Too Smart Toyota

I heard a news analyst saying this morning that Toyota had simply gotten too smart for its own good - they slashed costs so much they forgot to include quality control in its budget. Several warning memos written by its own employees way before the problems started to mount have been found. People never learn from history - they simply like to make their own bad history by repeating the mistakes of the past. This applies to politics, manufacturing, religion, sports, economics, education, you-name-it.

Toyota

Did you hear? Toyota posted a profit in its most recent financial quarter of $242 million. It made the news because Toyota has recently been losing money - since about a year ago, in fact. Prior to the Great Recession, Toyota had never, ever had a negative quarter. It was simply expected that it would post a profit year after year after year. That's why this is news. Imagine Walt Disney all of a sudden deciding not to license the sale of Mickey Mouse merchandise. That would be unheard of. However, it probably makes absolutely no difference to this topless woman - she's on vacation in Bermuda.