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Unfortunately what this country needs is a huge shakeup. Jobs went overseas because of greed by execs, shareholders, and union workers alike. They are all responsible to some degree (and we as car buyers also share some of the blame). True, a lot of people (myself included) will be getting hurt if the big three go out. But it is naive to think that GM dying will mean the end of Chevrolet or GMC or possibly even Cadillac. They can still be lucrative businesses when they are taken over by whatever entity picks them up afterthe fall. Plenty of car companies have been swallowed up or dissolved throuout our history--we survived. Do we need the big three? How about just the big One? Consolidate the whole mess then it's easier to compete with the global competetors.
Times were way different when Lee IaCocca got the bailout for Chrysler back in the 80's. There was less global competition in our market and he had a clear strategy. Part of that strategy was to build POS K-cars and minivans that people could buy inexpensively. They were all plastic and tin on a very reliable powertrain and chasis. Chrysler hooked people with the 7-year/70,000 warantee on a car that they could get for well under $20K. The strategy worked, but plenty of people still think of Chrysler as the K-car company. It takes a lot to rebuild a company and even more to rebuild a reputation. Unless GM plans to really shake up the auto industry somehow (and I don't see that in their presentation to congress) they are bound to fail eventually. That is not a good investment for our tax dollars. The blue collar worker and the white collar worker will both be out of jobs, but we'll be out of our tax "investment" as well.
People are going to get hurt here. It's both unfortunate and tragic on a grand scale. But the cleansing is necessary for us to return to reason. Do you really think that pro athletes are worth $16 million a year? How the hell did we get here? There is so much rediculous in our capitalist society it's a wonder we all survived this long. The greed needs to end--it's nuts!
I used to work in Advertising in Manhattan. I was part of the team that worked on the campaign for Hyundai when they first came to the US. You could buy one of those cars for under $5K in 1986. One of the ads I was working on had a custom Illustration. That single illustration cost more than the actual car did--by a lot. We are not the kings of the world anymore, and to compete we need to make sacrifices like some of our global competitors have made over the years to introduce their products to our market.
I have an uncle who worked for a local plant that made Ford automotive components. They closed the plant and all the union workers were given an option. Relocate to Detroit and have a guaranteed job at a Ford plant there. Or stay here and collect their current salary until 65, when they start collecting their pension. My uncle is one of the best paid casual hunter/fishermen in the area. He's had good practice since 'retiring' at 45. And that is not an unusual story. So I'm sorry, I don't feel bad for union workers who may have to be treated like us non-union workers have been treated since the beginning of employment. It's the non-union regular joes who will be affected by so many un-employed auto workers that get my sympathy.
posted by 64.128.17...
, Wed, 3 Dec 2008 20:24:17
, Wed, 3 Dec 2008 06:22:26
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