Foreign cars, anti-Semitism and our local economy
The other day I counted the percentage of Japanese and Korean cars in the parking lot of the Jewish Community Campus. On a given day, the number I came up with was seven out of 10. I speculate that most Jewish people at the Campus are not aware that the Japanese and Korean car companies boycotted Israel until quite recently (1996) and are still considered to be anti-Israel. Foreign cars now make up over 70 percent of the vehicles sold in the U.S. What constitutes a foreign car? Is it the country of origin for the manufacturer (where the profits end up) or is it where the vehicle is assembled? It may be a surprise that the assembly of a vehicle only accounts for slightly over 10 percent of its value. Dealer profit is another 5 percent. Therefore almost 85 percent of our dollars leave the U.S. for Japan, Korea, Germany, Italy or India.
Have you noticed that the U.S. Postal Service is slowly replacing their fleet with Dodge/Chrysler RAM Vans? How many of us are aware that Chrysler/Jeep/RAM is 100 percent owned by Fiat of Italy? Is it possible our government is not aware of this?
For those who support the mantra “shop local — buy local,” the competing American van, the Ford Transit, is manufactured exclusively in Kansas City, Missouri, at the Ford Claycomo plant where almost 7,500 locals are employed. Claycomo also assembles Ford F150 pickup trucks. That 7,500 figure does not include peripheral workers, which are estimated at four to five times that number. The General Motors Kansas City Kansas Fairfax plant employs approximately 2,500 workers (Chevy Malibu) and is expanding to produce a new Cadillac Crossover (XT4).
While workers at the foreign car plants in several southern states earn poverty wages ($15-$17/hour) and are prohibited from unionization (Republican state governors), Ford and General Motors pay more than three times that amount!
As a side note, Mercedes Benz donates vehicles to be used as taxis in Israel, as a war reparation.
Purchasing Ford or GM cars and trucks made in the Kansas City area, or anywhere in the United States, support our economy and don’t support countries who do not have strong ties to Israel.
Dr. Richard Gilman
Overland Park, Kansas
