Stimulus Package?????

[marty56]

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@Anonymous wrote:

GM can't survive because the business has been ran into the ground, the taxpayer shouldn't be responsible for this.

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Blame the union and government regulations.

[MidnightVoice]

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@marty56 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

GM can't survive because the business has been ran into the ground, the taxpayer shouldn't be responsible for this.

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Blame the union and government regulations.

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Or alternatively, blame the companies for making cars that people don't want 

[Anonymous]

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@MidnightVoice wrote:

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@marty56 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

GM can't survive because the business has been ran into the ground, the taxpayer shouldn't be responsible for this.

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Blame the union and government regulations.

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Or alternatively, blame the companies for making cars that people don't want 

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AYYYYYYY-men!!

[fishbjc]

I play in a monthly bunco league.  Two of the husbands work for the auto industry.  I overheard one of the wives say:  It's because of people like ***** (meaning ME) who purchase only foreign cars that are causing our husbands' jobs to be in jeopardy.

The fight was *ON*.

[haulingthescoreup]

We've tried buying American, and we get burned every time.

And I'll toss German in here, too. We seem stuck with Japanese cars, even if 6'3" DH doesn't fold himself into them very well.

[Anonymous]

Hey fish,

If you'd like to get back at your friend, ask her this question:

"By foreign cars, do you mean companies like Honda, Toyota,

BMW, Hyundai and Mercedes??"

When she answers "Yes", please inform her that all of those

"foreign cars" were built right here in America...in states like

Ohio (Honda), Kentucky/Texas (Toyota), South Carolina (BMW/Mercedes)

and Alabama (Hyundai).  Then sit back and gloat as she turns

about 10 different shades of red as she (hopefully) walks away disgusted...

CanDo

"The right attitude is everything"

[haulingthescoreup]

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CanDoAttitude wrote:

Hey fish,

If you'd like to get back at your friend, ask her this question:

"By foreign cars, do you mean companies like Honda, Toyota,

BMW, Hyundai and Mercedes??"

When she answers "Yes", please inform her that all of those

"foreign cars" were built right here in America...in states like

Ohio (Honda), Kentucky/Texas (Toyota), South Carolina (BMW/Mercedes)

and Alabama (Hyundai).  Then sit back and gloat as she turns

about 10 different shades of red as she (hopefully) walks away disgusted...

CanDo

"The right attitude is everything"

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I'm not fish, but I for one have never said that the American auto industry crisis is due to crappy labor.

IMO, it's due to lack of vision in management and design. It has been a vicious competition to see who can come up with the safest, least innovative designs.

I think American workers are the best, if we have decent leadership and vision from management.

[Anonymous]

I never said anything about "crappy" labor.

fish's friend was trying to put off the fact that automakers in Detroit

are losing jobs/market share because Americans are buying foreign

cars. But the "foreign" cars that most of us buy are built right here

in America by American workers....the finest in the world.

I agree. The problem is mostly with poor management..specifically,

with allowing manufacturing costs (including labor costs) to get to the point

where Detroit is no longer competitive with other automakers. The companies

selling the most cars these days do the best job controlling costs, investing

in research and development and putting as much technology and comfort

into cars at the lowest possible price. And then they back them with great

warranties. 

So until the folks in Detroit start doing the same (or go back to doing the same

the way they used to), then people will continue not to buy "American" and

make other choices.

CanDo

"The right attitude is everything"

[Anonymous]

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@haulingthescoreup wrote:

IMO, it's due to lack of vision in management and design. It has been a vicious competition to see who can come up with the safest, least innovative designs.

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If you ask me, the innovations, design-wise,  they were lacking the most was gas-efficiency. Instead of having a good range of gas-efficient-but-cool-looking-cars, they went for one OR the other -- then once the gas meltdown occurred, no one was interested in the guzzling SUVs and went for the slim-pickins of efficient cars.

Sooo .... now they're stuck with oodles of gas guzzlers that they just can't move -- since I'll bet ya'll 200 FICO points that enough buyers out there are still going to be leery of buying cars that they potentially can't afford to gas up.

And I'll betcha another 200 points that if they'd have asked the "Everyday Joe" laborer what THEY thought, they'd have suggested that production focus more on the efficient cars. Since I'll bet that the average production line worker wasn't driving around in a Cadillac SUV. 

Just my 2 cents.

[fishbjc]

I owned a Ford Pickup truck...by 72k miles I spent tons of cash on it...everything fell apart.  I finally sold it for pennies.  Bought DS a Ford.....fell apart by 80k

DH bought a Buick...not too bad. 

DH now drives a Honda crv....140k and nothing but an oil change, tires and a brake job. 

I just can't wrap my brain around buying another Ford EVER.