Leave Toyota Alone, Please
Posted by Andrew | Filed under Business, Politics
Eleanor Holmes Norton, the Democratic congressional delegate from the District of Columbia, decided to use the congress’s inquiries into the Toyota recall situation to ask about her own car.
This action should not have been tolerated by any of the other members of the Transportation and Infrastructure committee overseeing these hearings. I’m sure Ms. Norton felt she was making an important point, but it was not only pointless, but it was selfish. “So I ask you, is there any chance that the Camry hybrid will be recalled?” Probably a question that millions of other Toyota owners in this country alone would like to ask the company’s executives but won’t get the chance.
This question was proceeded by a story of Ms. Norton looking for an “American” hybrid, which apparently she defines as a hybrid produced by either Chrysler, Ford or General Motors. By the way, Ford and GM (to my current knowledge) both do make hybrids, but apparently Ms. Norton was unaware of that. She also wasn’t aware that most Toyotas sold in North America are built in the U.S. with parts made in the U.S., as Mr. Yoshimi Inaba told her following the story.
She then said that it was Toyota and suggested that therefore must be a Japanese car, and then accused the executives of disavowing themselves from the car and blaming Americans for the problems that the vehicles are being recalled for. Whether or not it was in jest, that really is an inappropriate comment to make to a company that is providing jobs to Americans even though they don’t really have to.
Do you think that the comments made by Ms. Norton were appropriate? John C. Dvorak on the latest episode of No Agenda (episode 177 from 2/25/10) doesn’t think so. And honestly, I agree with him and I hope the voters of D.C. are paying attention.
