Karen De Coster’s blog entry puts us on notice that some of these manufacturing giants are going to try to dump the unsustainable deals they had with their unions onto the laps of taxpayers. In reading Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s call for federal aid, I am struck by the laundry list of things she is demanding, including pension guarantees and government taking over the healthcare plans of these companies.

For many years, companies like GM have paid the health benefits fir employees and retirees. It is not surprising to say that the cookie jar is nearly empty, and we can expect both the unions and GM to start demanding that taxpayers let the company off the hook.It also is not surprising to hear these people call for more protectionism, along with the passage of laws to make it illegal for companies to outsource some of their activities to overseas operations. For more than 30 years, the country has been receiving warning signs that many of our companies simply are not competitive, and while some firms have listened, many others have not. In the end, we see the iron triangle of managers, unions, and politicians demanding that government provide what it cannot: prosperity.