Have You Seen What Idaho Military Recruiters Drive?

I long ago learned that the cars we drive are sourced from all over the world, and that some of what we call imports are assembled in the United States.  It’s hard to say where an American label begins, and where a foreign model ends, but still…

They Can't do Better than Foreign Makes?

During a Sunday morning walk, I passed a military recruiting station, and I saw a pair of cars parked outside with government license plates.  I’ve seen them there before.  They’re not Fords, Buicks, or Dodges, but a South Korean brand.  Now, we can uniformly say that’s better than a North Korean brand, I know.  But sheesh!  My country supplied the victorious countries with vehicles in World War II, and now guys in uniform drive what we used to call foreign cars.

We’re not stupid, and we’re all happy our government looks at cost when bids come in for products and services, yet.  Something still seems wrong about this.  I’m reminded of one local community that signed a contract with a foreign firm for trash hauling, because the council saved a few pennies versus the bid of a local company.  The council was proud to send local tax dollars to Toronto.

It Doesn't Feel American

The Hyundai is a fine vehicle.  I considered buying one several years ago, and then settled on a Jeep.  I liked the higher ride.  The thing is, Hyundai is subsidized by the South Korean government, which means the price is kept artificially low.  I don’t know how this will work out with Mr. Trump’s tariffs, but domestic subsidies are a separate tool.

Frankly, for recruitment purposes, I would rather see the local guys tooling around in old two and a half ton trucks.  Sell the image.