I hadn't driven Gerta since April 6 when I went to Seattle, but it was going strong then. So I was surprised when it ran rough on start-up this morning. I headed out to my b'fast appointment expecting it to get better but it didn't. Each time I depressed the clutch pedal and stepped on the brake pedal I had to give it throttle with my right heel to keep it running. And it was very rough under throttle.
The choke is working properly - my first guess. I posted a query on classic VW forum and they suggest I check the orifice on the electro-mechanical idle controller.
Yeah, I had to look it up. No Holley I ever worked on had one of those!
She's basically undriveable at this point.
Also, That speedo repair I did yesterday? Today it doesn't make any noise at all. It also doesn't register any speed. I'm getting great mileage!
The new cable was delivered today so I hope I discover that's the problem. Before I thread the new one into position I'll attach one end to the speedo unit and put the other end in my drill's chuck. If that doesn't register I'll have to take the unit out again (!) and see what I screwed up.
Heavy sigh.
Yesterday we had 87 degrees. Today we barely hit 70. And it's WINDY, 32 mph winds with gusts near 40, which means lots of desert dust.
I didn't run or ride this afternoon.
The term legacy is used to describe companies who have to pay out significant portions of their profits to retired employees. These retirees have benefits - pensions and/or health insurance policies - that were promised to them under contracts signed years ago. They now contribute nothing to the company's income but present a very significan drain on the bottom line.
This is especially problematic for companies that compete with newer firms that don't have retired employees with guaranteed benefits. Legacy costs are a huge part of the problem with Detroit's "big three." Those union contracts signed long before globalization brought non-unionized Toyota and Honda plants into states like Tennessee make it almost impossible for Detroit to compete. GM has 4.6 retired employees for every active one, and their legacy costs run near $6 billion per year. Unless the UAW will accept serious restructuring of those old contracts (don't hold your breath) bankruptcy looks like the only hope of survival.
In hindsight those union contracts look pretty foolish at best, and closer to greedy. But it's hard to fault the unions for doing what unions are supposed to do - get the best possible deal for their workers. A union boss isn't supposed to look out for the long-term health of the company. At least not on the surface. It's management's job to say no and hold the line. Their inability or unwillingness to stand up to the unions has turned it into the lose/lose situation we see before us now. It just simply cannot work to write checks the future can't possible cover. So yes, a case can be made that those union bosses did not, in fact, act in the best interest of their workers, but greed is such a powerful force.
Take this dynamic and transfer it to the federal govt. The Social Security Admin. says we have a liability in excess of $100 trillion - money we've committed to pay out that is over and above any taxes the govt. expects to collect. That's a shortfall over six times our entire economy. By 2012 the govt. estimates that one dollar of every ten collected will have to go toward keeping the Social Security and Medicare promises made to baby boomers. By 2030 it will take two of every ten dollars collected.
We have a legacy government. We are rapidly reaching the point at which those earning income and paying taxes can't keep up with the financial burden of promises made four decades ago.
If you're reading this and are under the age of 35 I need you to get a raise and vote for higher taxes, 'cause I'm coming up on that time when you gotta cover me.
On this day in history the Titanic sank (1912), Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in MLB (1947) and the Tienanmen Square protesets began (1989).
Early post tonight because I'm off to an elder meeting. While I'm gone, check out this video that Josh sent me:
Anything is Possible with Practice
I don't see any amount of practice getting me to the point where I can do any of those.
1 comment:
Nobody is saying this but the truth of Social Security is this: Retirement age will need to be raised much higher and benefits will become means tested for other income and assets. In other words, people will have to retire closer to their expected death and those who can support themselves will get reduced or no benefits.
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