Detroit: Begging For Help

Here's a clue: General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler will not go bankrupt; they will be sucked up by other manufacturers who understand three things: product mix, quality, and customer service. GM wasn't p**sing and moaning when they were squirting high profit SUVs out the doors like like a stepped on Pepsodent tube. It's time to ask where that cash went. I know I didn't get a check. I've a much better than average grasp of the auto industry's history in the US: for many years, they've run roughshod over the econbomy, the government, and their customers. Now they don't. Too bad.



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They have been losing market share for decades and money for years. So when they run out of money to lose, the taxpayer should give them some more tolose. Great strategy. Just as smart as the decisions made by management to build for and market to prosperous macho white guys . And then sell them a shoddy product at a high price.

There is room for maybe one auto company marketing to that niche in north america. We should just stay out of the way while the market deicdes which of the three gets the job.

As for the union bashing - it is nonsense. These were strategic decisions made by highly paid managers. They just got it wrong!

Giving billions to Detroit will just allow them to keep burning cash. Here's a simple idea: give each family in America a $5,000 voucher to buy a new car MANUFACTURED IN AMERICA with (and insist they provide auto loan financing as well).. This way, Detroit gets their money, America gets jobs and a whole lot of new cars to show for it. This is much better than just balancing the books and covering the losses for the automakers. With the trillions we will eventually spend bailing every sector out, it would be better to see this money put in the hands of those that need it most - ordinary citizens, not fund managers and shareholders. They keep saying the (lack of) consumers is the heart of the problem. Help us out so wee can CONSUME and help everybody up the food chain.

Giving the automakers billions will just allow them to keep doing what they are doing - burning cash. Here's a simple idea: Give every home in America a $5,000 voucher to buy a nee car that is made in America? Import brands created on American soil would count, but American cars made overseas would not. This way the automakers get their money and we get jobs and a lot of new cars on the road. This is probably too simple to work; everyone will add a nip here and a tuck there and turn the whole thing injto a big ball of goo.

I think it has been a pivotal point is history that left turmoil in financial markets thereby reducing GM's customer group, stakeholders and especially financiers and if the government still wants proper green standard than it follows that it may have to finance some of those obligations. It's easy to start the political spin and the idealistic will but hard to have a corresponding market with better than expected turn arounds. It's a shame the auto companies are so obligated to the political system and may fall further into government control due to current political policies. I think foreign socialist controlled companies have it easier when they just demand compensation for political events that inconvenience business; whereas US companies have to suffer labelling and derision for not finding a way through the political and market environment collapsing in front of them.

Metahands2 - You're wrong. Labor unions have gotten much too powerful to the detriment of our country's ability to compete with foreign auto makers. A combination of stupid management decisions who tried to control consumer behavior and labor unions who have tried to control American auto makers. Unions were created with the best of intentions to protect workers, but they got corrupt and out of hand...way overboard.

Detroit needs to first come to the understanding of the error of their ways. They refused to listen and steamrolled anyone who got in their way and now they're in a big mess and want cash from the government, which means it will come from taxpayers. They need to come clean and admit their past mistakes. If they can't do that, then I just think the same mistakes will happen again in another 4 years, and will want cash from the feds again. They need to realize that making gigantic inefficient gas guzzlers was WRONG during a time when the American people should be driving fuel efficient cars or hybrids. They wouldn't listen and got mean and nasty when anyone disagreed with them. That was just stupid! Now we're behind the curve in hybrid production. America used to be the innovators, the rest of the world used to copy our technology and invested in research and development, while America was investing in larger labor unions.