Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Must not criticize high interest rates -- if the government is charging them

But if it's banks, credit card companies or payday lenders charging high interest rates, you can call them what you like, of course
"Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has apologized for using the word "shyster" to describe the high-interest, taxpayer-funded loans from the U.S. and Canadian governments that were used to bail out the automaker in 2009.

Marchionne's comment came during a question-and-answer session after he made a speech on Friday before the National Automobile Dealers Association. In the speech, the Chrysler CEO discussed the possibility of merging Fiat and Chrysler. Afterwards, he told reporters: "I want to pay back the shyster loans first."

The New Dictionary of American Slang defines "shyster" as "a dishonest and contemptible lawyer or politician." It noted that the origin of the word is "unknown and hotly disputed....

Chrysler owes $5.8 billion to the U.S. government and $2.3 billion to the Canadian government at an average interest rate of 11 percent, according to the automaker.

"As the only parties willing to underwrite the risk associated with Chrysler's recovery plan, the two governments levied interest rates that, although appropriate at the time, are above current market conditions," said Marchionne in his apology. "This was done with the full support and understanding of the members of Chrysler Group LLC.

Source

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

The word "shyster" is of jewish origin which is ironic since most shysters are jewish.

Anonymous said...

Shylock? (as in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice")

PIL said...

"The word "shyster" is of jewish origin which is ironic since most shysters are jewish."

---Maybe that's because your Catholic Church forbade them from being anything other than tax collectors and money lenders, or are you going to deny history?

El Cid said...

PIL said;
"Maybe that's because your Catholic Church forbade them from being anything other than tax collectors and money lenders, or are you going to deny history?"

It's not my catholic church. I prefer a Mosque. If it were my church, it would have put all jews to the sword long ago. The world would be a much better place.

Anonymous said...

El Cid, you may have a right to say what you want, but bad news, we Jews will be around much longer then your religion, we have survived for nearly 5,000 years, helps that we have the Creator on our side, the only one of your side is Satan.

El Cid said...

Yes, you have been around for 5000 years, like a cancer that has been eating away at the world. But the cure is coming.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what would have happened to the Jews or the fate of Christianity if the Roman Empire had restricted itself to the western Mediterranean? Presumably the Jews would not have spread around the world and "Christianity" would have remained a minor sect in the Levant, or just died out like other jewish sects.

Nutcase said...

But...But...But, I thought they pied back the loan?

Sure, and I've got a bridge for sell!