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Is the tanking of Caterpillar karmic payback?

Reuters and others are reporting that Caterpillar Inc earnings have dropped 32 percent and that they are laying of 20,000 workers. For those who know that the problems in Gaza didn't just begin last month because of homemade rocket launches, Caterpillar is infamous as a company who modifies its D9 bulldozer to enable the Israeli military to demolish Palestinian homes, sometimes with the residents inside.

Answer:

Let's get real! There are a few words never used in business. &karma& is one of them!
I would say economics are the real reason any company is having financial problems and having to lay off people these days. If caterpillar didn't make some modified equipment that people wanted or needed then it wouldn't be in business. Blaming a company for what their manufactured goods are part of is just completely silly to me. Do we hound companies that make baseball bats when someone gets beat up with a few? do we bother companies that make glass cause when a bomb or earthquake hits a building the glass shatters and kills/injures people. Is Gm or Toyoda responsible when one of their vehicles is used in a hit in run? of course not its just creating and building objects and things in demand, as any business does. If you boycott Caterpillar another heavy construction company will take over, or they will simply buy normal bulldozers then modify them themselves. Now i do have to say that if this modified bulldozer D9 was specifically designed as a military vehicle then Yes there is a problem, unless Caterpillar has an arms contract and is permitted to build/sell military vehicles. But if the vehicle can and is used in normal construction in some way. Then i see no fault in the company as far as what their products are used for. Other wise every company would be reliable for every death or in this case homeless, that the product was used in. I would think the blame would be placed on those that bought and used the items not the ones making them.

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