DISQUS

The Washington Independent: Bigger Than Detriot’s Fate

  • Dave · 11 months ago
    “It would be a dramatic marker in what has been a very slow collapse of the U.S. as a manufacturer,” Thomas Geoghegan said.

    And what? Like GM and Ford sending almost all of their manufacturing jobs to other countries wasn't already a dramatic enough marker?

    These three need to get off their high horses and get back to the end of the line like the rest of us.
  • Virginia A Wolf · 11 months ago
    The Auto Industry will get off its high horse when AIG and all the other THIEVES on Wall St. get off theirs!
    Why is it OK for Paulson's friends on the Street to get $$ and MISUSE it? But we can't save workers' jobs?
    It's the same old story..the Republicans have always sucked arounfd the rich!
  • Dave · 11 months ago
    Check into what the UAW has done to the big 3....they are supported by the Democrats...
    they get paid more than double thatn what the worker at the Toyota/Honda plant get for doing the same thing and even get paid when the plant closes early when the line is stopped to contol output..... The UAW is a big part of the problem....actually it is a huge part of the problem
    This is a problem caused by Washington all together on both sides of the fence, it started with the collapse of the available credit, for which the automotive business is structured around....buying and selling of paper, buying and selling of rates etc.....the mortgage crisis is a result of the Clinton administration, "Clinton admitted that himself", it seemed like the right thing to do at the time he said...getting nonqualifying people into mortgages that is..
    The big 3 more specifically had a HUGE roll in bailing the US economy out after 9-11 now it is time to help a company(companies) that have helped build this country....this cannot be a windfall or a gift, it has to be a short term loan under strick control...
  • edward leng · 11 months ago
    Those of us working in the auto industry at dealerships such as myself, where do we go when the collapse happens? Will we ever work again? Or will it be just at McDonalds? No more middle class jobs. The first thing I will do is go bankrupt and then go on medicare and just end up sucking from the government.
  • Virginia A Wolf · 11 months ago
    I I think if we could bail out the Corporate Greed experts,we can bail out the auto industry which,if it goes down will bring about 250 thousand jobs with it..if a Wall Street hot shot loses his job..ask me if I care..since they are being rewarded by Hank Paulson for doinf a lousy job! We won't be rewarding the big 3 guys,we will be saving the jobs of working people.Why is it the Congress was so hard on the 3 auto execs and so gentle with the thieves from AIG??
    Virginia A Wolf ,Willingboro New Jersey
  • Jason · 11 months ago
    For those GM employees concerned about their retirements don't fret the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) protects the retirement incomes of nearly 44 million American workers including those at GM.

    The only problem is that the taxpayer is the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Keep GM and its employees working or pay for their retirements.

    http://nomedals.blogspot.com
  • Keith · 11 months ago
    If the big 3 fail, will the supply of vehicles into the market not be provided by Toyota and other manufacturers (Hyundai, Honda, BMW etc) based in the US? These companies seem to be doing well in the US and would probably expand if Foord and co were to go under.

    But the thought of so many good people out of work is truly devastating. Amid all the clamor, I hear little of the successful US based manufacturers.
  • Dave · 11 months ago
    That is true, regarding the imports...but that is the key word.....imports...keep the US manufacturer going....the problem here is the UAW, it is bleeding the Big 3 dry, the avg worker at the import plants(non union) makes 28.00 per hour and when was the last time they had labor issues....the avg UAW worker 70.00+ per hour and when the plnat suspends the line and sends the workers home they still get paid....it seems whenever they go on strike they get more and more and more...
  • Debbie · 11 months ago
    O.K. the big 3 come up with a new business plan and Congress responds with a $25 billion load. What then? If the financial system doesn't free up money for loans (they got $300 billion, remember?) the big 3 will go down. We can produce all of the manufacturing products imagianable but if consumers have no money to purchase these goods, we're still in trouble. The economy, with all of it's problems, is a big system and SOMEONE needs to stop this shotgun approach to solving individual problems and look at what's best for the big picture. My advice is a bottom up approach - help the consumers with jobs, health care, mortgages and I bet the outlook improves.
  • fourby4 · 8 months ago
    The dilemma is the domestic's work costs are still based on the standards only made achievable by monopoly power.
    However does anybody sincerely consider this car bailout is regarding liquidity?
  • Lil' Wayne · 5 months ago
    For the Big three, they should stop pushing thousands of vehicles out every year when they still have the previous models on the lot.
  • honda accessories · 5 months ago
    I am really not into Auto Bailout. We should not reward poor management, negotiation and decision making. Lets face it, The Big Three lacks creativity.
  • ClubPenguinCheats · 2 months ago
    Will we ever work again? Or will it be just at McDonalds? No more middle class jobs. The first thing I will do is go bankrupt and then go on medicare and just end up sucking from the government.