Perchoutofwater Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 (edited) Toyota: Democrats 'not industry friendly' By JAKE SHERMAN | 2/21/10 5:20 PM EST Internal Toyota documents derided the Obama administration and Democratic Congress as “activist” and “not industry friendly," a revelation that comes days before the giant automaker's top executives testify on Capitol Hill amid a giant recall. According to a presentation obtained under subpoena by the House Oversight and Government Relations committee, Toyota referred to the “changing political environment” as one of its main challenges and anticipated a "more challenging regulatory" environment under the Obama administration's purview. This document, in addition to piles of other records, will be front and center this week as the Japanese automaker girds to face lawmakers hungry for answers about a recall that has the company teetering. Upwards of 8 million cars have been recalled in the U.S. and worldwide, amid reports of Toyota's vehicles accelerating rapidly. The problems have turned political, as the company has shuttered some American factories, potentially resulting in layoffs. The oversight committee, which is led by Democrat Edolphus Towns of New York and Republican Darrell Issa of California, will seek to discover if Toyota was forthright in disclosing problems with rapid acceleration – and if the government was responsible and quick in investigating such complaints. Toyota has launched an image rehabilitation campaign on Capitol Hill, and its top lobbyist has sent e-mails to congressional aides in an attempt to shape its image amid this crisis. Committee aides say the presentation, which was obtained by POLITICO, gives the clearest view into the minds of Toyota executives. Aides believe the presentation was an explanatory slideshow prepared to explain the inner-workings of Toyota’s Washington lobbying operations. It includes a responsibility flow chart, in addition to resources the office calls upon, including The Brookings Institution and the Chamber of Commerce. The slideshow is titled “Toyota Washington, DC” and the cover sheet is labeled “Yoshi Inaba” – the president of Toyota North America, who is slated to testify. It is a peek into how Toyota executives view the American political environment. The “Activist Administration & Congress – increasing laws & regulations” is listed as one of “Toyota Challenges,” as is “Massive government support for Detroit automakers.” The July 2009 presentation also says the Department of Transportation and National Highway Transportation Safety Administration “under Obama administration” is “not industry friendly,” and anticipates a “more challenging regulatory and enforcement environment.” It says the NHTSA “new team has less understanding of engineering issues and are primarily focused on legal issues.” “While the administration may have changed, the bureaucracy itself has not and we must ensure that government regulators give every possible consumer concern its due diligence,” said Republican Oversight spokesman Kurt Bardella. Edited February 22, 2010 by Perchoutofwater Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Are you serious? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Are you serious? I think Toyota is, and I think they have a point when you consider rising CAFE standards making it much harder on the auto companies to make profit, and you consider that basically it is the executives of GM that will be investigating them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 I think Toyota is, and I think they have a point when you consider rising CAFE standards making it much harder on the auto companies to make profit, and you consider that basically it is the executives of GM that will be investigating them. So, this company that has tried to cover up multiple issues with their products, has worked with a government agency to kill investigations and has been quite content to save $100m rather than recall their product is a valid critic of the government? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 So, this company that has tried to cover up multiple issues with their products, has worked with a government agency to kill investigations and has been quite content to save $100m rather than recall their product is a valid critic of the government? When said government has vested interests in their competitors, they yes I think they are a valid critic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 When said government has vested interests in their competitors, they yes I think they are a valid critic. Aren't they the exact image of a business you would want to avoid as an advertisement for all that is good about the free market? I mean, these guys have provided the anti-business lobby with enough ammo to keep them happy for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Aren't they the exact image of a business you would want to avoid as an advertisement for all that is good about the free market? I mean, these guys have provided the anti-business lobby with enough ammo to keep them happy for years. What free market? Between cowtowing to unions, regulation and flat out government intervention in failing concerns there is not free market when it comes to the auto industry, which may be why it is such a sick industry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westvirginia Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 So, this company that has tried to cover up multiple issues with their products, has worked with a government agency to kill investigations and has been quite content to save $100m rather than recall their product is a valid critic of the government? ??? I might be missing something but I heard that they'd voluntarily done a recall before being forced to. Is that not the case? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 ??? I might be missing something but I heard that they'd voluntarily done a recall before being forced to. Is that not the case? They squashed a bunch with the assistance of the NHTSA Memos show regulators cut short Toyota probe in 2007 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Safety regulators considered a wider probe of acceleration risks on Toyota vehicles and further safety steps as early as 2007, two years before Toyota launched the first of its sweeping recalls. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ended its probe of the issue in October 2007 without finding a defect at Toyota. It took that step despite privately acknowledging consumer warnings of "extremely dangerous" risks and the prospect that more Toyota vehicles could be affected by acceleration problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Why we don't arrest Toyota executives and drivers as traitors to the United States is beyond me. How's that Jap crap working out for you now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Like Soup Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Why we don't arrest Toyota executives and drivers as traitors to the United States is beyond me. How's that Jap crap working out for you now? When are we getting on the landing craft and doing a reenactment of 1945? :grabsTimC'storch: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Why we don't arrest Toyota executives and drivers as traitors to the United States is beyond me. How's that Jap crap working out for you now? If I buy a Mazda, do I hate America? I'm just wondering. I think they were/are a Japanese company but they are owned by Ford now. I get confused on which multi-nationals I'm supposed to hate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 If I buy a Mazda, do I hate America? I'm just wondering. I think they were/are a Japanese company but they are owned by Ford now. I get confused on which multi-nationals I'm supposed to hate. "As 1940 approached, Mazda was beginning development of a small sedan. However, due to World War II, development stopped to help Japan’s war effort. Unfortunately, less than half of the factory was destroyed due the atom bomb that was dropped on August 6, 1945." http://www.triplezoom.com/news/publish/printer_56.shtml Obviously we should have nuked them again to destroy the other half. :nuke: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furd Posted February 25, 2010 Share Posted February 25, 2010 I drive an Audi. I am quite pleased with it. Somehow I am able to overlook that the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted February 25, 2010 Share Posted February 25, 2010 Most of the Democrats on the committee currently grilling Toyota executives took not only UAW money, but also trial lawyer money too. Add that to the specter of having the regulator as competitor and the you see a trend erupting. BTW, Toyota is the largest auto maker in the world an is not unionized and is not owned by the US government like GM. Just wondering when was the last time an auto company with a safety record as spotless as Toyota's was called to testify before Congress for safety problems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowboutthemCowboys Posted February 25, 2010 Share Posted February 25, 2010 Why we don't arrest Toyota executives and drivers as traitors to the United States is beyond me. How's that Jap crap working out for you now? meh, we have a Ford that was recalled... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted February 25, 2010 Share Posted February 25, 2010 Government Motors paying executive $3,000 an hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted February 25, 2010 Share Posted February 25, 2010 Just wondering when was the last time an auto company with a safety record as spotless as Toyota's was called to testify before Congress for safety problems? Are you or just Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted February 25, 2010 Share Posted February 25, 2010 I'm on my second Tacoma and couldn't be happier. No recalls for my truck (knock on wood). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Posted February 25, 2010 Share Posted February 25, 2010 I drive an Audi. I am quite pleased with it. Somehow I am able to overlook that the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor. Nice. Maybe it's just me, but I find 6+ decade old vitriol kind of funny. I mean we nuked those poor bastards twice and they've been pretty good friends in recent history. Current Japan is no enemy of the current US (although I'll grant that Imperialistic Japan was one, if not the, worst regimes to ever be on this planet). I'm thinking Tim had a relative in the Unit 731 experiments or something. Regardless, would America's best friend currently be Great Britian? You know they might have killed some of your ancestors in the Revolutionary war. Land Rover owners are treasonous fooks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted February 26, 2010 Share Posted February 26, 2010 I drive an Audi. I am quite pleased with it. Somehow I am able to overlook that the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor. The Audi is a decent car but the current models are somewhat lacking compared to just a few short years ago. Now that was solid engineering. I do think we should force those that have not been recalled to display a huge bright orange sticker on all the glass in their cars so we'll know if you're just some dickhead tailgater or have a stuck accelerator though. Congress should mandate this immediately to protect us from those that make bad choices in life by killing America and Americans all at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loaf Posted February 26, 2010 Share Posted February 26, 2010 Toyota, we're moving forward! Whether you want us to or not... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowboutthemCowboys Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 (edited) Why we don't arrest Toyota executives and drivers as traitors to the United States is beyond me. How's that Jap crap working out for you now? Hmmm... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100302/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gm_recall Edited March 2, 2010 by HowboutthemCowboys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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