Deep End o
Henrik Fisker promised to build an electric car in the USA and received a $500 million loan from the Energy Department (a.k.a. the U.S. tax payer). The Obama Administration heralded the loan as a boost to U.S. jobs. Now Fisker is building the cars in Finland.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/car-company-us-loan-builds-cars-finland/story?id=14770875
Answer
The loan was made in 2009, and is for the development of a family car, the Karma sports car being assembled in Finland has little to nothing to do with the loan.
And Fisker is an American company, not German, in fact, they have facilities in Michigan, where I live, so they at least create some jobs here, where they are sorely needed. They have also created jobs in Delaware, and more will be created when the loan is used to build the planned family sedan here in the US.
I would certainly be happier if they also decided to build all their cars here, and I intend to write them. They should indeed be embarrassed by this. My state badly needs these jobs.
But this behavior is hardly unprecedented. All American car companies build many their cars out of the country. Frankly, tax laws encourage this. Laws that need to be changed. This is where your anger should be directed. Of course American car companies build cars in foreign countries if it saves money.
If it's the loan that bothers you, it's a much bigger question than just electric cars. Why do we subsidize oil companies to the tune of billions of dollars every year? Most petroleum companies aren't even American companies.
The loan was made in 2009, and is for the development of a family car, the Karma sports car being assembled in Finland has little to nothing to do with the loan.
And Fisker is an American company, not German, in fact, they have facilities in Michigan, where I live, so they at least create some jobs here, where they are sorely needed. They have also created jobs in Delaware, and more will be created when the loan is used to build the planned family sedan here in the US.
I would certainly be happier if they also decided to build all their cars here, and I intend to write them. They should indeed be embarrassed by this. My state badly needs these jobs.
But this behavior is hardly unprecedented. All American car companies build many their cars out of the country. Frankly, tax laws encourage this. Laws that need to be changed. This is where your anger should be directed. Of course American car companies build cars in foreign countries if it saves money.
If it's the loan that bothers you, it's a much bigger question than just electric cars. Why do we subsidize oil companies to the tune of billions of dollars every year? Most petroleum companies aren't even American companies.
Buddhist: Karma from past lives affecting this one?
Born Again
Anyone have first hand experience as a practitioner of Buddhism?
Answer
I have seen many instances of what MIGHT have been karma. But understand that we carry karma from previous lives, and since we do not know our previous lives (or the previous lives of others) it's usually impossible to say that something that happens IS karmic.
Karma = imprint. Everything you do, every second you are alive, either sets new imprints into you or strengthens already-existing imprints. An imprint that has become strong is a habit.
We ARE our karma. And so when we move on to our next live, it is us that moves on (our karma).
Since karma = US, and since WE make ourselves (our karma), other people will react to us as we are (according to our imprints/karmas). And circumstances are supposedly drawn to us. Like attracts like, and our imprints determine what kind of life we are drawn to when we are going to our next life.
Understand that we create positive imprints within us as well as negative imprints. "Good" karma as well as "bad" karma. All acts of unselfishness and generosity and compassion draw positive people/things to us. And all acts of selfishness, stinginess, and cruelty draw negative people/things to us. Thoughtless acts (including thoughtless acts during while we are drunk or stoned) can, theoretically, draw us to rebirth as a thoughtless being (a mentally-handicapped person or an animal).
There is, however, one anecdote I have from my sister's life, and it is such a phenomenal story that it is hard NOT to say it was her karma operating:
In the 1960's, folk music was hot and everyone who could had a guitar to strum and sing along with their friends. I was in high school and I didnât have a guitar but my sister, who was working her way through university, had a cheap guitar she would let me borrow. It had a tinny sound and the strings bit painfully into your fingertips when you chorded ... but it was a guitar.
Christmas came and my sister had no money to buy gifts. So she gave me her guitar. She had tears in her eyes, partly because she was so happy to give me something I wanted so much, but also because it was her own guitar she was giving away.
Six months later, she was walking down the sidewalk when she walked by some guy loading up his car. He was moving, driving 3000 miles across-country, and he could only take what would fit into his little MG sports car. His guitar did not fit in. He asked my sister if she would take it ... for free.
Of course she would. She took the guitar home and when she opened up the case, it was a Martin Classical guitar, with soft nylon strings that never bit into fingertips and the sweetest richest dulcet sound youâve ever hear. Today, that guitar would be worth over $4000.
I told this story not too long ago to a friend who is a professional musician. When I told her that the guitar was a Martin, her eyes opened really wide and she said almost in a whisper of awe, "A Martin? He GAVE her a MARTIN?" And then she let her breath out and shook her head.
I have seen many instances of what MIGHT have been karma. But understand that we carry karma from previous lives, and since we do not know our previous lives (or the previous lives of others) it's usually impossible to say that something that happens IS karmic.
Karma = imprint. Everything you do, every second you are alive, either sets new imprints into you or strengthens already-existing imprints. An imprint that has become strong is a habit.
We ARE our karma. And so when we move on to our next live, it is us that moves on (our karma).
Since karma = US, and since WE make ourselves (our karma), other people will react to us as we are (according to our imprints/karmas). And circumstances are supposedly drawn to us. Like attracts like, and our imprints determine what kind of life we are drawn to when we are going to our next life.
Understand that we create positive imprints within us as well as negative imprints. "Good" karma as well as "bad" karma. All acts of unselfishness and generosity and compassion draw positive people/things to us. And all acts of selfishness, stinginess, and cruelty draw negative people/things to us. Thoughtless acts (including thoughtless acts during while we are drunk or stoned) can, theoretically, draw us to rebirth as a thoughtless being (a mentally-handicapped person or an animal).
There is, however, one anecdote I have from my sister's life, and it is such a phenomenal story that it is hard NOT to say it was her karma operating:
In the 1960's, folk music was hot and everyone who could had a guitar to strum and sing along with their friends. I was in high school and I didnât have a guitar but my sister, who was working her way through university, had a cheap guitar she would let me borrow. It had a tinny sound and the strings bit painfully into your fingertips when you chorded ... but it was a guitar.
Christmas came and my sister had no money to buy gifts. So she gave me her guitar. She had tears in her eyes, partly because she was so happy to give me something I wanted so much, but also because it was her own guitar she was giving away.
Six months later, she was walking down the sidewalk when she walked by some guy loading up his car. He was moving, driving 3000 miles across-country, and he could only take what would fit into his little MG sports car. His guitar did not fit in. He asked my sister if she would take it ... for free.
Of course she would. She took the guitar home and when she opened up the case, it was a Martin Classical guitar, with soft nylon strings that never bit into fingertips and the sweetest richest dulcet sound youâve ever hear. Today, that guitar would be worth over $4000.
I told this story not too long ago to a friend who is a professional musician. When I told her that the guitar was a Martin, her eyes opened really wide and she said almost in a whisper of awe, "A Martin? He GAVE her a MARTIN?" And then she let her breath out and shook her head.
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