WOW!!!!

[ndn]

CommentCanucklehead Obama bus-ted! (PHOTOS)
By GEOFF EARLE Post Correspondent

Last Updated: 9:46 AM, August 17, 2011

Posted: 1:09 AM, August 17, 2011


More Print WASHINGTON -- President Obama is barnstorming the heartland to boost US jobs in a taxpayer-financed luxury bus the government had custom built -- in Canada, The Post has learned.

The $1.1 million vehicle, one of two that Quebec-based Prevost sold the government, has been tricked out by the Secret Service with state-of-the-art security features and creature comforts.

It's a VIP H3-45 model, the company's top of the line, and is used by major traveling rock bands.

"That's the more luxurious model," Christine Garant of Prevost told The Post.


Post composite/AP photo
COOL RIDE, EH! It's the only way to travel for President Obama, who is pushing American jobs -- in a Canadian-made bus.
Photos: Obama's $2.1 Million Buses
PHOTOS: OBAMA'S $2.1 MILLION BUSES

"When we have the Country Music Awards, we sometimes see a lot of them," she said, noting that Kid Rock, David Lee Roth and Kenny Rogers also have owned them.

Obama's new ride is equipped to carry all the baggage a president needs -- including the "football" that allows him to remotely control US nuclear weapons.

There's electronic equipment allowing Obama to communicate and teleconference worldwide.

Like his GM-built limousine, nicknamed "The Beast," the bus has armored doors.

The president also has large flat-screen TV sets and comfortable couches.

There's a bathroom, but unlike on Air Force One, no sleeping area.

The bus was ordered by the Secret Service in July 2010 and delivered two months ago.

The feds bought the two coaches for $2.2 million from Hemphill Brothers Coach, based in Tennessee. It installed custom interior upgrades into the Prevost shell, which accounted for about half the cost.

The contract lists the country of origin as Canada and place of manufacture as "outside U.S. - Trade Agreements," a possible reference to the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Hemphill wouldn't comment on the bus. But an ad on its Web site for a similar bus costing $100,000 less than what has been dubbed "Greyhound One" boasts: "This coach is appointed with the finest materials and the latest in high tech electronics and was built for a top entertainer to travel efficiently without losing the luxuries of home.

[Mike Carey]

The buses were purchased from an American company.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162- ... 03544.html

Sort of...

The conversion company is located in Tennessee:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemphill_B ... ch_Company

The actual bus is a Prevost, a Canadian manufacturer:

http://www.prevostcar.com/cgi-bin/pages.cgi?page=about

Sources:

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Oba ... story.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/obama-to ... d=14324892

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/c ... KNS4B7Qp7O

To be fair, there was another article I found that showed Bush had done the same thing:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/poli ... 3533.story

If one really wanted to go into deep research, here is a report available (for purchase) listing North American bus manufacturers:

http://www.specialtyvehicles.net/Mercha ... =MRR-BUS09

In any case, it's the Secret Service that made the decision, not Obama (or Bush for that matter). Of course, the president does have the power to mandate that a purchase such as this and similar be "Made in America". Only two problems with this (well, two that I can think of) #1 - presidents should have better things to spend their time on (like campaigning and raising campaign money, LOL) and #2 - might be kinda hard to find Made in America products that fit the bill.

But it would be a nice show of support for the American worker.

['OL GREY DOG]

OOOOO LORDY

[Marc Martyn]

The absolute best vehicle I ever owned was manufactured by an American company and it was assembled in Canada.

[sickbayer]

Well i wouldnt run around in a grey hound bus so why should he, what is the problem with it he is the president after all.

[Mike Carey]

Well i wouldnt run around in a grey hound bus so why should he, what is the problem with it he is the president after all.

It's just politics as usual. Each party finds these things to try to show the opposition isn't (fill in the blank). Heck, it may be a Canadian bus but it's financed by China. Both parties have got us by the short hairs.

The above said, I do think it would be nice if the message could match the reality. The reality is that there are precious few American companies that make buses. I found a company called Blue Bird (mainly school buses), but most bus manufacturers are global, and not American. And the companies that do make buses in the US tend to be foriegn owned, like Coachbuilt (Hungarian owned). So it's not really irrelevant.

Greyhound doesn't produce buses, it runs bus routes. It used to get the majority of it's buses from GMC, but shifted to Prevost and also MCI (which they actually had majority ownership of at one point) , which was a Canadian company that was bought by a Mexican company which was bought by KPS Capital Partners ( a private firm that buys distressed companies at rock-bottom prices). They have 2.6 billion in capitol assets.

Harder and deeper research would be required to provide a complete list of US owned bus manufacturers.

['OL GREY DOG]

oh boy, hold my tongue...



this place is so much nicer without political conversation.

LORDY

['OL GREY DOG]

WOW ...the ERUO announcements/threats/plans of yday ...

...took the tops off of the DOW ..wiped out the lil up move 'n spent most of the day in the red ... closed up 4 points !?!?
...knocked the snot out of the asian markets lastnight
...is KILLL'n the EURO banks which is slam'n the EURO stock exchanges 2day

so with the whole world in red #s ...the DOW is down about 520 points allllready this morn'n...

all kinds of monthly/weekly reports came out (all them damn'd pesky ,ppi,cpi,ect)
in red...including the new UI claims ... above 400000 aaaaagain....house'n starts/permits/sales #s ..toilet

the # that's kill'n us (besides the 9%..20%..40%(pick your # from who/what you believe) unemployment rate) is the consumer spending #......most recent .....icrease of 0.2 % ....bad news is ...its been at that # or lower for 14 Qtrs in a row !!!!!

LORDY...going to be a wild day...

???.. did you hear that ?!?!??..
hmmppfff weird noise....couldnt tell...coulda been a shoe drop'n ...coulda been a snowball roll'n ....or some contagion/domino effect thingy... maybe just the sound of someone get'n smacked in the head with fish'n gear !!!

a P.S. ... gold's at %1825 !!!! annnnd the dollar is up at the same time !!!!
...and oil's down about $4 buck$ this morn'n !!! ...WOW

['OL GREY DOG]

the EURO markets closed ..
FTSE down 239...CAC down 178...DAX down 346 !! ouch

big losers were the bigger EURO banks down from 7-12 %

DOW's oooonly down about 400 points now
gets it bk above 11000... for a minute <rolls eyes>

[kzoo]

Crazy Day! When is the madness going to end?

[tnj8222]

Crazy Day! When is the madness going to end?

Thats a silly question paul. Only gonna get worse.

['OL GREY DOG]

same dang song as yday...Asian and EURO markets dooooown...
and like here EVERYONE is on vaction .. lololol

gold's over $1850 and the US dollar dip'd bk to
73 cents after inch'n up for a few days... heck it was
allllmost as much as the Canuk dollar for a while yday !!!
lets hope this isnt a freaky friday after dump'n another 400
points yday...aarrggg


ooooh well ...(my fav say'n) ONWARD THREW THE FOG....DOG

[kzoo]

Crazy Day! When is the madness going to end?

Thats a silly question paul. Only gonna get worse.

Yeah, hopefully I can be prepared for it!

['OL GREY DOG]

wellppp DOW closed down about 170 points friday .... made it 4 weeks in a row that the DOW was down !!! LORDY..

spot gold is about $1875/oz ...

what will next week bring ??.. not sure i even wanta know...
lottsa chit go'n on in the world ...

keep ur heads low .. DOG

['OL GREY DOG]

DOW's do'n its monday morn'n thing....took off at the open ...up 180ish ... been as low as up 30.... idle'n up abouta 100 right now

gold was up over $40 buck$ earlier to $1892 !!! ... profit takers knocked about $5 off of it

keep ur heads low ... DOG

['OL GREY DOG]

gold's at $1914 !!!

for you silver guys $43 buck$ !!!!!

[knotabassturd]

DOG- is it time to buy microcaps?#-o

Looking at TESS, MPAA, and DUCK...

My investment thesis is:[-o<

Figure if I strike it rich I can cut out all these workdays and get on the water a pinch more[biggrin]

['OL GREY DOG]

DOW was nuts 2day ... ended at up 322 !! ...crazy ...notta damn'd thing has "changed" .... all on the EURO 'n the Asian markets be'n up and rumors uncle Ben is going to make some big anouncement friday. pfffttt crazy ....
GOLD WAS DOWN $60 BUCK$ !!!... now what the heck makes it take a move like that ???... CRAZY !!!.. nonsence ...pffttt

and not .. ARE YA NUTS !?!?!? ... ya got extra cash ?? thank who you thank for such things 'n put it in your pocket ... hang on to it..
invest ??? .. no way .... no matter what sounds/looks like a good idea 2day ... could be totalllyyyyy WRONG in the morn'n .... genius the next...

aaannddd i dont give investment advice ... i think it might even be illegal !!! ... you study it .. you decide..


me i'm lay'n low ... hang'n on to what i got.. hope'n it dont end up worth nuthin !!!

[sickbayer]

and im debating to buy 20k in gold...but i do wonder when is
it all goes pop.

[Marc Martyn]

Funny, because for many decades it was said that buying a home was a safe investment because it would always gain in value. Not as fast as some markets, but still the same, gain in value.......... until 2008[scared]

Fortunately, I bought in 1989, so it will have to drop quite a ways until I am "underwater". But on the other hand, who knows.....it could.