Yes we need a solution to our economy as the corporate welfare line is getting longer.
Now the car makers are asking for help even though they have not made a decent car or truck since the 60s.
They are still making big SUVs even though the writing is on the wall and we know gas prices will soar again.
Most of you are not old enough to remember the crap that Detroit made in the 70s. A car came with a 12,000 and a 12 month warranty and it was a miracle if the car made it even halfway. On top of this they had the nerve to publicly state that Americans will buy what we tell them to buy.
So a few crossed the line bought a Datsun (Nissan) or a Toyota. I was one. I bought a Datsun in 1979 and I actually felt guilty because I live in a town where General Motors had a plant (it closed 4 years ago).
After a while I (and the others like me) had discovered something they had not seem since the 60s. Quality and economy.
The big 3 still have not learned a lesson. Still after 30 years none have not made a high quality economy car that can match the quality of that Datsun with an affordable price. I don’t call $20,000 for an economy car good.
Even though today I drive a 2007 Chevrolet HHR (I bought it to try to help the American auto manufacturer). This car has already made 4 trips into the dealer for warranty work.
Despite this the executives keep giving themselves big bonuses. Did you know that over $3 billion of the $700 billion save for Wall Street has been allocated to standard Christmas bonuses.
The executives blame the American workers but Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Nissan, Mercedes and many other produce quality cars in America with an American work force. So that rules out the American workforce as the cause.
It was American who set the standard for quality in the world and now we can’t meet our own standards. Executives know where the problem is. Just look in the mirror.
My questions are:
Do we bail them out again or tell them to fix the problem or go broke?
If we do bail them out should we mandate no bonuses until they are solvent again?
Add you view point for other questions.
The different between today and the Chrysler turn around is they do not have Lee Iococca.
I don’t want them to go under. But I am tired of bad managment.
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April 10th, 2011 at 2:06 am
Well, as far as Pelosi and Obama are concerned, they will keep it up until every company is ‘nationalized’, just like Chavez is doing in Venezuela. Get the picture?
April 10th, 2011 at 2:38 am
My personal opinion, if the Big Three go down, so do about 2 to 3 million other jobs. It would devastate what manufacturing we do have in this Country. I believe they do not want a total “bail out” as you call it, they are looking for a LOAN just like Chrysler did way back when, to be REPAID to the Government. You must also remember that when this Country was in a time of the World Wars, it was the auto plants that were retooled to manufacture the planes, the tanks, etc to succeed in that war. We loose all of our manufacturing in this Country, and this Country WILL BE DONE WITH AND OVER. You cannot be independent and survive IF you have no manufacturing. That is a simple fact.
April 10th, 2011 at 3:03 am
A tip of the hat to DLK. Good answer. I’m caught in feelings much as Peter’s. I don’t want to see our nation lose our auto companies. On the
other hand, they have been uncompetitive. Without them we wouldn’t be able to fight a conventional war without having tanks and other fighting machines built outside the country. What happens if we are in a fight with the country that would do the manufacturing for us?
The country is paying now for past excesses. I hope we can
all bite the bullet until we are strong again.
April 10th, 2011 at 3:30 am
No, we shouldn’t be bailing them out, but then again, we shouldn’t be bailing anyone out. I know everyone was saying we couldnt’ survive without Freddie and Fannie but I think we could.
As far as American cars. I’ve had a Chevy recently that went almost 250,000 miles without any trouble. I’ve got a Subaru and a Ford, no trouble yet (at 160,000 and 50,000 miles respectively) and a 1999 Dodge Dakota R/T that I’ve had a lot of trouble out of. 110,000 miles.
I’ve never owned a Toyota.
April 10th, 2011 at 4:11 am
I believe it’s to late for even a bail out to work. 2 billion lost last month by GM!
About 30 years ago, I remember that the retirements promised to Union Workers would eventually Break these companies.
Even if they were Nationalized - they would cut the Union benefits. For sure Unions will be devastated in an Depression Society.
But we may need a Depression to wake up the self centered youth of this once great nation.
We are headed in the wrong direction with the ‘new powers’ taking control that believe government can solve the problems the government created.
Current Financial Crisis - How did we get here?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j48kIR9q0EE