...And the economy grinds to a halt. Or at least part of it: according to today's Jacksonville Clarion-Ledger, production at Nissan's Canton, Mississippi plant will stop while the President addresses plant workers to explain why his proposed Social Security changes are a good idea.
This might make sense if the Administration's goal is to give a fair hearing to the concerns of the plant's workers. And in fact, a Nissan spokesman says that's exactly the point: "He wants to hear from the folks on the line...This is really about the employees. That's who the president wants to hear from."
But to my knowledge, the only people the President ever "hears from" at these things are carefully hand-picked supporters of Social Security privatization. Does today's appearance mark the beginning of a new period of glasnost? Or is the Administration shutting down an entire auto factory just to give the illusion that ordinary workers are being allowed to have some input into this process?
I can't wait to see the transcripts from this one.