Would the last to leave please turn out the lights...

Ford announced today that it would be closing the Norfolk F-150 plant in 2008. This is a serious hit to the local economy. 2,300 workers will need to find new jobs and I seriously doubt they can find equivilent work at UAW scale pay here. So say a little prayer for these folks - they are going to need it.

Ford tough indeed

And while this is a very sad story for my beloved hometown, it speaks to a larger issue. US manufacturing, and the auto industry in particular, is in such serious decline that Ford is shuttering one of it most productive plants building its top selling vehicle. GM is in a tailspin, having laid off 30,000 this year. Chrysler seems to be managing but only just. GM and Ford suffer from similar problems of too many models, too much capacity, and too much overhead from insurance and pension costs. Even if the first two problems can be resolved, the insurance costs alone may sink them. If either of these companies goes bankrupt because they spend too much providing their employees insurance, I expect the door to nationalized healthcare to be kicked wide open. Kind of a bummer silver lining, but there it is...

UPDATE:
In no way am I wishing for the demise of GM or Ford to further a political agenda. Losing either company would mark a truly dark day on this country. I do, however, believe that the nationalized healthcare debate is one we NEED to have. The US spends more per capita on healthcare than any nation in the world yet we still have upwards of 40+ million uninsured. As much as $400 billion is spent on paperwork. We have fewer doctors per capita than most Western countries, visit our doctors less frequently than most Western countries, and still spend untold billions financing the insurance industry's efforts to not pay claims. The point is, being a good corporate citizen by insuring your workers should not lead to bankruptcy. And yet, there is no other option. Ford and GM should build cars, not be in the insurance business. Protecting the general welfare, per our constitution, is the role of government. To my mind, that would include providing citizens the care of a physician. Sadly, neither party has covered themselves in glory on this issue. Big dog Bill Clinton tried and was subsequently cut off at the knees. We need to try again. If for no other reason, let's talk about what Ford could have done if it were allowed to do what it does best, building the best selling vehicle of all time...