Nobody is saying that it's not more expensive to produce tires in France, and it's possible that Goodyear would find a way to purchase a Michelin plant if it closes, but only if it's a good business decision. It's also very plausible that tire production will move somewhere where it's cheaper in either the long run or for the forseeable future. Either way, some kind of economic upheaval will occur and it's never pretty. Layoffs are never fun.

It's fine and dandy to say people should do this, or people should do that. But we don't live in an ideal world. Lots of people have a siginificant portion of their portfolios in the company match. Face it, we're not all smart enough to diversify despite all the ads we see on TV. Financial planning is a truly new concept and most old dogs who have been learned to be loyal to the company will be resistant to this new trick. Look around you and who do you see, then tell me what you think.

Anyway, chances that anything like that would happen are actually pretty slim. Word on the street is that this boycott isn't affecting sales by much so we won't have to worry too much about Michelin factories closing down. My point was that boycotts could hurt at home as well.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman