Thanks to National Steel Car

Ask and ye shall receive.

Last night little man snuggled up in my lap in front of the Christmas tree and to my surprise, instead of reciting the usual list of things "I want for Christmas!" He put both hands on my cheeks and said "What do you want for Christmas?" A little surprised I said "I'd like a good little boy who goes to bed on time and does as he is told and doesn't write on the walls or jump on the bed." He puckered his face up and after a few thoughtful seconds, out of the corner of his eye, said

"Couldn't you rather have a book or a movie?"

Just goes to show you that sometimes the things we want are just out of reach.

But sometimes not.

Monday I asked Santa to make National Steel Car go away.

Friday I read that an agreement has been reached that would allow our Barton National Alabama Corporation to bid on a level playing field with other rail car manufacturers. This agreement, as I understand it puts the teachers retirement system in the manufacturing business in a really big way. And once again David Bronner is in a position to come out of a pool of poo smelling like a Bellingrath gardens gardenia.

Such is the problem of a prophet. He can never know if he just guessed right or somehow had a bit of influence in the overall otherworldly decision. No matter, National Alabama Corporation is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the RSA. It is now up to us, the people of Alabama and the Teachers Retirement System to get the prices low and sell some rail cars. At a loss if we have to but we have to get the bids and build a reputation as the first quality product available.

Griffin Wheel, a manufacturer of Rail Car Wheels announced a $45million investment in Jefferson County to reopen the Bessemer plant yesterday. This move in anticipation of the settlement between National Steel Car and National Alabama Corporation. Proof positive that the industry expects great things from the Barton facility.

So maybe, just maybe, I can get the spoiled kids in Cherokee to settle down and make some money for the Alabama tax base. Or maybe I will just get a movie. Who knows?


Merry Christmas

J

So Sue Me (or Another Christmas Gift Suggestion)

I notice that I get three hits from Hamilton Ontario every morning. I am sure they are disappointed in as much as I almost never mention National Steal Car. I can see the rail car plant from my house. Heck you can see it from outer space. I thought in reverence to my faithful CANADIAN readers I might send a little note.

I said to a group yesterday that anyone from Cherokee Alabama who didn't vote for me in the past election was a complete moron. Simply because I felt that if I spent the entire four years getting the problem at National Steal Car corrected it would be well worth my time and energy for the people of district six. Where there is one Restaurant now there would be ten. Where there is one hardware store now there would be ten. And where there are 800 houses now there would be 8000. Of course moron might be a little harsh if you own the only restaurant or the only hardware store. Maybe your little pond is quite comfortable.

Two of my heroes, Bob Martin consultant and politician on the republican side and David Bronner Chief of my retirement fund almost always disagree on state politics and finances but they agree on one thing. The $625 Million dollars spent on National Steal Car was a waste. But they are both wrong when they say that no one could anticipate the economy. They are both wrong when they blame the lack of sales at National Steal Car on the National Economic Scene.

The problem at .. .. well, the plant.. (you are tired of my little Steal Car joke) is not the national or local economy. Rail Cars are being built in North America, they are being built and sold in north (and south) America but for some reason they can't be built in Barton Alabama. I think I know why. The problem gentle reader, is the posse of illegal immigrants running the place.

I was unfortunate enough to share a space in said restaurant a few weeks ago with one of the blowhards and when we finished our most uncomfortable meal of the month, I walked to the car, asked my little wife "Do your ears hurt?" she said "Honey my whole head hurts!" An hour of listening to a loudmouth windbag spout engineering nonsense {inaccurate engineering nonsense all the worse} at 65 decibels while his troop of lackeys only had a few seconds to say "Yes sir" to as he refilled his enormous windbags to continue his nonstop diatribe. An abusive tirade that could have been summarized in one sentence -"I am richer and smarter than you- -you backwoods hillbilly!" It was like sitting with a crying baby and a fully loaded diaper.

The problem is not the economy, the problem is the Canadian profit margin. Just double down, take back the plant, fire everybody who makes over a thousand dollars a week and build rail cars at a lower price.

It doesn't matter if we lose money. The lack of return on our investment is going to give us (RSA) losses anyway. If we lose money on the rail cars produced $45,000 a day in local and state tax revenues should cover the state's losses quite nicely. One person said to me "but that would be stealing their plans" - so - Tit for Tat - I say.. take em and make em sue us .. Or take the plans out in the back yard and burn them. I believe our design technology department at the Junior College can CAD up some stinkin rail car plans for cryin out loud.

I understand that the Retirement system has already repossessed the building and is waiting for some miracle. The miracle might be the strategy the RSA used when the Jersey Crime bosses tried to squeeze Bronner out of the state investment in an office building in New York.

Double down and throw the bums out.

National Steal Car?

National Alabama Corporation, AKA Bronner's Folly, after a half billion (billion with a B) dollars spent and just a teacup of employees, is about to become Barton Alabama's biggest chicken house.

A check of the National Alabama website gives a 404 message (nobody home?) and a check of the company's parent website refers questions to the Canadian office. One observer asked over a hamburger at the local eatery “why not set the plant up to refurbish older cars if the economy is too lax for rail companies to buy new ones?”. Somehow that makes sense to me. There was talk of converting the plant to wind turbine manufacturing.

Sunday morning while driving into Alabama from my morning meal at Jacks in Iuka Mississippi I couldn't can't help but envision a string of windmills hooked into that TVA transmission line from Roosters Ridge at the State line all the way to the Coon Dog cemetery.

Maybe while the FBI is in town investigating the Bingo Bill they could look into how many local dollars went to Ontario and just how much the Hamilton Ontario Parent Company National Steel Car actually has at risk in the Barton Plant. The plant, which should be putting $150,000 a day into the North Alabama economy, is spending most of its piddling economic impact on utilities to keep the field mice warm.

I think maybe it is time to turn over some rocks and take a look around out there.

Maybe some offshore accounts?

Maybe they just built that one rail car to carry the money home?

Maybe something even more sinister?

Meanwhile, union officials in Canada say the Hamilton Ontario plant will recall a total of 1,100 workers, ending a temporary shutdown that began last summer. The rail car maker landed a contract to build 750 iron ore cars. That is is ten million dollars in lost salaries for Alabama workers. That ten million dollars spent in the west end of Colbert County would certainly make a difference at J.J's and the Cherokee Piggley Wiggley. It would seem that National Rail Car could show 750 rail cars of appreciation for the confidence (and money) the people of North Alabama have bestowed upon them by trying out their shiny new plant to build some CSX Coal Cars.

I suspect that another big contract will come in while those 750 cars are being constructed and the plant with workers already on the job will get the work. If true that 750 car order built in Canada is the death knell for the Barton facility. It is time, Time to either make some rail cars, refurbish some rail cars, make some windmills, or have our elected officials raise a whirlwind of stinky in Hamilton Ontario.

I don't know what auditors might find under those limestone rocks at Barton. I can't imagine.

But all y'all North Alabama residents try not think about it when you pay that economic development tax that has turned out to be funding jobs for a Canadian Employer.

Jim Bonner