Missionaries are Special People
by Torrey H. Brinkley
In a lifetime, perhaps one meets a few very exceptional people, who have an ability to reach beyond the ordinary, to conquer new frontiers, to create something remarkable, and to truly leave the customary routines of a native culture. Overseas missionaries are generally among this breed of special people. Thankfully, many such folk crossed paths with this writer from an early age, and the ties still continue with many of them.
Here are just a few who have been friends down thru the years, and who have challenged so many people with their love for people of another culture, in a far & distant land, with different life presuppositions, so that they could share the love of Jesus Christ to them.
Herb F.. was an opthamologist from Kansas, who decided to go off and serve the people of Afghanistan in the early 1970s. He developed a way of performing eye surgeries on hundreds of Afghan patients a week, in an eye center. Of course, it was hard to speak freely & openly of Christ's message of hope in a devout Muslim culture, but so many got the message anyway.
Dale W. knew that he wanted to go to an African country and teach people the Scriptures and build up the fledgling Church there. He and his wife served in more than one African country and eventually built a multi-media training center in Ivory Coast for African pastors from many countries.
Sue M. grew up in Chicago, IL with this writer, and saw the servant heart of her dear aunt, who had done missionary service. After completing her education, Sue reached across the oceans and started serving in Irian Jaya, helping translate the Scriptures into the language of these Indonesian people, also living in a large Muslim population base. She is still there almost 40 years later.
Ray P.came from a Russian province to the USA for his education, as did his wife. After graduating from seminary, he went to serve as an overseas misssionary in the Phillipines. Ray then went to do similar work in an African country (Kenya). After that he went back to the Ukraine, where he taught and helped direct a Bible school/seminary for new pastors .
Dan A. was a young husband & father, whose dad had been a missionary to the people of Mexico City. After graduating from theological schools in California, he went back to help his parents in Mexico City. Dan & his wife then came to serve in Madrid, Spain, where we were pleased to use his many talents in our work: preaching, trumpet playing and acting. He and his wife later learned a different language and decided to serve as missionaries in Germany, taking their 3 children with them.
Phil B. was one of 3 brothers in Chicago, who attended church with this author. His talent always had been music, especially playing the trumpet. After completing his education, Phil and wife Arleen went down to Guatemala,where they became Music Missionaries. They share their love of Christ thru music, performing in churches, in concert venues, and teaching in a Central American Bible seminary. Now, they do cross border work with Mexican nationals.
Barry K. was a televison engineer for Philco Corp., before going to seminary to study Greek & Hebrew. His love for the Word allowed him to reach college students at our local church in San Jose, CA. Then he taught at Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland, OR. But, the Lord called him to go help plant and build churches in the Czech Republic and other eastern European countries. He still goes on overseas teaching trips, even though he is pushing 80 years old!
Ron P. grew up on a western Kansas farm, and wound up helping plant churches in a European city of 5 million people. He took his family from there to work among the poor in a poor border town in Mexico. After pursuing graduate degrees in missions, he also has served a missions agency, overseeing personnel, and then pastoring a church in rural California.
Shirley T. came to Spain to help us in our church planting work, before even finishing college. After graduation, she got married and has gone to do missions work in Peru with her husband. Her original home town was a small town of 50 people + cows in Saskat., Canada.
Roy A.was blessed to have a brilliant father, who not only pastored, but was the head of an east coast Bible college. During the time of the dictatorship in Spain, Roy went over to help show evangelical films and pass out Bibles to folk, who previously had only heard church services & Bible instruction in Latin, not their native tongue. Authorities often threw up roadblocks for their efforts to bring the Gospel to small, closed, rural villages. After leaving Spain, Roy was tapped for heading up another evangelical missions agency.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Who Has Influenced You?
Learning Lessons in Life
Have you ever considered which persons have most impacted your life? How have you become the person that you are today? Who has instructed you, challenged you, pushed you hard, molded your character, been your friend thru good times & bad? Have you taken the time to acknowledge them, thank them and try to reward all that they have poured into you? For many of us in life, our parents have been the biggest influences, and often a spouse has supported & comforted us.
It is a special treat to read the Epistles of St. Paul, who often starts and ends his letters to churches with words of thanks & appreciation to all those who had done special things for him, and shown God's grace by their actions. He spent much time, of course, teaching & training them.....but he paid a price of imprisonment, shipwreck and hardship for his beliefs and zeal.
For this writer, thankfully there have been a multitude of special folk who have brought insights, blessings and challenges down thru the years. Just a few of them are listed below:
1) Bill L. taught me that a person can do anything, with very little. He escaped from Russia, with his mom during WW II, ala the "Sound of Music" mountain route. He put himself thru med school, and has helped his daughters & nephews also become doctors. He also has served on church, seminary, hospital & college boards.
2) Mark F. found the Lord, and has done church planting now for over 20 years, in spite of severe pain after college wrestling & a professional football career. His music, sermons & intense prayer shows his deep love of how deep & intense our God is.
3) Francis S. studied all the great thinkers of this world, ad many fine artists & musicians, & then integrated a system of showing that God's truth overpowers the foolish arguments of secular thought. His many books and movies prodded young people and churches to consider God's truth vs. secular propaganda.
4) Leith A. became a pastor who always tries to look at the big picture, and who tries to get the most out of every church staff member and person in the pew. He has authored several books, pastored some growing, important churches, and served his graduate school, and now the country's evangelical leaders.
5) Chuck W. took a simple idea of economics and spread it to all the poor corners of the world, allowing simple peasant/village people to have a dream of their own business, making it work, and seeing it grow responsibly. This economic system has the highest rate of loan paybacks that banks can imagine!!
6) Bill B., a businessman, cares so much about all his employees, and works to see that they have stable jobs, good families, and can become responsible citiizens. He opens up his home to others, when so many folk consider their personal space very private.
7) Dale W. is one who thinks of every detail of a church's life and ministry. He attempts great things for God in every little decision that he makes, and knows how to challenge others to do the same. He gave up a very successful pastorate to go serve in poor Indonesia, trying to help folk in another culture to become Christ-like leaders of their people.
8) Larry H. was a consummate professional in the news business. Yhe never wanted the focus to be on himself, but rather on others, who all had stories to tell. He always attempts at getting the full story, and to have it corroborated by at least 2 or 3 other sources.
9) Vernon G. liked to read everything that he could get his hands on, and still does, well into his 90's. He always finds some thoughts that are worth digesting, re-hashing, and even questioning. He loves to bring others into the thought process and to debate points, no matter what the subject matter.
10) Reg B. was a businessman who always liked to work hard, make the right deals, and to dream of what could be done next. Sadly, when he crashed his plane, seeing his wife & 2 sons killed in the wreck, he had to fight thru pain, injuries and tremendous loss & grief. But he still fought back to regain health, dreamt a new dream, and rebuilt his life, affecting his church, his community, and offering jobs and housing to many, many other folk.
11) Os G. grew up in the Far East, as the son of missionaries. His search for the Truth has allowed him to dialogue with and debate the great thinkers of our time. His compassion in Christ has even brought him to be called in as advisor to the President of the USA in a time of personal crisis. In reading his multitude of books, one sees that he tries to debate all of world's value systems against God's Ultimate Truth.
12) Vern C. is a long time friend, who discovered early in life that his family carried the gene for a crippling disease. Somehow, God spared him from having the illness, but yet he has lived life one day at a time, making new challenges for himself and carrying his family & friends with him in an incredible journey of things to learn, places to go visit, activities to do, and a Lord to be served.
13) Darrow M. took his humble beginnings as a construction laborer to study with some great philosophers of this age, and then to transform his studies into something very practical. Now he has shared his studies thru workshops for churches in the world's poorest countries, so that they find a village/town need, expose God's love to that situation, and work diligently to make a Christ-like difference, where folk will be attracted to the Gospel because of their action.
Can you make a list of people significant in your life and note how that has helped shape you? Even a more profound question is:
In what way are you helping influence others to grow & be better humans?
Torrey Brinkley
Have you ever considered which persons have most impacted your life? How have you become the person that you are today? Who has instructed you, challenged you, pushed you hard, molded your character, been your friend thru good times & bad? Have you taken the time to acknowledge them, thank them and try to reward all that they have poured into you? For many of us in life, our parents have been the biggest influences, and often a spouse has supported & comforted us.
It is a special treat to read the Epistles of St. Paul, who often starts and ends his letters to churches with words of thanks & appreciation to all those who had done special things for him, and shown God's grace by their actions. He spent much time, of course, teaching & training them.....but he paid a price of imprisonment, shipwreck and hardship for his beliefs and zeal.
For this writer, thankfully there have been a multitude of special folk who have brought insights, blessings and challenges down thru the years. Just a few of them are listed below:
1) Bill L. taught me that a person can do anything, with very little. He escaped from Russia, with his mom during WW II, ala the "Sound of Music" mountain route. He put himself thru med school, and has helped his daughters & nephews also become doctors. He also has served on church, seminary, hospital & college boards.
2) Mark F. found the Lord, and has done church planting now for over 20 years, in spite of severe pain after college wrestling & a professional football career. His music, sermons & intense prayer shows his deep love of how deep & intense our God is.
3) Francis S. studied all the great thinkers of this world, ad many fine artists & musicians, & then integrated a system of showing that God's truth overpowers the foolish arguments of secular thought. His many books and movies prodded young people and churches to consider God's truth vs. secular propaganda.
4) Leith A. became a pastor who always tries to look at the big picture, and who tries to get the most out of every church staff member and person in the pew. He has authored several books, pastored some growing, important churches, and served his graduate school, and now the country's evangelical leaders.
5) Chuck W. took a simple idea of economics and spread it to all the poor corners of the world, allowing simple peasant/village people to have a dream of their own business, making it work, and seeing it grow responsibly. This economic system has the highest rate of loan paybacks that banks can imagine!!
6) Bill B., a businessman, cares so much about all his employees, and works to see that they have stable jobs, good families, and can become responsible citiizens. He opens up his home to others, when so many folk consider their personal space very private.
7) Dale W. is one who thinks of every detail of a church's life and ministry. He attempts great things for God in every little decision that he makes, and knows how to challenge others to do the same. He gave up a very successful pastorate to go serve in poor Indonesia, trying to help folk in another culture to become Christ-like leaders of their people.
8) Larry H. was a consummate professional in the news business. Yhe never wanted the focus to be on himself, but rather on others, who all had stories to tell. He always attempts at getting the full story, and to have it corroborated by at least 2 or 3 other sources.
9) Vernon G. liked to read everything that he could get his hands on, and still does, well into his 90's. He always finds some thoughts that are worth digesting, re-hashing, and even questioning. He loves to bring others into the thought process and to debate points, no matter what the subject matter.
10) Reg B. was a businessman who always liked to work hard, make the right deals, and to dream of what could be done next. Sadly, when he crashed his plane, seeing his wife & 2 sons killed in the wreck, he had to fight thru pain, injuries and tremendous loss & grief. But he still fought back to regain health, dreamt a new dream, and rebuilt his life, affecting his church, his community, and offering jobs and housing to many, many other folk.
11) Os G. grew up in the Far East, as the son of missionaries. His search for the Truth has allowed him to dialogue with and debate the great thinkers of our time. His compassion in Christ has even brought him to be called in as advisor to the President of the USA in a time of personal crisis. In reading his multitude of books, one sees that he tries to debate all of world's value systems against God's Ultimate Truth.
12) Vern C. is a long time friend, who discovered early in life that his family carried the gene for a crippling disease. Somehow, God spared him from having the illness, but yet he has lived life one day at a time, making new challenges for himself and carrying his family & friends with him in an incredible journey of things to learn, places to go visit, activities to do, and a Lord to be served.
13) Darrow M. took his humble beginnings as a construction laborer to study with some great philosophers of this age, and then to transform his studies into something very practical. Now he has shared his studies thru workshops for churches in the world's poorest countries, so that they find a village/town need, expose God's love to that situation, and work diligently to make a Christ-like difference, where folk will be attracted to the Gospel because of their action.
Can you make a list of people significant in your life and note how that has helped shape you? Even a more profound question is:
In what way are you helping influence others to grow & be better humans?
Torrey Brinkley
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Fine Books, Great Authors
Good Reading Comes from Good Authors
During my earlier years I remember doing lots of reading:
---I recall reading all of Danish writer Soren Kierkegaard's existential philosophy books
---I remember reading the Swiss author, Paul Tournier, & his Christian psychology tomes.
---It was fun reading Shakespeare's works too (as did my wife Vicky).
---I was an odd fan of all of Major Donald Keyhoe's books on Air Force encounters with UFOs.
---Of course, I read & heard all of Francis Schaeffer's works (& his L'Abri staff in Switzerland).
---Upon arriving in Spain, I read all of Ernest Hemmingway's books.
---It was a pleasure to read all of Alexander Solzhenitzen's books while we served in Spain.
When one spends time with pastors & professors, one gets to know a lot of people who write books. Have you read any of these author friends of mine?
1) Francis Schaeffer of course, was the Christian philosopher & apologist, with whom we studied when we went off to Switzerland in 1969. His first books were "Escape from Reason", and then "The God Who is There". His film/book series in the mid- 1970s was called "How Should We then Live?" He and his wife Edith wrote over 25 books of significance for challenging our culture's truth claims.
2) Leith Anderson is the current President of the National Association of Evangelicals. After we graduated from Denver Seminary, we worked together for 3 years at the Conservative Baptist Church here in Longmont, CO. He has authored several books in the last 15 years or so, as 25 yr. pastor of Woodale Church in Eden Prarie, MN. He had opening church services in Mall of America when it first opened.
3) Vernon Grounds is the prolific author/writer and past President of Denver Seminary. His first book was "The Reason for Our Hope." He always has had a positive outlook on life in his writings and shares thoughts he has read with all his former students & friends, even though he is in his 90s.
4) Lynn Jost was a young intern missionary with us in Spain back in the 1978-90 period. He finished his education and seminary training with the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, where he now is a professor of New Testament (Fresno, CA). As a pastor in Hesston, KS, Rev. Jost always delivered every sermon totally memorized (no notes). Dr. Jost's first book was on a panorama of the worldwide Mennonite Brethren Church. Before joining the mission team, Lynn had been accepted into med school....but chose to serve the Lord instead.
5) Os Guiness was an adjunct instructor at L'Abri Fellowship in Huemoz, Switzerland with Francis Schaeffer, when we went there in 1969. Os wrote his first and most significant book in the early 1970s, "The Dust of Death," where he analyzed all of popular western culture & its poverty of values. "The Gravedigger's File"was another tome, followed by perhaps a new book every few years.
6) Bruce Shelley was our Old Testament professor at Denver Seminary back in 1968-71. He has written "By What Authority?" & many such books on church history down thru the years, and his son has been editor of "Christianity Today" and "Leadership" magazines.
7) Larry Hatteberg wrote a few volumes of his TV interview stories, shown on KAKE-TV in Wichita, KS from the 1970s to the present, called "Hatteberg's People." He was the photographer & director of the film we produced jointly back in the mid-1970s, called "The Back Seat."
8) Steve Kennedy is the author of the definitive coffee table book on all Jaguar automobiles ever produced. It took him 19 years, lots of research, and many rolls of film to compile, edit and have printed this fine book, "Jaguar, The Classic Marque" (in Hong Kong). I helped him with piles of my Jaguar historical brochures down thru the years. Copies sold for $85, $150 and $300, depending on cover type.
9) Jeremy Balzer is an illustrator of children's books, and is married to Kim Penner, the daughter of our missionary associates from Spain. "Orso, the Troll Who Wouldn't Scare" was his first book done with writer Brad Thiessen.
10) Ingrid Law is the daughter of a current work associate, and who has just had her first book published for pre-teens called "Savvy." It has already received some awards and will be made into a movie. Her second book is in the works, while "Savvy" is being translated into several different foreign language editions.
11) Ralph Harris is a local pastor, conference speaker and now author of a book called "You're Better Off Than You Think." Ralph tries to help people re-think their pre-conceived ideas of who God is and how we deal with our guilt trips.
12) Darrow Miller was a former grad school classmate, who also studied with Francis Schaeffer back in the 1969-75 period. He has more recently served with Food For the Hungry, Intl. and has given conferences in many underdeveloped nations. His book just out this past year deals with God's view of women and giving them dignity (something not done in many cultures today). Darrow's new mission is called Disciple Nations Alliance, where one can order his book.
13) Tom Hovestol is a local Colorado pastor who had taught school in Africa before beginning his pastoral ministries in Texas and Colorado(church where we previously served). His first book is called "Extreme Righteousness".
--Torrey Brinkley
During my earlier years I remember doing lots of reading:
---I recall reading all of Danish writer Soren Kierkegaard's existential philosophy books
---I remember reading the Swiss author, Paul Tournier, & his Christian psychology tomes.
---It was fun reading Shakespeare's works too (as did my wife Vicky).
---I was an odd fan of all of Major Donald Keyhoe's books on Air Force encounters with UFOs.
---Of course, I read & heard all of Francis Schaeffer's works (& his L'Abri staff in Switzerland).
---Upon arriving in Spain, I read all of Ernest Hemmingway's books.
---It was a pleasure to read all of Alexander Solzhenitzen's books while we served in Spain.
When one spends time with pastors & professors, one gets to know a lot of people who write books. Have you read any of these author friends of mine?
1) Francis Schaeffer of course, was the Christian philosopher & apologist, with whom we studied when we went off to Switzerland in 1969. His first books were "Escape from Reason", and then "The God Who is There". His film/book series in the mid- 1970s was called "How Should We then Live?" He and his wife Edith wrote over 25 books of significance for challenging our culture's truth claims.
2) Leith Anderson is the current President of the National Association of Evangelicals. After we graduated from Denver Seminary, we worked together for 3 years at the Conservative Baptist Church here in Longmont, CO. He has authored several books in the last 15 years or so, as 25 yr. pastor of Woodale Church in Eden Prarie, MN. He had opening church services in Mall of America when it first opened.
3) Vernon Grounds is the prolific author/writer and past President of Denver Seminary. His first book was "The Reason for Our Hope." He always has had a positive outlook on life in his writings and shares thoughts he has read with all his former students & friends, even though he is in his 90s.
4) Lynn Jost was a young intern missionary with us in Spain back in the 1978-90 period. He finished his education and seminary training with the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, where he now is a professor of New Testament (Fresno, CA). As a pastor in Hesston, KS, Rev. Jost always delivered every sermon totally memorized (no notes). Dr. Jost's first book was on a panorama of the worldwide Mennonite Brethren Church. Before joining the mission team, Lynn had been accepted into med school....but chose to serve the Lord instead.
5) Os Guiness was an adjunct instructor at L'Abri Fellowship in Huemoz, Switzerland with Francis Schaeffer, when we went there in 1969. Os wrote his first and most significant book in the early 1970s, "The Dust of Death," where he analyzed all of popular western culture & its poverty of values. "The Gravedigger's File"was another tome, followed by perhaps a new book every few years.
6) Bruce Shelley was our Old Testament professor at Denver Seminary back in 1968-71. He has written "By What Authority?" & many such books on church history down thru the years, and his son has been editor of "Christianity Today" and "Leadership" magazines.
7) Larry Hatteberg wrote a few volumes of his TV interview stories, shown on KAKE-TV in Wichita, KS from the 1970s to the present, called "Hatteberg's People." He was the photographer & director of the film we produced jointly back in the mid-1970s, called "The Back Seat."
8) Steve Kennedy is the author of the definitive coffee table book on all Jaguar automobiles ever produced. It took him 19 years, lots of research, and many rolls of film to compile, edit and have printed this fine book, "Jaguar, The Classic Marque" (in Hong Kong). I helped him with piles of my Jaguar historical brochures down thru the years. Copies sold for $85, $150 and $300, depending on cover type.
9) Jeremy Balzer is an illustrator of children's books, and is married to Kim Penner, the daughter of our missionary associates from Spain. "Orso, the Troll Who Wouldn't Scare" was his first book done with writer Brad Thiessen.
10) Ingrid Law is the daughter of a current work associate, and who has just had her first book published for pre-teens called "Savvy." It has already received some awards and will be made into a movie. Her second book is in the works, while "Savvy" is being translated into several different foreign language editions.
11) Ralph Harris is a local pastor, conference speaker and now author of a book called "You're Better Off Than You Think." Ralph tries to help people re-think their pre-conceived ideas of who God is and how we deal with our guilt trips.
12) Darrow Miller was a former grad school classmate, who also studied with Francis Schaeffer back in the 1969-75 period. He has more recently served with Food For the Hungry, Intl. and has given conferences in many underdeveloped nations. His book just out this past year deals with God's view of women and giving them dignity (something not done in many cultures today). Darrow's new mission is called Disciple Nations Alliance, where one can order his book.
13) Tom Hovestol is a local Colorado pastor who had taught school in Africa before beginning his pastoral ministries in Texas and Colorado(church where we previously served). His first book is called "Extreme Righteousness".
--Torrey Brinkley
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
A Sporting Proposition
Sports Hall of Names
A couple of local sports talk fellows discuss names of former athletes every day on their show. I've met these Denver mainstays at a remote site one day, but could not spend time chatting, as they were "live" on the air. It did impress me that athletes are humans, often given special abilities, and yet who also have regular lives after playing sports.
These are some professional athletes I've met in person. Do you recognize any of these names?
1) Rogers Hornsby
2) George Karl
3) Dan Issel
4) Kordell Stewart
5) Eric Young
6) Bobby Unser
7) Jim Grabowski
8) Bobby Howfield
9) Tanner Foust
10) Scott Hastings
11) Alfred Williams
12) Dale McGowan
13) Billy Hamilton
1) Rogers Hornsby was the Chicago Cubs shortstop in the 1930s, and a perennial All Star.
2) George Karl was an NBA point guard in the 1970s, and has coached NBA teams like the Seattle Supersonics, Milwaukee Bucks & now the Denver Nuggets.
3) Dan Issel was an All Star player in the original ABA, and later a forward for the Denver Nuggets in the 1970s, and who later coached the Nuggets in the NBA.
4) Kordell Stewart was the quarterback for the Colorado Buffaloes college football team in the mid-1990s, who threw the famous Hail Mary pass that beat Michigan as time ran out. He later played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who went to the Super Bowl (although he was not the QB of record).
5) Eric Young was the opening day second baseman for the fledgling Colorado Rockies, and who hit a home run his (and team's) first at-bat in Mile Hi Stadium back in 1996. His son is now on the spring roster for the Rockies in 2009.
6) Bobby Unser was a auto racer, based in Arizona, who generally raced open wheel cars. He also competed regularly in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb....and is part of the greater Unser racing family.
7) Jim Grabowski was an University of Illinois football player in the early 1960s, who later went on to play for the Chicago Bears & Green Bay Packers. He just retired from being the radio voice of the Illini after 30 years in the broadcast booth.
8) Bobby Howfield was the Denver Broncos place kicker in the 1969 football season.
9) Tanner Foust is seen regularly on auto related TV shows presently. He is known for his "drifting" skills, but also was a road racer with the Subaru rally teams (one sponsored & maintained by our store in Boulder, CO). Sometimes you will see him on TV moderating luxury car auctions or test driving exotic cars.
10) Scott Hastings was the "center" basketball player for the Univ. of Arkansas, who went on to play for the Detroit Pistons, gaining 2 championship rings (c. 1990-91). He later finished playing with the Denver Nuggets, and is currently their TV courtside voice.
11) Alfred Williams was a defensive bullwark of the NCAA Champion Colorado Buffalos football team in 1990, who later did NFL duties with the Cincinnati Bengals and Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos (1997 & 98). Currently he hosts a sports radio talk show in Denver, CO.
12) Dale McGowan was a SCCA sports car driver (Alfa Romeo Spider) in the 1970s-80s. He later opened and ran a Alfa Romeo repair shop in Denver. Now, Ms. McGowan has retired from racing and mechanical duties.
13) Billy Hamilton was a popular midfielder for the Northern Ireland soccer team which competed for the World Soccer Cup in Spain in 1982.
--Interestingly, I had a chance to meet each of these fine athletes personally, some on several occasions, and played competitive sports with at least one of them.
Torrey Brinkley
A couple of local sports talk fellows discuss names of former athletes every day on their show. I've met these Denver mainstays at a remote site one day, but could not spend time chatting, as they were "live" on the air. It did impress me that athletes are humans, often given special abilities, and yet who also have regular lives after playing sports.
These are some professional athletes I've met in person. Do you recognize any of these names?
1) Rogers Hornsby
2) George Karl
3) Dan Issel
4) Kordell Stewart
5) Eric Young
6) Bobby Unser
7) Jim Grabowski
8) Bobby Howfield
9) Tanner Foust
10) Scott Hastings
11) Alfred Williams
12) Dale McGowan
13) Billy Hamilton
1) Rogers Hornsby was the Chicago Cubs shortstop in the 1930s, and a perennial All Star.
2) George Karl was an NBA point guard in the 1970s, and has coached NBA teams like the Seattle Supersonics, Milwaukee Bucks & now the Denver Nuggets.
3) Dan Issel was an All Star player in the original ABA, and later a forward for the Denver Nuggets in the 1970s, and who later coached the Nuggets in the NBA.
4) Kordell Stewart was the quarterback for the Colorado Buffaloes college football team in the mid-1990s, who threw the famous Hail Mary pass that beat Michigan as time ran out. He later played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who went to the Super Bowl (although he was not the QB of record).
5) Eric Young was the opening day second baseman for the fledgling Colorado Rockies, and who hit a home run his (and team's) first at-bat in Mile Hi Stadium back in 1996. His son is now on the spring roster for the Rockies in 2009.
6) Bobby Unser was a auto racer, based in Arizona, who generally raced open wheel cars. He also competed regularly in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb....and is part of the greater Unser racing family.
7) Jim Grabowski was an University of Illinois football player in the early 1960s, who later went on to play for the Chicago Bears & Green Bay Packers. He just retired from being the radio voice of the Illini after 30 years in the broadcast booth.
8) Bobby Howfield was the Denver Broncos place kicker in the 1969 football season.
9) Tanner Foust is seen regularly on auto related TV shows presently. He is known for his "drifting" skills, but also was a road racer with the Subaru rally teams (one sponsored & maintained by our store in Boulder, CO). Sometimes you will see him on TV moderating luxury car auctions or test driving exotic cars.
10) Scott Hastings was the "center" basketball player for the Univ. of Arkansas, who went on to play for the Detroit Pistons, gaining 2 championship rings (c. 1990-91). He later finished playing with the Denver Nuggets, and is currently their TV courtside voice.
11) Alfred Williams was a defensive bullwark of the NCAA Champion Colorado Buffalos football team in 1990, who later did NFL duties with the Cincinnati Bengals and Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos (1997 & 98). Currently he hosts a sports radio talk show in Denver, CO.
12) Dale McGowan was a SCCA sports car driver (Alfa Romeo Spider) in the 1970s-80s. He later opened and ran a Alfa Romeo repair shop in Denver. Now, Ms. McGowan has retired from racing and mechanical duties.
13) Billy Hamilton was a popular midfielder for the Northern Ireland soccer team which competed for the World Soccer Cup in Spain in 1982.
--Interestingly, I had a chance to meet each of these fine athletes personally, some on several occasions, and played competitive sports with at least one of them.
Torrey Brinkley
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Encounters With Significant People
SO NICE TO MEET YOU
by Torrey H. Brinkley
Most of us have had occasion to meet or greet someone famous in our lives. Take this brief little test to see if you recognize any of these people who have appeared in the national spotlight in the last quarter century.
1) Steve Forbes
2) Abigail Van Buren
3) Tom Tancredo
4) Ricardo Montalban
5) Jeb McGruder
6) James Irwin
7) Joseph Zappala
8) John Perkins
9) Larry Hatteberg
10) James Spainhower
11) Leith Anderson
12) Alf Francis
Do you recall any of these names? Do you know what they have done in life? This writer has met each of the above folk. Take a look below.
1) Steve Forbes is the editor & publisher of Forbes magazine, one of our country's thinking economists, and a former candidate for President of the USA back in 1996. My stock broker invited me to go hear Forbes speak back in 1996 with a group of investors. I got to personally chat with him before the talk and was impressed by his humility and clear vision of economic issues.
2) Abigail Van Buren was the nationally syndicated advice columnist named Dear Abby, who lived in Chicago, IL. When I was on the Steinmetz newspaper, I won some awards for Sports Editor,maybe in 1961, and got to meet Dear Abby at an awards ceremony in downtown Chicago.
3) Tom Tancredo was our senator from Colorado, and another Republican candidate for President in 2008.
It was a pleasure to meet him at a place of business a month ago that I frequent every week. He said he was in need of work ( he did not get the President's White House job), so I gave him some advice.
4) Ricardo Montalban was a TV actor who starred on Fantasy Island show during the 1970s and who did many TV commercials for Chrysler.
When my wife & I took our 3 young boys on the TWA flight from New York to Madrid in 1978, to go start our missionary service, we met Mr. Montalban on our flight. He was a most gracious man & still handome 30 yrs. ago. He just past away recently.
5) Jeb McGruder was part of President Richard Nixon's White House staff, and was implicated in the infamous Watergate scandal. He served some prison time, found Christ, became a minister, and has written of his experiences.
I helped do an interview of him after Watergate with my TV reporter friend in the ABC-TV studio in Wichita, KS. It was shown on TV that night (after editing).
6) James Irwin was one of our first astronauts to go to the Moon. He shared his faith in Christ with audiences around the world along with his lunar escapades. His passion during the 1980s was to discover Noah's Ark, which he claimed to have done in Turkey's Mt. Ararat.
Irwin came to one of the evangelical churches in Madrid, Spain back in 1979, sharing his testimony, and we got to meet him there.
7) Joseph Zappala was a Florida businessman whom Ronald Reagan appointed to be Ambassador to Spain 1989-92. He also worked to help youth with addictions to drugs & alcohol.
Zappala was the invited speaker at the graduation ceremony for the American School in Madrid, where our sons attended. I was the invited pastor to sit on the same platform with him for 3 hours, and shared notes about the various families & programs of the school.
8) John Perkins was a black father growing up in poverty in Miss., who boldly left home for California. He became a successful entrepreneur and Christian speaker & author. President Reagan appointed him to a post of Family Resources Advisor.
I attended a workshop for mission strategists in Atlantic City, NJ in 1986 during the Chernobyl disaster (in Russia), and Perkins was one of our speakers during the week.
9) Larry Hatteberg has been an 40-yr. ABC-TV newsman based in Wichita, KS since his college days. He was voted best Newsfilm Photographer in the USA 2 years in a row, named President of the National Press Photographers' Association, and a regular speaker at their national convention, and has authored a few books.
Larry was one of my parishoners at our Wichita, KS church. We worked together for about 3 years doing a film on loneliness, which premiered on ABC-TV, and then was shown in churches across the USA and Canada. I went on many of his TV assignments, had many breakfasts & lunches together over the years. We still keep in touch, especially after he broke the story on Wichita's "BTK Killer" a few years ago.
10) James Spainhower was a two term congressman from Missouri, and was the Treasurer of the State in the 1970s. He also is an ordained minister.
When my young choir director in our Wichita church wanted to run for political office, I went with him for a full day to interview Spainhower, the Treasurer of Missouri, as well as a Missouri state senator, who was also a Christian. That was a fine, fun day spent seeing our American political process in action.
11) Leith Anderson has served as pastor of churches in Longmont, CO and Eden Prairie, MN, has authored several books, and was recently named President of the National Association of Evangelicals. For a brief time he was interim President of the Denver Seminary.
My first assignment after seminary was working as the associate pastor with Anderson. We served together for 3 years at a Conservative Baptist Church, and I oversaw the youth, Christian Education, missions and music programs of the church. We met recently for our former church's 50th anniversary, and reflected on old times.
12) Alf Francis was the race car mechanic for Britain's most storied race car driver, Stirling Moss (1950s). He also designed what became known as the Ford GT-40, America's first modern era winner of the 24 Hours of LeMans Race (1966-69). He later opened an exotic car dealership in Wichita, KS.
Again, when I found Francis and his showroom & shop full of exotic European cars in downtown Wichita, I tried to get my friend at ABC-TV to come do a TV story on this important older gentleman. The best we could do was have a film crew come & shoot Larry Hatteberg filming me, with my car hobby decorating Francis' sports car facility. Larry was getting a very prestigious national award at the time.
What is probably true for you, as it was for me, is that just a few of these people had a real deep lasting impression on my life's character. Have you thought about those people who impacted you deeply, including the how and why?
by Torrey H. Brinkley
Most of us have had occasion to meet or greet someone famous in our lives. Take this brief little test to see if you recognize any of these people who have appeared in the national spotlight in the last quarter century.
1) Steve Forbes
2) Abigail Van Buren
3) Tom Tancredo
4) Ricardo Montalban
5) Jeb McGruder
6) James Irwin
7) Joseph Zappala
8) John Perkins
9) Larry Hatteberg
10) James Spainhower
11) Leith Anderson
12) Alf Francis
Do you recall any of these names? Do you know what they have done in life? This writer has met each of the above folk. Take a look below.
1) Steve Forbes is the editor & publisher of Forbes magazine, one of our country's thinking economists, and a former candidate for President of the USA back in 1996. My stock broker invited me to go hear Forbes speak back in 1996 with a group of investors. I got to personally chat with him before the talk and was impressed by his humility and clear vision of economic issues.
2) Abigail Van Buren was the nationally syndicated advice columnist named Dear Abby, who lived in Chicago, IL. When I was on the Steinmetz newspaper, I won some awards for Sports Editor,maybe in 1961, and got to meet Dear Abby at an awards ceremony in downtown Chicago.
3) Tom Tancredo was our senator from Colorado, and another Republican candidate for President in 2008.
It was a pleasure to meet him at a place of business a month ago that I frequent every week. He said he was in need of work ( he did not get the President's White House job), so I gave him some advice.
4) Ricardo Montalban was a TV actor who starred on Fantasy Island show during the 1970s and who did many TV commercials for Chrysler.
When my wife & I took our 3 young boys on the TWA flight from New York to Madrid in 1978, to go start our missionary service, we met Mr. Montalban on our flight. He was a most gracious man & still handome 30 yrs. ago. He just past away recently.
5) Jeb McGruder was part of President Richard Nixon's White House staff, and was implicated in the infamous Watergate scandal. He served some prison time, found Christ, became a minister, and has written of his experiences.
I helped do an interview of him after Watergate with my TV reporter friend in the ABC-TV studio in Wichita, KS. It was shown on TV that night (after editing).
6) James Irwin was one of our first astronauts to go to the Moon. He shared his faith in Christ with audiences around the world along with his lunar escapades. His passion during the 1980s was to discover Noah's Ark, which he claimed to have done in Turkey's Mt. Ararat.
Irwin came to one of the evangelical churches in Madrid, Spain back in 1979, sharing his testimony, and we got to meet him there.
7) Joseph Zappala was a Florida businessman whom Ronald Reagan appointed to be Ambassador to Spain 1989-92. He also worked to help youth with addictions to drugs & alcohol.
Zappala was the invited speaker at the graduation ceremony for the American School in Madrid, where our sons attended. I was the invited pastor to sit on the same platform with him for 3 hours, and shared notes about the various families & programs of the school.
8) John Perkins was a black father growing up in poverty in Miss., who boldly left home for California. He became a successful entrepreneur and Christian speaker & author. President Reagan appointed him to a post of Family Resources Advisor.
I attended a workshop for mission strategists in Atlantic City, NJ in 1986 during the Chernobyl disaster (in Russia), and Perkins was one of our speakers during the week.
9) Larry Hatteberg has been an 40-yr. ABC-TV newsman based in Wichita, KS since his college days. He was voted best Newsfilm Photographer in the USA 2 years in a row, named President of the National Press Photographers' Association, and a regular speaker at their national convention, and has authored a few books.
Larry was one of my parishoners at our Wichita, KS church. We worked together for about 3 years doing a film on loneliness, which premiered on ABC-TV, and then was shown in churches across the USA and Canada. I went on many of his TV assignments, had many breakfasts & lunches together over the years. We still keep in touch, especially after he broke the story on Wichita's "BTK Killer" a few years ago.
10) James Spainhower was a two term congressman from Missouri, and was the Treasurer of the State in the 1970s. He also is an ordained minister.
When my young choir director in our Wichita church wanted to run for political office, I went with him for a full day to interview Spainhower, the Treasurer of Missouri, as well as a Missouri state senator, who was also a Christian. That was a fine, fun day spent seeing our American political process in action.
11) Leith Anderson has served as pastor of churches in Longmont, CO and Eden Prairie, MN, has authored several books, and was recently named President of the National Association of Evangelicals. For a brief time he was interim President of the Denver Seminary.
My first assignment after seminary was working as the associate pastor with Anderson. We served together for 3 years at a Conservative Baptist Church, and I oversaw the youth, Christian Education, missions and music programs of the church. We met recently for our former church's 50th anniversary, and reflected on old times.
12) Alf Francis was the race car mechanic for Britain's most storied race car driver, Stirling Moss (1950s). He also designed what became known as the Ford GT-40, America's first modern era winner of the 24 Hours of LeMans Race (1966-69). He later opened an exotic car dealership in Wichita, KS.
Again, when I found Francis and his showroom & shop full of exotic European cars in downtown Wichita, I tried to get my friend at ABC-TV to come do a TV story on this important older gentleman. The best we could do was have a film crew come & shoot Larry Hatteberg filming me, with my car hobby decorating Francis' sports car facility. Larry was getting a very prestigious national award at the time.
What is probably true for you, as it was for me, is that just a few of these people had a real deep lasting impression on my life's character. Have you thought about those people who impacted you deeply, including the how and why?
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Chrysler Looks Different
SAD NEWS FOR MOPAR WORKERS & ADMIRERS
Noted by Torrey H. Brinkley
Mead, Colorado
The automotive industry woes here in the Winter of 2008 have included some sad news that Chrysler Corporation has lost some of its financial support from Cerberus, the hedge fund giant. Mercedes Benz had severed ties less than 12 months ago with MOPAR. Without help from the US government, will Chrysler be able to stay afloat? As well, if private customers cannot get loans from banks and finance arms, how will dealers sell any of these $20,000 to $60,000 vehicles? Perhaps this is why Chrysler has decided to shutter all 30 of its manufacturing plants for 30 days.
This observer has seen many remarkable changes in design and marketing philosophy in the last 60 years for Chrysler Corporation. While some have always felt that MOPAR had some of the best engineering ideas in the American marketplace, their design department has seemed to be more like a bar of soap in the bathtub: interesting and clever, but hard to truly get ahold of.
Think back over the last 6 decades:
----1947-52 featured Chrysler and DeSoto vehicles with elegant and classic lines. Their grilles and bumpers had no peers in that post-war period. Even more lowly Dodge and Plymouth mirrored this fine-edged look. Interiors also showed nice design and high quality materials.
----1953-56 saw the company with evolutionary styling that was a bit more bolder, yet not winning over the masses. Perhaps the best design was the 1955 Chrysler (with 300 coupe being the best), which marketers labeled "the Million Dollar Look". Plymouth cars were #3 in sales right behind Ford and Chevy in the USA.
----1957-61 With the era of big & tall fins, Chrysler almost took the lead in rocket ship imaging. Nothing was as tall and bold as the 1957 Plymouth, Chrysler or DeSoto fins. But nothing got quite as ugly as the morphing of the 1959 & '61 Plymouth and '61 DeSoto (which was killed after that year). MOPAR gained some fans but lost many others during this period. Keep in mind that VW and other imports were entering our market during this time frame (with tiny & economical cars). The new Plymouth Valiant and Dodge Lancer had an odd European styling that was striking, but hard for many Americans to accept.
----1962-68 This was a period that was called the "Muscle Car Era". Plymouth and Dodge had Hemi engines in many of their high-powered cars, that were designed not to offend, but not exactly to inspire either. The best design from MOPAR during this period was clearly the 1967-68 Dodge Charger. Recent sales of vintage MOPAR muscle cars from this era show that many things were done right. Huge Imperial models were not appreciated then, nor are they much seen as collector cars today.
----1969-81 Several factors served to change the auto industry during the next 12 years: higher gas prices, government safety regulations, increasing competition from foreign automakers, and mounting inflation. Chrysler designers kept a "me-too philosphy" for most of their vehicles, thus not distinguishing themselves from other domestic competition. While MOPAR vehicles grew to the size of small barges, engines were choked down, and too many Chrysler interiors were described as much like a "Las Vegas bordello." Perhaps the best designed car was the 1975 Chrysler Cordoba coupe, having a twin Dodge Charger model. But restrictive anti-pollution controls and poor fuel economy gave the marketers a rough time. The Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare seemed to be a good design, but reliability issues made for tough re-sales.
----1982-93 A government bailout and shrewd leadership from Lee Iococca brought Chrysler from the verge of bankruptcy to re-define itself in the marketplace. All engines were now small 4-cylinders, and size/weights of new Dodges, Chryslers and Plymouths were trimmed way down. Initially the public liked a new cheaper way to drive, but lack of pep and reliability made for a tough sell, when other manufacturers stressed higher quality, bigger designs and more power. Best design for MOPAR was the invention of the minivan, which introduced a whole new segment in America, that gave Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth segment sales superiority for a good 20 years. The Diamond Star car project with Mitsubishi also gave nice Eagle Talon & Plymouth Laser sporty cars for MOPAR showrooms for 1/2 dozen years.
----1994-2004 This was a period when MOPAR designers swung the pendulum back the other way. They decided to make a cab-forward design, with bigger and expansive vehicles. They started a new division called the Eagle, partnering with Mitsubishi to get engines and platforms. These were among the most stylish cars, but marketers had trouble selling cars that were less than reliable, especially in the transmission department. Plymouth did not receive any of the new larger designs, but got stuck with the Neon, a tiny car with plastic engine parts....and soon left the MOPAR scene. Perhaps the biggest design success was the new Dodge Ram pickup truck in 1994, resurrecting what had been a dying truck brand.
----2005-2009 Gradually foreign brands have sucked the life out of most US car makers, in almost all segments, and MOPAR sales had become anemic. Best design change was shrinking the big Chryslers and Dodges down, and the Chrysler 300 series was a big sales success, and the re-introduced Hemi V-8 engines helped sales and excitement (for Dodge briefly, too). But $4 a gallon gasoline choked off that new-found virility among male drivers. MOPAR designers and marketers sadly have no small economical 4-door 4-cylinder (or hybrid) sedan to offer the public. How did they and partners at Daimler not see this need coming? While it seemed like many people liked to buy SUVs, it was not wise for Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep showrooms to load up with 11 SUVs and crossovers, without any economical microcar offering.
Can Chrysler executives right this ship in the next 120 days? Stay tuned, but don't bet the mortgage on MOPAR stock.
Noted by Torrey H. Brinkley
Mead, Colorado
The automotive industry woes here in the Winter of 2008 have included some sad news that Chrysler Corporation has lost some of its financial support from Cerberus, the hedge fund giant. Mercedes Benz had severed ties less than 12 months ago with MOPAR. Without help from the US government, will Chrysler be able to stay afloat? As well, if private customers cannot get loans from banks and finance arms, how will dealers sell any of these $20,000 to $60,000 vehicles? Perhaps this is why Chrysler has decided to shutter all 30 of its manufacturing plants for 30 days.
This observer has seen many remarkable changes in design and marketing philosophy in the last 60 years for Chrysler Corporation. While some have always felt that MOPAR had some of the best engineering ideas in the American marketplace, their design department has seemed to be more like a bar of soap in the bathtub: interesting and clever, but hard to truly get ahold of.
Think back over the last 6 decades:
----1947-52 featured Chrysler and DeSoto vehicles with elegant and classic lines. Their grilles and bumpers had no peers in that post-war period. Even more lowly Dodge and Plymouth mirrored this fine-edged look. Interiors also showed nice design and high quality materials.
----1953-56 saw the company with evolutionary styling that was a bit more bolder, yet not winning over the masses. Perhaps the best design was the 1955 Chrysler (with 300 coupe being the best), which marketers labeled "the Million Dollar Look". Plymouth cars were #3 in sales right behind Ford and Chevy in the USA.
----1957-61 With the era of big & tall fins, Chrysler almost took the lead in rocket ship imaging. Nothing was as tall and bold as the 1957 Plymouth, Chrysler or DeSoto fins. But nothing got quite as ugly as the morphing of the 1959 & '61 Plymouth and '61 DeSoto (which was killed after that year). MOPAR gained some fans but lost many others during this period. Keep in mind that VW and other imports were entering our market during this time frame (with tiny & economical cars). The new Plymouth Valiant and Dodge Lancer had an odd European styling that was striking, but hard for many Americans to accept.
----1962-68 This was a period that was called the "Muscle Car Era". Plymouth and Dodge had Hemi engines in many of their high-powered cars, that were designed not to offend, but not exactly to inspire either. The best design from MOPAR during this period was clearly the 1967-68 Dodge Charger. Recent sales of vintage MOPAR muscle cars from this era show that many things were done right. Huge Imperial models were not appreciated then, nor are they much seen as collector cars today.
----1969-81 Several factors served to change the auto industry during the next 12 years: higher gas prices, government safety regulations, increasing competition from foreign automakers, and mounting inflation. Chrysler designers kept a "me-too philosphy" for most of their vehicles, thus not distinguishing themselves from other domestic competition. While MOPAR vehicles grew to the size of small barges, engines were choked down, and too many Chrysler interiors were described as much like a "Las Vegas bordello." Perhaps the best designed car was the 1975 Chrysler Cordoba coupe, having a twin Dodge Charger model. But restrictive anti-pollution controls and poor fuel economy gave the marketers a rough time. The Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare seemed to be a good design, but reliability issues made for tough re-sales.
----1982-93 A government bailout and shrewd leadership from Lee Iococca brought Chrysler from the verge of bankruptcy to re-define itself in the marketplace. All engines were now small 4-cylinders, and size/weights of new Dodges, Chryslers and Plymouths were trimmed way down. Initially the public liked a new cheaper way to drive, but lack of pep and reliability made for a tough sell, when other manufacturers stressed higher quality, bigger designs and more power. Best design for MOPAR was the invention of the minivan, which introduced a whole new segment in America, that gave Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth segment sales superiority for a good 20 years. The Diamond Star car project with Mitsubishi also gave nice Eagle Talon & Plymouth Laser sporty cars for MOPAR showrooms for 1/2 dozen years.
----1994-2004 This was a period when MOPAR designers swung the pendulum back the other way. They decided to make a cab-forward design, with bigger and expansive vehicles. They started a new division called the Eagle, partnering with Mitsubishi to get engines and platforms. These were among the most stylish cars, but marketers had trouble selling cars that were less than reliable, especially in the transmission department. Plymouth did not receive any of the new larger designs, but got stuck with the Neon, a tiny car with plastic engine parts....and soon left the MOPAR scene. Perhaps the biggest design success was the new Dodge Ram pickup truck in 1994, resurrecting what had been a dying truck brand.
----2005-2009 Gradually foreign brands have sucked the life out of most US car makers, in almost all segments, and MOPAR sales had become anemic. Best design change was shrinking the big Chryslers and Dodges down, and the Chrysler 300 series was a big sales success, and the re-introduced Hemi V-8 engines helped sales and excitement (for Dodge briefly, too). But $4 a gallon gasoline choked off that new-found virility among male drivers. MOPAR designers and marketers sadly have no small economical 4-door 4-cylinder (or hybrid) sedan to offer the public. How did they and partners at Daimler not see this need coming? While it seemed like many people liked to buy SUVs, it was not wise for Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep showrooms to load up with 11 SUVs and crossovers, without any economical microcar offering.
Can Chrysler executives right this ship in the next 120 days? Stay tuned, but don't bet the mortgage on MOPAR stock.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Bailing Out the Automakers?
Help For the American Automobile Companies
offered by Torrey H. Brinkley
Many and varied are the recent opinions about the condition of the Big 3 American Auto Companies, and what should be done with their financial woes.
Few voices are demanding that GM, Ford and Chrysler be saved from any possible collapse, even if thousands of jobs are lost, and home foreclosures soar any higher in Michigan and Ohio.
---The U.S. Congress, with billions of dollars at their disposal to dole out to financial institutions in dire straights, seem to balk at loaning/giving money to auto manufacturers who actually produce something tangible, that all Americans use and depend upon daily.
---Union leaders scream that up to 3 million jobs nationwide could be lost if production, distribution and sales of U.S. cars & trucks cease, yet union bosses themselves produce nothing, just control things like negotiations & benefits.
---Young workers & students in America have had nothing to do with U.S. cars all along, preferring skateboards, bikes, planes, motorcycles, snowboards and Toyotas/Hondas, and VWs (et al).
---Affluent engineers and urban yuppies also fret not about Chevy, Ford and Dodge products, preferring their jet skis, light aircraft, ski-doos, plus Audis, Porsches, Lexus, BMWs, Mercedes or Italian sports cars.
---America's poor and under-employed certainly can't fathom the job bank centers where idle GM employees go sit, do nothing and collect thousands each month while robots assemble $25,000 Malibus and $60,000 Escalades. If minimum wage folk can barely afford $700 a month apartment rent, they certainly can't comprehend $650 a month car payments (plus $100 a month insurance, $120 a month fuel costs, + tires, repairs and 30% a year depreciation on a newer car).
---U.S. lending institutions have washed their hands of the auto industry and their woes. One by one, banks across America have dropped out of the auto loan business......especially ones who had previously been heavily drubbed by the risky sub-prime housing loans. GMAC, Ford Credit and Chrysler Financial finally realized they couldn't put everybody on wheels.....especially when dealerships were rolling over customers who were $10 to $15,000 upside down in their previous car loans.
Some critics have blamed the Big 3 for bad products, not very economical or often reliable. Others have called for GM or Ford to bring over their European counterpart vehicles (which do have fine engineering and design advantages over most US economy cars). Yet, all such previous imports have flopped in the U.S. market. Besides, the United Auto Workers want to roadblock importing vehciles not made with their "union gloves." The image problem, not so much product design, has been killing the Big 3 recently. Consumer Reports magazine has noted that VW, Mercedes, Suzuki, Kia and Land Rover as much more trouble-prone than typical US products.
U.S. auto manufacturers have done so many things right for over 100 years, and they probably won't fail unless the entire U.S. economy collapses, or the world economy falters. Imagine this:
1) They have provided clean, safe, relaible, comfortable, speedy, personalized transport for rich and poor alike (the poorest driver in a $200 "beater" car shares the same roadway as the driver of a $350,000 Rolls or Bentley, and can arrive at similar destinations in the same time frame.
2) Thanks to American ingenuity, there are private automobiles for families; pickup trucks for tens of thousands of manual labor jobs & industries; sport utilities for scores of athletes & adventure seekers; and thousands of roomy, reliable, minivans to airporter vans for soccer teams & traveling musical choirs; plus fleets full of small, medium & large size trucks to haul food & goods nationwide across roads & interstate highways that connect the entire country!! Ever since the 1960s, many Americans likewise find their identity in the type and nameplate of vehicle they utilize.
3) Few jobs in the USA are not tied into our freely mobile society, compared to the horse-drawn buggy days, or compared to the more isolated localized societies that exist elsewhere. Much employment exists in auto assembly; parts & design manufacturing; service & sales shorooms; our highway departments; contractors building/maintaining garages, driveways, parking lots; our subdivision designers & builders; gas stations & car washes; rental & leasing companies (almost exclusively tied into the Big 3 Auto Companies); auto lending institutions; tire shops & lube centers; automotive computer & navigation systems; marketing, advertising agencies (TV, radio, newspaper, magazines & internet); and all the myriad of customizers of body & engine parts.
If Congress does not choose to bail out the Big 3, what should be done?
a) WAIT. Be patient. Let the US and world economic woes settle down before making rash decisions If the Ford F-150 pickup truck has been the top-selling vehicle in the USA by far for the last 30 years, then why scrap what Americans have been purchasing for something less useful? Remember that gasoline cost $4+ per gallon in early summer, and now we see it priced at $1.60 a gallon in late November.
b) MOVE vehicles the best ways possible. Sell them thru leases, loans or cash deals. We should perhaps consider encouraging businesses and government agencies to purchase autos for use by managers & execs, since they have easier access to cash. The Europeans have been doing this for decades.
c) SAVE money. Ask all Big 3 employees to accept pay cuts (deferred towards better times) from top executives down to union floor workers. Get that $73 per hour cost for a GM vehicle produced down to the $46 it costs Toyota (maybe the UAW would consider doing a little something to help out). Can GM somehow get rid of that $60 billion long-term indebtedness for the health benefits for its current and future retirees?
offered by Torrey H. Brinkley
Many and varied are the recent opinions about the condition of the Big 3 American Auto Companies, and what should be done with their financial woes.
Few voices are demanding that GM, Ford and Chrysler be saved from any possible collapse, even if thousands of jobs are lost, and home foreclosures soar any higher in Michigan and Ohio.
---The U.S. Congress, with billions of dollars at their disposal to dole out to financial institutions in dire straights, seem to balk at loaning/giving money to auto manufacturers who actually produce something tangible, that all Americans use and depend upon daily.
---Union leaders scream that up to 3 million jobs nationwide could be lost if production, distribution and sales of U.S. cars & trucks cease, yet union bosses themselves produce nothing, just control things like negotiations & benefits.
---Young workers & students in America have had nothing to do with U.S. cars all along, preferring skateboards, bikes, planes, motorcycles, snowboards and Toyotas/Hondas, and VWs (et al).
---Affluent engineers and urban yuppies also fret not about Chevy, Ford and Dodge products, preferring their jet skis, light aircraft, ski-doos, plus Audis, Porsches, Lexus, BMWs, Mercedes or Italian sports cars.
---America's poor and under-employed certainly can't fathom the job bank centers where idle GM employees go sit, do nothing and collect thousands each month while robots assemble $25,000 Malibus and $60,000 Escalades. If minimum wage folk can barely afford $700 a month apartment rent, they certainly can't comprehend $650 a month car payments (plus $100 a month insurance, $120 a month fuel costs, + tires, repairs and 30% a year depreciation on a newer car).
---U.S. lending institutions have washed their hands of the auto industry and their woes. One by one, banks across America have dropped out of the auto loan business......especially ones who had previously been heavily drubbed by the risky sub-prime housing loans. GMAC, Ford Credit and Chrysler Financial finally realized they couldn't put everybody on wheels.....especially when dealerships were rolling over customers who were $10 to $15,000 upside down in their previous car loans.
Some critics have blamed the Big 3 for bad products, not very economical or often reliable. Others have called for GM or Ford to bring over their European counterpart vehicles (which do have fine engineering and design advantages over most US economy cars). Yet, all such previous imports have flopped in the U.S. market. Besides, the United Auto Workers want to roadblock importing vehciles not made with their "union gloves." The image problem, not so much product design, has been killing the Big 3 recently. Consumer Reports magazine has noted that VW, Mercedes, Suzuki, Kia and Land Rover as much more trouble-prone than typical US products.
U.S. auto manufacturers have done so many things right for over 100 years, and they probably won't fail unless the entire U.S. economy collapses, or the world economy falters. Imagine this:
1) They have provided clean, safe, relaible, comfortable, speedy, personalized transport for rich and poor alike (the poorest driver in a $200 "beater" car shares the same roadway as the driver of a $350,000 Rolls or Bentley, and can arrive at similar destinations in the same time frame.
2) Thanks to American ingenuity, there are private automobiles for families; pickup trucks for tens of thousands of manual labor jobs & industries; sport utilities for scores of athletes & adventure seekers; and thousands of roomy, reliable, minivans to airporter vans for soccer teams & traveling musical choirs; plus fleets full of small, medium & large size trucks to haul food & goods nationwide across roads & interstate highways that connect the entire country!! Ever since the 1960s, many Americans likewise find their identity in the type and nameplate of vehicle they utilize.
3) Few jobs in the USA are not tied into our freely mobile society, compared to the horse-drawn buggy days, or compared to the more isolated localized societies that exist elsewhere. Much employment exists in auto assembly; parts & design manufacturing; service & sales shorooms; our highway departments; contractors building/maintaining garages, driveways, parking lots; our subdivision designers & builders; gas stations & car washes; rental & leasing companies (almost exclusively tied into the Big 3 Auto Companies); auto lending institutions; tire shops & lube centers; automotive computer & navigation systems; marketing, advertising agencies (TV, radio, newspaper, magazines & internet); and all the myriad of customizers of body & engine parts.
If Congress does not choose to bail out the Big 3, what should be done?
a) WAIT. Be patient. Let the US and world economic woes settle down before making rash decisions If the Ford F-150 pickup truck has been the top-selling vehicle in the USA by far for the last 30 years, then why scrap what Americans have been purchasing for something less useful? Remember that gasoline cost $4+ per gallon in early summer, and now we see it priced at $1.60 a gallon in late November.
b) MOVE vehicles the best ways possible. Sell them thru leases, loans or cash deals. We should perhaps consider encouraging businesses and government agencies to purchase autos for use by managers & execs, since they have easier access to cash. The Europeans have been doing this for decades.
c) SAVE money. Ask all Big 3 employees to accept pay cuts (deferred towards better times) from top executives down to union floor workers. Get that $73 per hour cost for a GM vehicle produced down to the $46 it costs Toyota (maybe the UAW would consider doing a little something to help out). Can GM somehow get rid of that $60 billion long-term indebtedness for the health benefits for its current and future retirees?
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