look you know, you talk about job losses, Wall Street has stopped investing in us. We want to put the "P" back in GDP. A country cannot survive on consumption alone. I think you guys might understand basic economics. So, we wanna make things again. We made the things that made America great, in places like Lansing and all throughout Michigan. We can do it again. We have some of the most productive workers in the world. But the environmental contamination left behind is a severe challenge for us...

VARNEY (interrupts): Your honor. You say you wanna have manufacturing back, you wanna make things again. We get that point.

BERNERO: Yes, we'd like to have some of that, the advanced manufacturing, the wind turbines...

VARNEY (again interrupting): Mr. Mayor, no manufacturer is gonna walk back into Lansing, Michigan, and set up a car factory, if he has to use *union labor*. Now isn't that reality.

BERNERO: Well, I don't know what you're problem is with decent wages and decent benefits, perhaps you...

VARNEY (interrupts): I've got a problem with non-competitive labor, that's my problem. You are asking for federal government backup, so that you can use non-competitive union labor.

BERNERO: Let me ask you sir, do you have a problem with free trade that puts us in a downward spiral? I have a problem with is unbalanced trade that allows corporations, multinationals to go exploit the labor and exploit the land, and go to places where there's no environmental standards. We don't allow that in this country. We have labor standards: no child labor, no slave labor, you can't contaminate the environment here. I know they can build it cheaper when they can go to other countries and get away with that. That's because of NAFTA and CAFTA and the WTO that allow a race to the bottom and downward spiral. That needs to be addressed, no question about it, and I hope to do that!

VARNEY: What about manufacturers, using non-union labor, and makes a profit, and doesn't destroy the environment.

BERNERO: Yeah, and I've seen the corners that they've cut, and the problems with their products.

VARNEY: WHAT?!

BERNERO: The best thing to do is buy American, where you know you're getting quality products...

VARNEY: You are asking for a bailout. You want *my* money...

BERNERO: Toyota just closed their biggest plant in California, they wanna make products here, they want access to our markets, but they don't wanna invest in and contribute to this economy. That's a problem, we need a level playing field.

VARNEY: You want a bailout.

BERNERO: We have the most productive workers in the world here in America, it is *not* a bailout at all...

VARNEY: You want a bailout, and you're gonna get it.

BERNERO: These are environmental sites that need to be cleaned up, so that we can again put the "P" in GDP, put our people back to work. Yeah, we need jobs for Americans! I'm not ashamed to say it! These other countries look out for their workers, why don't we start standing up for our workers here in America?

VARNEY: Ok, a bailout, sir, is a bailout. Money is fungible(?)...

BERNERO: Oh please, give me a break...

VARNEY: I gave you five minutes. Thank you, we appreciate you being with us, come on back.

BERNERO: Always a pleasure.

_____________________________________________________

This took such a long time to write, there was so much crosstalk, it was hard to decipher what each was saying sometimes!

[ellenfl]

7. varney? his name should be 'smarmy'. when DID

conservatives get so nasty?

ellen fl