U.S. automakers to submit plans to Congress

Well the way I look at it is that my check will get smaller and smaller because of all the crying and bailout that is being considered and already approved;  Car companies brough on their own demise.  Piggish unions, big bucks execs, years and years of piss poor quality and styling has brought this on. 

Bob Nardelli is a joke, he is the theif that screwed Home Dept and walked away with a $250 Million severance package while ruining the company.  Poor Bob will only take $1.00 per year as salary.  Get real folks he will find a way to get his paws on that bailout money..  An for this we as taxpayers will bear the burden.  What a crock of crap.  Let them all go down.  What happens to the working class of America.  Who is going to bail us out??  We are no longer a society of 3 economic classes.  No more middle class==you either have it or you are facing poverty.  And we are asked to pay more

Listen Folks,

I am already setting up a DROF motor corporation and I have appointed myself the CEO, the MIGHTY DOG. My company is now buying all of the unsold junk cars from the big three and the state-of-the-art AMABO MUTT engines are now being installed to try to improve MPG. I have hired an independent third party to conduct the testing, the results showed an overall 1 MPG improvement and it is statistically significant. 

When I am about to fold (estimated to be in early 2009 when Mr. Obama will be the president), then I will go to the Capitol Hill and threaten to fire everyone in DROF and I am only asking for two million dollars. I think the congress should not discriminate my small company, or I will sue the congress for violating my constitutional rights. I have already contacted Mr. Clinton the disbarred lawyer as my legal consultant.

What do you think??

If the auto makers go bankrupt they can do what the rest of the people do when they go bankrupt...start all over again and hopefully not make the same mistake. What gets me is the government is helping out these companies so they don't lose what they have, what about the american people that have already lost their homes who was there to help them out because of the mistakes they made managing their money. Now they are starting over with nothing but bad credit. If we give (loan) the auto makers the money what are they going to differently. Are they going to work for a fair wage and benefits or are they going to go on the same greedy way they were. Six months to a year form now when they are in the same place as they are today then what. 

Health Care Cost. The cost of health care is outrageous. I was paying $503.00 a month for medical insurance for my son and I. It did not include dental. I paid this myself no employer help. As I stated in an earlier discussion I was making $18.00 an hour before I was I layed off. I canceled our medical insurance because I had to choose between my house payment or medical insurance due to I am currently receiving $1200.00 a month in unemployment benefits. I don't qualify for the government hand outs because I own my home and my vehicle so as they see it I have assets which I do but I can't barrow against them because I am unemployed so I am in a visious circle swirling around and around. Oh well life goes on. What we need to do is quit paying for the dead beats and the illegals housing, medical and food. Things have gotten so out of hand in this country and it is all at the tax payers expense.

I live in a double wide 15 year old manufactured home I pay $180.00 a month for my property taxes which is crazy. I was paying $100.00 a month in 2007. I thank our great Washington State governor for that one. She also wanted add an extra (above what we already pay every year)$120.00 on every car license no matter what the cars age or value. It did not pass. A $10.00 extra fee was added instead. She raised the State gas tax by two cents a gallon. So as everyone is sinking and unemployment is high in our state our lovely governor is at work raising our taxes so the state can spend spend spend and on what. I wonder if she has made any cuts in her personal finances. This is what is wrong with America today. We are being taxed to death and for what.......?

It hurts me to see all the floks bashing the us automotive industry.  The only bad car I ever owned was Japanese!  My Japanese pickup lost an engine at 45,000 miles!  The best one is My current F250!  I have never purchased a single bad Domestically produced vehicle since 1980!  I have owned 11 Fords, 1 Dodge 1 Oldsmobile, and 1 GMC during this time period.  The 1980 Dodge was still running fine with over 200,000 miles on it when it was replaced.  My 1992 GMC pickup had 147000 and only cost me 6000 to own for 6 years!  I sold my 2004 Ford F250 for more than I paid for it new with 32000 miles on it. 

I reluctantly support the bridge loan (it is not a bailout but a loan) the big three are asking for.  The auto industry is too vital to our national interests to fail!  The true problem here is not only the viability of the GM , Ford & Chrysler.  It is the ripple effect that the failure of any of these companies would have on the economy!  The latest model I have seen has an effect of 3 million jobs from the failure of GM alone.  It is estimated that the auto makers, dealers and suppliers employ 1 in 10 workers in our economy!  Can you imagine the effect that the loss of 10 % of the jobs could bring about.   I for one can not imagine the hardship this would cause.  

There is an even a greater problem in the area of national defense.  Without heavy manufacturing our country could never ramp up wartime production in time of need.  You can not let this ability go away.  The auto industry was the driving force in our victory in WWII.

Let the "Big Three" declare bankruptcy. This will forse them to go back to the drawing boards and design and build the vehicles we want. The American people must demand that they build those vehicles in the lower "48" and not in Mexico, England, Russia, China, etc.

The Koreans and japanese who build in the USofA build very good cars and pay their employees much less than the so called Domestics.

Ford builds a vehicle in Europe that gets 45MPG...start building it here for our market.

It was nice to see our goverment is using our moneys our kids moneys at the rate it going our grand kids money too . Nice jobs to our Congressinal keep it up and our great grand kids might have to pitch in . Thanks a lot

With the exception of maybe Mulally of Ford, who has not been there too long, Congress should ask for the other executives' resignation before funds are distributed.  It takes this mess for them to scramble and make all of these changes and concessions?  Did they think that the car fairy was going to come and buy all of their crappy cars that guzzle gas?  There is an old saying that says it best..."You made your bed now lie in it".

now just who is going to bail the us taxpayer out?  can i have a few million?

i have no jet, i have no expense account, i have no golden parachute, i do not have a lobbiest or two or four.  now where do i get my part of the billions?  oh i forgot, we just pay for this.....get our money back from wall street....they still have their jets and bonuses.  they gave up nothing and will continue the deals that got us here, next they will just not get caught...it has not cost them anything and then we throw billions at them.

start buying all american made products....no more korean, japan junk....buy american....  no loans to the auto companies until they buy all the car parts from american companies that operate in america.

this small amount should cover their x-mas bonus. but after x-mas they will need more.

i guess the best thing to do is, every one file bankrupsy and start all over again.

Why should we bail them out. They have created there on mess,always putting themselves first and not the American public. Goverment has to stay out of this, to avoid becoming a Socialist State. You don't see the U.S. Goverment Bailing out the Average working American Stiff, or Joe the Plumber, or the reminder of us who are unemployed. bottom line they made there own bed,so let them sleep in it.

I just read the most insightful and informative post on this issue in another forum!  I could never put it better so I have decided to post the quote!  I hope that everyone takes time to read it and gets a better understanding into the issue! 

Incase you missed it-I am done fighting with the same people that will be crying "We didn't know this would be this bad" when they get it their way!

Editor:
As I watch the coverage of the fate of the U.S. auto industry, one alarming and frustrating fact hits me right between the eyes. The fate of our nation's economic survival is in the hands of some congressmen who are completely out of touch and act without knowledge of an industry that affects almost every person in our nation. The same lack of knowledge is shared with many journalists whom are irresponsible when influencing the opinion of millions of viewers.

Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama has doomed the industry, calling it a dinosaur. No Mr. Shelby, you are the dinosaur, with ideas stuck in the '70s, '80s and '90s. You and the uninformed journalist and senators that hold onto myths that are not relevant in today's world.

When you say that the Big Three build vehicles nobody wants to buy, you must have overlooked that GM outsold Toyota by about 1.2 million vehicles in the U.S. and Ford outsold Honda by 850,000 and Nissan by 1.2 million in the U.S. GM was the world's No. 1 automaker beating Toyota by 3,000 units.

When you claim inferior quality comes from the Big Three, did you realize that Chevy makes the Malibu and Ford makes the Fusion that were both rated over the Camry and Accord by J.D. Power independent survey on initial quality? Did you bother to read the Consumer Report that rated Ford on par with good Japanese automakers.

Did you realize Big Three's gas guzzlers include the 33 mpg Malibu that beats the Accord. And for '09 Ford introduces the Hybrid Fusion whose 39 mpg is the best midsize, beating the Camry Hybrid. Ford's Focus beats the Corolla and Chevy's Cobalt beats the Civic.

When you ask how many times are we going to bail them out you must be referring to 1980. The only Big Three bailout was Chrysler, who paid back $1 billion, plus interest. GM and Ford have never received government aid.

When you criticize the Big Three for building so many pickups, surely you've noticed the attempts Toyota and Nissan have made spending billions to try to get a piece of that pie. Perhaps it bothers you that for 31 straight years Ford's F-Series has been the best selling vehicle. Ford and GM have dominated this market and when you see the new '09 F-150 you'll agree this won't change soon.

Did you realize that both GM and Ford offer more hybrid models than Nissan or Honda. Between 2005 and 2007, Ford alone has invested more than $22 billion in research and development of technologies such as Eco Boost, flex fuel, clean diesel, hybrids, plug in hybrids and hydrogen cars.

It's 2008 and the quality of the vehicles coming out of Detroit are once again the best in the world.
Perhaps Sen. Shelby isn't really that blind. Maybe he realizes the quality shift to American. Maybe it's the fact that his state of Alabama has given so much to land factories from Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes Benz that he is more concerned about their continued growth than he is about the people of our country. Sen. Shelby's disdain for "government subsidies" is very hypocritical. In the early '90s he was the driving force behind a $253 million incentive package to Mercedes. Plus, Alabama agreed to purchase 2,500 vehicles from Mercedes. While the bridge loan the Big Three is requesting will be paid back, Alabama's $180,000-plus per job was pure incentive. Sen. Shelby, not only are you out of touch, you are a self-serving hypocrite, who is prepared to ruin our nation because of lack of knowledge and lack of due diligence in making your opinions and decisions.

After 9/11, the Detroit Three and Harley Davidson gave $40 million-plus emergency vehicles to the recovery efforts. What was given to the 9/11 relief effort by the Asian and European Auto Manufactures? $0 Nada. Zip!

We live in a world of free trade, world economy and we have not been able to produce products as cost efficiently. While the governments of other auto producing nations subsidize their automakers, our government may be ready to force its demise. While our automakers have paid union wages, benefits and legacy debt, our Asian competitors employ cheap labor. We are at an extreme disadvantage in production cost. Although many UAW concessions begin in 2010, many lawmakers think it's not enough.

Some point the blame to corporate management. I would like to speak of Ford Motor Co. The company has streamlined by reducing our workforce by 51,000 since 2005, closing 17 plants and cutting expenses. Product and future product is excellent and the company is focused on one Ford. This is a company poised for success. Ford product quality and corporate management have improved light years since the nightmare of Jacques Nasser. Thank you Alan Mulally and the best auto company management team in the business.

The financial collapse caused by the secondary mortgage fiasco and the greed of Wall Street has led to a $700 billion bailout of the industry that created the problem. AIG spent nearly $1 million on three company excursions to lavish resorts and hunting destinations. Paulson is saying no to $250 billion foreclosure relief and the whole thing is a mess. So when the Big Three ask for 4 percent of that of the $700 billion, $25 billion to save the country's largest industry, there is obviously oppositions. But does it make sense to reward the culprits of the problem with $700 billion unconditionally, and ignore the victims?

As a Ford dealer, I feel our portion of the $25 billion will never be touched and is not necessary. Ford currently has $29 billion of liquidity. However, the effect of a bankruptcy by GM will hurt the suppliers we all do business with. A Chapter 11 bankruptcy by any manufacture would cost retirees their health care and retirements. Chances are GM would recover from Chapter 11 with a better business plan with much less expense. So who foots the bill if GM or all three go Chapter 11? All that extra health care, unemployment, loss of tax base and some forgiven debt goes back to the taxpayer, us. With no chance of repayment, this would be much worse than a loan with the intent of repayment.

So while it is debatable whether a loan or Chapter 11 is better for the Big Three, a $25 billion loan is definitely better for the taxpayers and the economy of our country.

So I'll end where I began on the quality of the products of Detroit. Before you, Mr. or Ms. Journalist continue to misinform the American public and turn them against one of the great industries that helped build this nation, I must ask you one question. Before you, Mr. or Madam Congressman vote to end health care and retirement benefits for 1 million retirees, eliminate 2.5 million of our nation's jobs, lose the technology that will lead us in the future and create an economic disaster including hundreds of billions of tax dollars lost, I ask this question not in the rhetorical sense. I ask it in the sincere, literal way. Can you tell me, have you driven a Ford lately?

Have their buddies, the oil companies bail them out. The $4.00+ a gallon price is what broke the car companies and made the oil companies billion$ in profits

Jeez! t seems to boil down to this folks. Going into business is a gamble-will people buy your product? If too many buy it how will you keep up manufacturing? If nobody buys it you have a going out of business sale. It's a system that works-period.  GM says they will go under if they don't get billions from the taxpayers. Chrysler? Well, it's just hosed. Sell what they can and give away the rest. Ford? They seem to WANT to fight their way out of their mistakes and bad decisions. Their plan should be what the fat cats in Washington should use as a a template for success with the others 9including "Fail Street" dinosaurs.

The rest? the auto makers, the parts suppliers, the "advisers", the ore companies that supply the iron,plastics, glass, the paint and on and on-should be gearing up for some new customers. Oh, maybe they could retool and build energy efficient parts for the "new" energy efficient cars that are coming.

Did I say ADVISORS?  As Dr. Phil would say to all those who earned their way to the bottom-"Hey, how's that workin" for ya?" File a chapter 11 and change you system!!! This one doesn't work, dudes. Clean house! Cut out the bad thinkers and leaders as deep as you need and press on!

Unions, getting people who work paid $75 an hour with benefits?  Wise uup fellas your time has been over for quite awhile-YOU are part of this problem too! The best thing you could do is dissolve all your assets, crooked books, and can the "relatives of the big companies" right along with with the others in other companies- Oh yeah, give your members back their hard earned money and apologize for screwing their lives up!