Toyota Recall and Ancient Wisdom

Watching the drama unfold from this side of the Pacific has been interesting and continues to be. I don't watch any of the US news channels and feel better for it - better, and better informed. Still it was heart breaking to see Mr. Toyoda in tears as he addressed his workers, etc.

I also have the impression that the issues are very complex. Toyota must certainly pay a lot of taxes in the US and the Toyota payroll might be supporting several states as the US economy heads in the circular swirl of the flush. That means the men and women who are asking the questions in the hearings have to think twice or thrice about being really tough or demanding. Toyota could afford to set up shop in Mexico or Canada or … Liberia and leave the US. Still, those elected officials need to get their pie holes on TV and look like they have brains. There is also the value of drawing out the sitch to get the real disasters out of the lime light. We don't really want to think about a bankrupt economy, a sick population that is uninsured and people living in storage containers - do we. Naw …

The bottom line for me comes to this, a lesson from Jack G. when I was learning to drive in his green and white Edsel station wagon at the time I had accrued 13 years on the planet:

When you have a runaway car (and there were occasionally such things in the 20th Century) turn the ignition key to the "Off" position and you will stop pretty quickly, more quickly if you apply the brakes at the same time. Power brakes will continue to be powered by the various spinning systems. You can still listen to the radio while rolling to a stop.

Nothing works faster to disable the forward or reverse motion value of an automobile as disconnecting the power source. You can simulate it with any appliance by unplugging it. Simple. Try it with a computer or an electric shaver - or a cell phone. They all work in a way that is similar to the way a car's battery and ignition system do. When you take the battery out of your cell phone you can't make calls!

I have no sympathy for those who might have left this mortal realm for knowing less. I have less sympathy still and, perhaps even regret the failure in departing, for those who intend to profit from their own stupidity in doing less than turning off the fucking engine.