Sunday, February 28, 2010

Toyota witch hunt?

There's precedence for what is being done by the U.S. government with Toyota. Ronnie Schreiber with Pajamas Media reported on the hype built up against Toyota:
“This is a dangerous condition, it is not fail-safe,” said [Dave] Gilbert on ABC’s World News Tonight.

Still, there was something in the back of my mind that made me a little bit skeptical. In 1992, Dateline NBC got caught rigging GM pickup trucks with model rocket engines when they couldn’t get the supposedly defective gas tanks to explode and provide them with the dramatic fiery footage they needed.

Who is Dave Gilbert, and how did he come to be an “expert” witness before Congress? All due respect to Gilbert — after all, he’s got a PhD — but he’s not an automotive engineer. I have all the regard in the world for capable mechanics, troubleshooters, and technicians, but Southern Illinois University at Carbondale’s automotive technology program is a glorified auto shop program that I’d expect at a vocational high school or a community college. Frankly, I’m a bit shocked that a four-year college offers a BS in automotive technology.
There is a witch hunt going on in America right now ... something does not add up. The article details others instances when auto makers were targeted ... be sure to read the comments section, too.

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