President Obama Tells Laid Off General Motors Workers They are Sacrificing for the Future

The following statement is what the president had to say to all of those General Motors employees who will be laid off under his restructuring plan:

I will not pretend the hard times are over. Difficult days lie ahead. More jobs will be lost. More plants will close. More dealerships will shut their doors, and so will many parts suppliers. But I want you to know that what you’re doing is making a sacrifice for the next generation — a sacrifice you may not have chose to make, but a sacrifice you were nevertheless called to make so that your children and all of our children can grow up in an America that still makes things; that still builds cars; that still strives for a better future.

The president claims that soon to be laid off General Motors employees are making a sacrifice for the future but that is not entirely accurate. One particular part of his statement sums it up, “a sacrifice you may not have chose to make, but a sacrifice you were nevertheless called to make.”

Who called upon them to make this sacrifice? The president did. The president oversaw the restructuring of GM, he ordered the dealerships closed. He ordered the plants to close, and he ordered the parts dealers to close. He decided that it was time for thousands of General Motors employees to sacrifice their jobs.

Whose future is the president asking these people to sacrifice for? It certainly isn’t for the families of those who will be laid off and trying to find a way to feed their families.

The president is trying to distance himself from what he has done by claiming that he is a “reluctant equity partner” and will not interfere in the day to day operations but the bottom line is, if you work for GM and the dealership that you work for has been ordered to close you can thank the president for that.

He has made you a sacrificial lamb.