It looks like the US auto industry is about to implode. Literally millions of people could be out of work soon. This is a crisis like none the country has seen before. But what can be done? Clearly, it's time for bold and aggressive action. We need some radical action, now!
But what to do. What to do.... Aha! Here's a thought! What if Detroit eliminated benefits for same-sex couples!
The Big Three automakers -- DaimlerChrysler,, General Motors and Ford Motor -- announced in June that they would offer health benefits to the same-sex partners of their 466,000 hourly and salaried employees in the United States. This was a ''landmark move'' in the effort by corporate America to provide such benefits for gay and lesbian couples, the report concluded.
I could not find much on the cost of providing these benefits however
A 2005 Hewitt Associates study revealed that a majority of employers experience a total benefits cost increase of less than 1 percent.
Several studies have shown that enrollment rates tend to be in the 1 percent to 2 percent range.
For Example:
2% of 446,000 is over 93,000
93,000 @ $395 for health care for active workers and $950 for retirees. Equals for active workers $36,735.000.00 and for retirees $88,350.000.00
Total $125,085.000.00
$125 million? Wow, that's not a lot of money!
But wait, let's double-check that math. Maybe he missed some savings in there.... aha! 2% of 446,000 isn't quite "over 93,000". In fact, according to Windows' Calculator, it's just 8,920. Let's work that through and see how much more they could save!
*tickyclickyclickytappy*
8920 @ $395 is... $2.8M.
$2.8M ! That's just about of 1/5 of what GM gave its CEO last year. Or 1/9 of what it paid in attorney fees to settle a single class-action suit over faulty engine coolant, earlier this year. Or 1/176 of what it paid in 2003 to settle 297 lawsuits over some exploding gas tanks.
Maybe instead of reducing benefits, they could hire a couple of those homosexuals' partners and put them to work in the quality control department. For less than $200K a year, they might be able to avoid another $400M in lawsuits. Eureka!
When alerted to his error, in comments, the author writes:
Although even if the numbers are off the principal
isn'tShake down by radical homosexuals
Right. Real principles are never damaged by mere facts. Principals, doubly so.
Cleek,
what you fail to take into account is that the ghey needs more healthcare than “normal” workers. therefore, for every one dollar spent, teh ghey needs $200.00*, effectively raising your costs to $5.6 trillion.
Trumped. Case closed and good day sir.
*I derived these numbers in much the same way as the author at righmichigan, so feel free to critique my maff.
Also, statistics would seem to indicate that adherents of the ‘Gay Old Party’ might suffer unfairly from discrimination.