https://www.yahoo.com/news/missouri-auto-dealers-association-hates-235253820.html
Article said:America is under attack, but it’s not the Russians we need to be worried about. It’s car dealers. Not all car dealers are bad, but even the good ones are protected by bad laws, and all of them are protected by dealer associations, who are like ISIS, the IRS and cancer rolled into one.
All four horsemen of the American economic apocalypse — cronyism, cowardice, hypocrisy and protectionism — are represented by dealer associations. The worst of the lot, those of Texas, Michigan and Virginia, are now joined by Missouri’s MADA, whose legal victory over Tesla may deprive them of the right to sell cars in that state.
We need a new House on Un-American Activities Commission, this one focused on the anti-competitive forces that are the real Communists among us.
Competition is at the heart of American economic strength. The opposite of competition is Communism, central planning and failure. Competition is how the United States won the Cold War. It’s how and why species, technologies and business evolve and grow. It’s why homo sapiens are the dominant biped, the World Wide Web crushed the Minitel, and Google eclipsed AltaVista. It’s why everyone is scrambling to catch up to Tesla by embracing the technologies they’ve pioneered.
Dealer associations like MADA are terrified of competition, and by attempting to stifle it are hurting you, and weakening our auto sector and America itself.
In order to grasp MADA’s vulgar hypocrisy, let’s take a look at the MADA Board of Directors, a group whose leaders’ political donations show no apparent consistency other than to serve their own interests, not coincidentally representing brands behind the curve of where Tesla and the automotive industry are headed.
Outgoing MADA Chairman Bob Beine, representing Republic Ford, also owns an FCA franchise. FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne’s positions on autonomy and electrification are well known, and they’ve been on deathwatch so long jokes are no longer funny. Beine is a free marketeer when it suits him, having donated thousands to Republicans such as Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, Representative Billy Long, former Representative Melton Hancock, former Speaker of the House John Boehner, and former state treasurer Sarah Steelman.
But when it comes to Tesla, Beine hates free markets. Gotta protect those consumers from factory direct sales.
Dave Mungenast, Jr., MADA’s Chairman-Elect, represents Mungenast St. Louis Honda — a manufacturer generally behind the curve on cutting edge tech — but also owns a Toyota/Lexus franchise. He donated money to Republican Representative Ann Wagner, ergo, free marketeer. He also donated money to Russ Carnahan, a Democrat who supported tax credits for hybrids and believes in global warming. What a coincidence. I hear Japanese hybrids are very popular, especially that Prius thing, and one particular Lexus crossover.
But when it comes to Tesla, Mungenast hates free markets, green tech and the environment. Gotta protect those hybrid customers who might get upsold to the best electric car on the market.
