Car Companies

[Saniflush]

I thought this was good.

[GarMan]

I thought this was good.

Leave it to the gubm'et to throw our money away.  The tax-and-spenders of the 80's are back, and this time, they won't have a Reagan to oppose them in the White House! 

[Jumbo]

I thought this was good.

Thats some good shit.

[AUTiger1]

I thought this was good.

Funny, well sort of, once you laugh at first you almost have to cry realizing that your taxes are going to increase to pay for this.

[AUTailgatingRules]

With the power of the internet, can we not organize a new "Boston Tea Party".  Imagine if the TAX PAYING CITIZENS of the US actually said Fuck You for a month or 2 and quit paying our taxes all at once, the government and all of it's give-a-ways would grind to a halt.

Hell they could not prosecute all of us

[GarMan]

With the power of the internet, can we not organize a new "Boston Tea Party".  Imagine if the TAX PAYING CITIZENS of the US actually said Fuck You for a month or 2 and quit paying our taxes all at once, the government and all of it's give-a-ways would grind to a halt.

Hell they could not prosecute all of us

Great idea, but it would never happen.  You likely couldn't convince your employer to stop or delay witholding long enough to matter.  I've been thinking about doing something similar for years.  I'd rather burn a couple of tractor trailers full of tea or tobacco on the mall in Washington DC.  Of course, in today's climate, we'd likely be classified as terrorists for doing such a thing.

[Saniflush]

Great idea, but it would never happen.  You likely couldn't convince your employer to stop or delay witholding long enough to matter.  I've been thinking about doing something similar for years.  I'd rather burn a couple of tractor trailers full of tea or tobacco on the mall in Washington DC.  Of course, in today's climate, we'd likely be classified as climate terrorists for doing such a thing.

Fixed that.  Al gore is on the job.

[Tarheel]

I thought this was good.
...

Apparently Ford Motor Company doesn't need government money anyway...

This is from al-AP, all emphasis is my own:

Ford's gamble to leverage assets for debt pays off
By KIMBERLY S. JOHNSON [11 Dec 2008]

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — A decision Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally made during his first months on the job may turn out to be the automaker's saving grace.

In 2006, the chief executive fresh from Boeing Co. wanted to concentrate on making smaller, more fuel efficient cars, matching production with consumer demand, and focusing on the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands.

The company has announced the closure of 17 factories and eliminated 50,000 jobs since its latest restructuring started in 2005, many through buyout and early retirement offers. It sold non-Ford brands Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin and is studying the sale of Sweden's Volvo. Smaller cars produced by its European unit are coming to the U.S. starting in 2010.

But to fulfill that vision for the company, Mulally needed at least $17 billion. He took his plan — one very similar to the one Ford submitted to Congress last week — to 40 banks at a time when credit flowed freely, and he ended up raising $23.5 billion. He bet all of Ford's buildings, stock, intellectual property, stakes in foreign automakers, and even its trademark blue logo as collateral.

"At the time people were wondering if we were being too aggressive to leverage assets," Mulally said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I erred on the side of being conservative on financing."

The move to secure credit proved to be key to Ford's assertion that it doesn't need an emergency loan from Congress now like General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC do. While the company boasts how its fleet and future vehicles set it apart from its Detroit competitors, its ability to maintain operations through 2009 without government aid is a key differentiator.
...

The link:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jV-HVQ-_t6NRC0nZL0rwJTdXwDDwD9504BJ80

[AUTailgatingRules]

Great idea, but it would never happen.  You likely couldn't convince your employer to stop or delay witholding long enough to matter.  I've been thinking about doing something similar for years.  I'd rather burn a couple of tractor trailers full of tea or tobacco on the mall in Washington DC.  Of course, in today's climate, we'd likely be classified as terrorists for doing such a thing.

My employer would stop paying my taxes because I am my employer

[AUTiger1]

I have never really noticed until this morning, but the amount of foreign cars I see traveling in to Huntsvegas compared to domestic has to be 75/25 at the minimum.  I would dare say that 80% of the domestic cars that I see are not cars, mostly trucks and suvs.  I did notice a few of them were Mustangs, Magnums, Chargers, 300's  and a not many chevy's at all.

Why was it that Honda, Toyota and Nissan for years have been building the more fuel efficient, durable cars and the big three have sat on their asses and not seen this trend?  Didn't the fact that the Camry, Accord and Altima racking up awards not tip them off and make them think that they maybe had better start producing a better quality product?

[Tarheel]

I have never really noticed until this morning, but the amount of foreign cars I see traveling in to Huntsvegas compared to domestic has to be 75/25 at the minimum.  I would dare say that 80% of the domestic cars that I see are not cars, mostly trucks and suvs.  I did notice a few of them were Mustangs, Magnums, Chargers, 300's  and a not many chevy's at all.

Why was it that Honda, Toyota and Nissan for years have been building the more fuel efficient, durable cars and the big three have sat on their asses and not seen this trend?  Didn't the fact that the Camry, Accord and Altima racking up awards not tip them off and make them think that they maybe had better start producing a better quality product?

Even if the cars they are building are on par with Japanese and German cars they still have a heavy legacy cost that they are carrying for each vehicle they produce.  I heard a commentator using that as a defense of GM's cost structure coupling it with the fact that they have been producing cars longer and have a larger former employee base.  I don't think that this is a good argument since several German car makers have been making cars almost as long as GM yet somehow they have a much lower legacy cost; could it be that they managed their employee benefits better than the Unions?  Not saying...

[GarMan]

Even if the cars they are building are on par with Japanese and German cars they still have a heavy legacy cost that they are carrying for each vehicle they produce.  I heard a commentator using that as a defense of GM's cost structure coupling it with the fact that they have been producing cars longer and have a larger former employee base.  I don't think that this is a good argument since several German car makers have been making cars almost as long as GM yet somehow they have a much lower legacy cost; could it be that they managed their employee benefits better than the Unions?  Not saying...

I'm saying... Let them go out of business!  PLEASE!!!  No more of these stupid bailouts... 

The Democrats have been unsuccessfully bailing out deadbeats for so long now that they've decided to start doing this for deadbeat companies.  Let them reap the rewards and suffer the consequences of their actions and decisions.  Stupidity should be painful.  Let them fail.  Failure is a learning experience.  It's part of life. 

By the way, I always thought Republipukes were advocates of big business.  I guess that's not true anymore...

[AUTiger1]

Even if the cars they are building are on par with Japanese and German cars they still have a heavy legacy cost that they are carrying for each vehicle they produce.  I heard a commentator using that as a defense of GM's cost structure coupling it with the fact that they have been producing cars longer and have a larger former employee base.  I don't think that this is a good argument since several German car makers have been making cars almost as long as GM yet somehow they have a much lower legacy cost; could it be that they managed their employee benefits better than the Unions?  Not saying...

Oh, I think the UAW has totally screwed this thing up royally, what I do wonder is this, the non-unionized like Honda or Toyota for example have been said that they do not have as extensive a benefits package as the Big Three, I would love to talk to one of their employees and see what kind of benefits they have. 

[Tarheel]

The Governor of Michigan (Jennifer Granholm-D) thinks that it's "un-American" for the Senate to have killed the car company bailout bill.  She's looking for a depression scape-goat.

She forgets that the Union negotiators were the ones who killed it by being unwilling to actually negotiate.  And, as is usual with leftist writers, you've got to read between the lines before you find out the reason for the failure of this bill to pass.

This from "The Hill's" blog, all emphasis is my own:

Mich. Gov.: Vote Against Auto Bailout "Un-American"
12 December 2008
11:18 am by Michael O'Brien

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) said it was "un-American" for senators to have voted against approving a bailout of troubled automakers last night, saying their vote may cause a recession to become a depression.

"It is unacceptable for this un-American, frankly, behavior of these U.S. senators to cause this country to go from a recession into a depression," Granholm said during a radio interview Friday morning.
...
Negotiations over an agreement to assist Michigan's Big Three stalled last night in a 52-35 vote on a procedural motion to bring up the package for a vote. Republicans largely opposed the bill after it failed to win concessions from the United Automotive Workers union on wages and benefits.
...

The link:
http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2008/12/12/mich-gov-un-american-to-vote-against-auto-bailout/

[Tarheel]

...
By the way, I always thought Republipukes were advocates of big business.  I guess that's not true anymore...

Some of them still are apparently:

White House considers help for car makers 
Dec 12
By KEN THOMAS and JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS

WASHINGTON (AP) - Under mounting pressure to act, the Bush administration said Friday it was ready to step in and prevent the U.S. auto industry from collapsing after the Senate refused to pass a rescue bill endorsed by the White House and congressional Democrats. The most obvious source of help was the Wall Street bailout fund.

"The current weakened state of the economy is such that it could not withstand a body blow like a disorderly bankruptcy in the auto industry," White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

Treasury spokeswoman Brookly McLaughlin said, "Because Congress failed to act, we will stand ready to prevent an imminent failure until Congress reconvenes and acts to address the long-term viability of the industry."

Several administration officials said no specific announcement of a bailout was imminent, suggesting there was still time before General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, the companies in most peril, would run out of cash. These officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations.

The Wall Street bailout fund was one of the few remaining options for GM and Chrysler, which have said they could run out of cash within weeks. President George W. Bush had originally refused to use the bailout fund to help the automakers, insisting that help come from Congress. But the White House said it must reconsider after the Senate failed to agree on a $14 billion rescue plan.
...

The link:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9519T4G1&show_article=1
 

[RWS]

The Governor of Michigan (Jennifer Granholm-D) thinks that it's "un-American" for the Senate to have killed the car company bailout bill.  She's looking for a depression scape-goat.

She forgets that the Union negotiators were the ones who killed it by being unwilling to actually negotiate.  And, as is usual with leftist writers, you've got to read between the lines before you find out the reason for the failure of this bill to pass.

This from "The Hill's" blog, all emphasis is my own:

The link:
http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2008/12/12/mich-gov-un-american-to-vote-against-auto-bailout/

no, whats un-American is these businesses are failing due to various reasons such as piss-poor management, wasteful spending, etc, and now they expect the American people to pay their way out of it. now THATS fucking un-American. piss-poor planning on their part doesn't constitute and emergency on my part.

[Tarheel]

As if no one hasn't heard the news but we all knew that this would probably happen one way or another...this excerpt from Yahoo and the AP:

Bailout approved: Automakers to get $17.4B
Friday December 19, 5:47 pm ET
By Deb Riechmann and Tom Krisher, Associated Press Writers 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Citing imminent danger to the national economy, President Bush ordered an emergency bailout of the U.S. auto industry Friday, offering $17.4 billion in rescue loans and demanding tough concessions from the deeply troubled carmakers and their workers.
 
Detroit's Big Three cheered the action and vowed to rebuild their once-mighty industry, though they acknowledged the road would be anything but smooth as they fight their way back from the brink of bankruptcy.

The autoworkers union complained the deal was too harsh on its members, while Bush's fellow Republicans in Congress said it was simply bad business to bail out yet another big industry.

Bush, who signed the massive $700 billion rescue for financial institutions only this fall, said he was reluctant to approve yet another government bailout of private business. But he said that allowing the massive auto industry to collapse in the middle of what is already a severe downturn "could send our suffering economy into a deeper and longer recession."

Speaking at the White House, he also said he didn't want to "leave the next president to confront the demise of a major American industry in his first days of office."
...

I'm sure that President Bush will get a gift basket from The ONE.

Link:
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081219/meltdown_autos.html?.v=30

[AUTiger1]

We past bye Bill Heard Chevrolet in Huntsville on our way to lunch yesterday.  It has shutdown and we were wondering if there was any news on who was going to replace it and what was going to happen to the inventory.  One co-worker, trying to be funny said that he knew who was taking it over.  The United States Government General Motors.  Sicking to think about it, does this mean that the Gov't will have ownership in the big three like they do with the banks that took bailout money?   We are well on our way to Socialization, hang on to your hats, the next four years are going to be a ride.  I just hope that we don't have to endure any more after the first four. 

[Tarheel]

We past bye Bill Heard Chevrolet in Huntsville on our way to lunch yesterday.  It has shutdown and we were wondering if there was any news on who was going to replace it and what was going to happen to the inventory.  One co-worker, trying to be funny said that he knew who was taking it over.  The United States Government General Motors.  Sicking to think about it, does this mean that the Gov't will have ownership in the big three like they do with the banks that took bailout money?   We are well on our way to Socialization, hang on to your hats, the next four years are going to be a ride.  I just hope that we don't have to endure any more after the first four. 

I drive past the Bill Heard Chevrolet in Kennesaw, Georgia almost every day...the reason that dealership chain shut down was less economically based as it was based on their shady business practices causing numerous lawsuits against them.  Having dealt with them personally they are a bunch of snakes in my opinion.

[AUTiger1]

I drive past the Bill Heard Chevrolet in Kennesaw, Georgia almost every day...the reason that dealership chain shut down was less economically based as it was based on their shady business practices causing numerous lawsuits against them.  Having dealt with them personally they are a bunch of snakes in my opinion.

Yeah, that is pretty much the reputation he has.  I have never dealt with them.  To be honest the I have only owned two vehicles that were not a Nissan.  I had an Isuzu Trooper which made a damn fine hunting vehicle but someone else decided they needed it worse than me and made me a good deal.  The other is the Honda CR-V that my wife drives.  I have had good luck with Nissan's so it will be hard to get me to stray.  I usually stick with a product that I have had good results out of, so why change.