Why we shouldn't bailout GM, Ford and Chrysler

This is true. But would you want the CEOs of such large companies responding to emails, or on conference calls on a commercial flight? There may be a reason why GM and Ford had it in the contract that the CEOs must fly private.

 

Im sorry to see the blue collar workers get hit, but i dont mind if they dont bail em out. I say this mainly because I live down the street from the Fords (yes the ones who started the company) and they seem to be doing fine. No "foreclosure" sign in front of their house overlooking lake saint clair and their 125 foot mega yacht over at the yacht club down the road seems to still be floating just fine.

 

What I heard the news people say, was that a lot of the head of Ford's private jet flying was back and forth between his home (some other state and Michigan).

I think if he's flying to something not involving business he needs to use his own money and own private jet.

I personally thought the hoopla of them taking private jets to meet with congress was stupid. What do the congressmen take when they fly somewhere? I'd be surprised if they flew even first class on a commercial flight.

 

On the contrary, I have seen a few members of Congress flying commercial.

 

These are recent sales drops. Keep in mind gas prices are relatively low at the moment, which could be a big reason for the significant drop in demand for hybrids, but oever the long term and WHEN the economy picks up it is inevitable gas prices will go back up to new highs. Automakers should prepare for that. The CEO's know that as well as they are arranging to meet up with Congress with their hybrids (not jets) this time .

 

Wall Street, on the brokerage side, does not make the world go round. However, on the banking side, they do. The money they lend to small business and consumers is key to economic stability.

 

Your views are so obscure, and unquantified, its quite sad. Through 4 months of extreme oil prices, hybrids accounted for fewer than 2% of total vehicle sales. Hybrid's are not the car that people want to buy.

Additionally; driving to DC takes roughly 8 hours from Metro Detroit; grandstanding in some car.... vs. the salaries which they earn; their time is far better spent taking a private jet vs. any kind of retarded grandstanding to "please" the retards in DC.

The only thing that scares me more than the stupidity of people around the country and their incapability to understand the manufacturing sector is politicians in DC. I can't believe there are jouralists who are writing the crap they are. Do they actually think they know what they are talking about? Good god!

 

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=951945001&play=1

 

funny that on the Wall street bailout no one mentioned "those guys should get paid less"....a little bias here?

 

I've worked for a few Fortune 500 companies - EVERYONE at those companies (including CEOs) flew commercial!

 

Let them go Ch. 11; or 7. The only way to break the 'death hold' the unions have is in BK. Plus do we really need 3 car companies? If one goes under then it is less we have to pay for. Bush: the greatist 'Socialist' free democracy has ever seen.

 

oh the horrors...good grief thats lame....so spend 20,000.00 a flight so no one can hear you talk....thats pretty wasteful.

Side note
It is funny that GM and Chrysler sell almost everyone of their high end cars they make(Viper Vett CTSV) think one of them, at least Chrysler, Could cut down to just their premium cars and MiniVans, and slowly grow out from their making sure they build a quality product...

 

I think I know why they didn't travel together. This is the most valid reason I can think of.

Scenario: All get into one corporate jet
Problem: So they all arrive together at the airport in DC. Now what? Which one of them is going to get into a competitor's vinyl-wrapped hybrid vehicle for the ride over there? Or do they pile into a Honda Odyssey Taxi? Who gets off the plane first? Who's last? What does that mean? Oh Noes....

 

Talk about short-sightedness. Of course hybrids account for fewer than 2% of total vehicle sales. Look at the number of selections you have to choose from... what do you expect? However, the trend is AND will be towards more economical cars whether it be hybrid, electric.... as long as you have good fuel economy. You're telling me people didn't mind paying $4-5 a gallon? You should take a look at the drop in used car prices for SUV's, hummers, gas guzzlers during the height of the gas prices. No one wanted them. Simple as that. If you don't focus on fuel efficiency and your competitors begin to offer the same cars you do with better fuel efficiency, who do you think the consumer is going to buy from?

 

On a broad way....Companies like AIG and GM and Ford, If these companies are too large to let fail....here is a thought....maybe we shouldnt allow them to get that big. Maybe its bad for the market for a company to get so large. Maybe, gasp!, companies that large move to slow to be effective in the market...
What do you guys and gals think?

 

The problem is that 50% of consumers have below average intelligence.

They want big SUV's, and Detroit builds what the consumer wants.
Fuel goes up, and they are shocked when these gas hogs cost $150 to fill up the tank
Now that gas is cheap, they are snapping up light trucks and SUVs.


I'm sure that they will all be shocked when gas is $4 a gallon again.

 

The biggest reason IMO is National Security, we need there mass production capabilities in case of a major war, who was building Shermans or ronson coffins as the Germans called them since they would explode so easily in WW2- Ford, of course we know there are no 1942-45 American cars all auto makers plants were used for the war effort to make you name it, thats why we need them around, the same goes for airlines etc.

 

I'm really troubled by all these worthless news reports.

All I hear is about how the Big Three need to change. Why is there no talk about the UAW needing to change?

 

Political. When you attack the companies, you are viewed as a reformer. When you attack the unions, you are viewed as picking on average people. UAW out grew their needs. It is time we let them go.

 

Everyone complains about the Unions and their wages, Its interesting that no one mentions the white collar guys and gals, much less how much they spend per car to develop and how many engineers, managers and secretaries it takes to get a project from paper to road? It costs 3-10 Billion to develop a car...this Does Not Include Unions or Assembly...Think GM could cut some of that Fat?

Its funny that the Europeans,
(Like Ferrari, Audi, BMW, MB etc)
have not only better built cars than GM Ford or Chrysler, Those better companies also have MORE powerful Unions, earning higher wages(almost 2x when you consider the dollar vrs Euro rate) but those companies also have MUCH higher direct taxes and those countries that father those companies also have welfare states...
Funny that the stereotypical right wing response to "GM must reform" is the "Unions must".
I dont think the problems is the Unions...the problem is the American Business Philosophy. a philosophy that is distinctly different from what we see in Europe in the following ways.
Unlike our European counterparts
1.)we dont consider Quality as a Marketing tool...
2.)Business classes in any American University can be boiled down to "Bean Counting 101 212 376 515"---"Quality and excellence, Why? 345, 404"
3.)Quarterly Dominance that eliminates a long term view