Blogs > Driving Fitz Me

I can drive for miles and miles. Trust me.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Is it all good?

Hope springs eternal, especially in Spring Hill, Tenn.
It seems like nothing but good news for American car companies. Sure, they still can't convince the elite snobs of the West and East coasts that their cars are fine and dandy. Those coastal people seem intent on buying Japanese and German cars. The people of Japan scratch their head at our lack of nationalism.
And our car companies are up against a stubborn economy that may never rebound to the now wonderful memories of the Clinton era.
But the latest good news -- at least for General Motors -- comes from good ol' Tennessee.
GM is planning to create about 1,700 jobs and restart assembly work at its Spring Hill plant. United Auto Workers members in Spring Hill have voted to ratify a four-year contract with GM.
UAW Local 1853 Bargaining Chairman Mike Herron told The Daily Herald in Columbia that 82 percent of the union's members voted Friday to approve the agreement. Other union locals are also expected to ratify the deal by Wednesday.
GM has not said which cars will be built at the plant but the jobs are expected to be up and running sometime next year.
The automaker has said it will invest $61 million for one midsize car and add 600 jobs, while it will spend $358 million on another midsize car with 1,100 jobs created.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

When we get to that bridge on a bike

It's a proud tradition we have here in Michigan of watching our

governor walk across the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day. Maybe

proud is too strong a word, but the tradition did start 54 years ago.

Last year Jenny Granholm jogged across the bridge, though runners

hate being called joggers. She may have been practicing a fast exit from an

unpopular reign. This year Gov. Rick Snyder took a brisk stroll across the

bridge. I'm not much of a walker or runner, but I do love

bicycling.The biggest problem with bicycling is that you share the

road with all sorts of vehicles -- all of which are capable of smushing

you. And there is no refuge to be found on the state's major bridges.

Twenty years ago I biked across the Ambassador Bridge, but that is

no longer permitted. Here's a quick rundown on biking rules for

other bridges: Blue Water Bridge, no, but authorities will transport

you and your bike at their "convenience," which means bring a good

book. The same rules apply for the Mackinac Bridge.

But the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie actually permits

bicyclists to cross. How nice of them. But remember: current toll

rates apply.