Smith: Corporate dodges and deception

In this March 12, 2015 picture Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, right, and Porsche CEO and member of the board of Volkswagen, Matthias Mueller, left, pose for the media beside a car prior to the company's annual press conference in Berlin, Germany. Volkswagen’s supervisory board is meeting Friday, Sept. 25, 2015 to discuss who to name as CEO after Martin Winterkorn quit the job. Matthias Mueller, the 62-yead-old head of VW’s Porsche unit, emerged as one of the favorites. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

What will happen to Superior Creek Lodge?

Robin Smith

So often in following coverage of various news accounts, readers and viewers see singular, isolated snapshots of current events. We fail to see, however, that parallel themes often emerge from those disparate events if pieced together.

Over the last two weeks, two stories have captured the attention of local folks and stayed on the front page of the newspaper and at the top of local news broadcasts: the condemnation of Superior Creek Lodge and the subsequent eviction of its residents, and revelations that Volkswagen engineered a way for its so-called "clean diesel" cars to cheat tough emission standards in the United States.

In East Ridge, 1,500 people and their belongings, including pets, were evicted within a matter of hours after Superior Creek was deemed unsafe. Specifically, Brad Hayen, chief building official for East Ridge, reported a "threat to human life." He offered photographic evidence of exterior walkways supported by decaying wood rather than metal.

Just five years ago, the city of East Ridge took measures to close this "public nuisance" after an examination of records over a four-year period showed 2,600 law enforcement calls, including 81 assault reports, 18 burglaries and two armed robberies.

Despite the clear call to improve its standing in the East Ridge community, the facility was condemned. Remember, a business has a responsibility to its customers and community to operate within the standards of the law. Superior Creek Lodge owners clearly abandoned that responsibility.

Plainly, other hotels, extended-stay facilities, retail outlets and businesses that serve the public have standards that must be met to remain in operation. The choice to ignore those standards/regulations or cut corners comes with consequences.

On a global scale, Volkswagen was rocked last week as reports surfaced about a "defeat device" installed on clean-diesel autos that allowed the vehicles to pass emissions testing in the U.S. VW installed the software program that engaged when some VW models underwent emission testing. However, during regular road use, the defeat device turned off and the vehicles emitted pollutants far in excess of EPA standards.

According to Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance of the EPA, "Using a defeat device in cars to evade clean air standards is illegal and a threat to public health." It's clear that VW took deliberate actions to cheat aggressive pollution standards enforced on every automaker - with intentional fraudulent advertising and marketing to boot.

Now, Volkswagen is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. Officials in Tennessee, which spent an enormous amount of energy and money to lure VW's manufacturing plant to Chattanooga, also are scrutinizing the company.

The common theme of these two stories: Corporate dodges that deceive the public and customers are costly.

Superior Creek ignored building standards to save money. VW created a sophisticated way to escape standards and boost sales.

Both Superior Creek and VW bear the responsibility and the liability of their decisions and actions - or inactions. They should carry all the costs to pay for their choices.

A favorite proverb: We all make choices, then our choices make us.

Robin Smith, a former chairwoman of the Tennessee Republican Party, is owner of Rivers Edge Alliance.

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Read more about Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal

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