Obama's Auto Industry Plan
>> Monday, March 30, 2009
I just saw the news on TV about Obama's announcement that GM and Chrysler are not viable and that both companies must still make more sacrifices before they can receive anymore government loans. President Obama is giving GM 60 days to make satisfactory concessions while giving Chrysler only 30 days to conclude an alliance with Fiat with more worker and union concessions. If successful the government will consider investing 6 billion dollars to help the partnership between Chrysler and Fiat succeed. If not, then the government will not help Chrysler any longer.
Because I'm a retired Chrysler employee, I can't help but be worried for Chrysler's future. If Chrysler fails, not only will 10's of thousands of workers lose their jobs, but the retired workers will also lose their pensions as well. It seems to me that Obama might be willing to let Chrysler fail as long as GM can succeed. That way he can say he kept his promise of saving the auto industry. And why is he asking the union to make more concessions? The UAW has already cut the workers pay below the pay that Toyota pays its employees. If the workers have to make any more concessions it will just cause more hardship on employees trying to provide for their families.
I know I said I would never regret voting for Obama and I still mean it because the alternative would be a McCain administration that would have not only let Chrysler fail, but GM as well. But I feel Obama has let me down along with the rest of the Chrysler employees who voted for him and were depending on him to help Chrysler survive. I hope Chrysler will survive despite the economic downturn that was caused by greedy financial institutions, despite the government's reluctance to help and despite the American consumer who believes its OK to buy foreign cars instead of supporting their fellow American workers.
Added Note: I already received a comment, if you want to call it that, from a Republican. He just left his post url. I'm not going to give him a link in my post so that he can use my blog to spread his greedy and selfish Republican views. I guess he wanted me to accept that as a comment. I went to his blog and read his post. In it he says the poor and middle class Americans are lazy and that the AIG executives deserve the millions in bonuses provided with tax payer money because they worked so hard for it. I say, If they worked so hard, then AIG shouldn't need any help from anyone. What a bunch of BS! Is this guy kidding?
Because I'm a retired Chrysler employee, I can't help but be worried for Chrysler's future. If Chrysler fails, not only will 10's of thousands of workers lose their jobs, but the retired workers will also lose their pensions as well. It seems to me that Obama might be willing to let Chrysler fail as long as GM can succeed. That way he can say he kept his promise of saving the auto industry. And why is he asking the union to make more concessions? The UAW has already cut the workers pay below the pay that Toyota pays its employees. If the workers have to make any more concessions it will just cause more hardship on employees trying to provide for their families.
I know I said I would never regret voting for Obama and I still mean it because the alternative would be a McCain administration that would have not only let Chrysler fail, but GM as well. But I feel Obama has let me down along with the rest of the Chrysler employees who voted for him and were depending on him to help Chrysler survive. I hope Chrysler will survive despite the economic downturn that was caused by greedy financial institutions, despite the government's reluctance to help and despite the American consumer who believes its OK to buy foreign cars instead of supporting their fellow American workers.
Added Note: I already received a comment, if you want to call it that, from a Republican. He just left his post url. I'm not going to give him a link in my post so that he can use my blog to spread his greedy and selfish Republican views. I guess he wanted me to accept that as a comment. I went to his blog and read his post. In it he says the poor and middle class Americans are lazy and that the AIG executives deserve the millions in bonuses provided with tax payer money because they worked so hard for it. I say, If they worked so hard, then AIG shouldn't need any help from anyone. What a bunch of BS! Is this guy kidding?
5 comments:
Although I am a conservative, I must admit I have mixed feelings about the situation American car companies are facing. After 9/11, I traded my foreign car-Toyota- and pledged to myself never to buy a foreign car again. I have kept my promise and for years my husband and I have been loyal to the American workers. My son will own his own car soon and he too will buy American. I love my country and want to support the American worker; however, cost always seems to work its way into my life. We are modest people who work very hard to make a living and we can't always avoid the made in China or made in Taiwan and I am not even sure we should "all the time" but I must also admit that even when US car companies were selling and the economy was booming, these car companies still could not make a profit or manage the company with the same efficiency that foreign companies have. And yes I know the US places tons of restrictions and red tape on US companies... that too has been a problem. Obama is not going to make it any easier for them or for other US companies now either. He will tax and regulate and restrict and cause many companies to close or move overseas. His policies will force many people in the US to re-train themselves and find alternative careers regardless of whether they want to or not. (McCain spoke the truth when he spoke to the auto workers but Obama chose to play along.) As an educator for 20 years, I see it all around me and it is coming. If you want to prepare for the future, look into health, criminal justice or technology because I just don't see those manufacturing jobs or those nice pensions sticking around for very much longer.
PS I am not one to defend Obama, but in this instance I honestly must admit, there is probably little wiggle room for him. Running for president and walking in the shoes of the president are two very different things. He is no different from the others that came before...who said one thing and then did whatever they wanted to do.
And yes...I hope for change in 2012. Thanks for reading my comment Bob and for providing a thought provoking post. Generating discussions like this one between a varying group of people is always a good thing and will eventually help you get that Google ranking. :>)
Thanks for the comment from The Fearless Blog. I have to disagree with at least one thing you said though. You said Obama is not any different from the others that came before. On the contrary, Obama is different from the others because he is not trying to start a war based on lies like Bush and Cheney did, he isn't giving the millionaires tax breaks like Bush and Reagan did, and he is at least trying to help the middle class.
Its just a damn shame, all of this. I voted for him and the only person I see getting us out of any of this shit Bush got us in is the good Lord above. We are in deep shit folks and that is no lie.
My wife and I own two Toyotas that were built here in the U.S. by American labor and primarily with parts that were manufactured in the U.S. and Canada. That, I do believe, is supporting American labor.
Besides, this is a free market economy, meaning consumers are free to choose how to spend their money. If the American auto manufacturers want some of my hard earned cash, the solution is simple -- turn out a superior product at a competitive price. They've not done that for years and are failing as a result.
It's too bad about Chrysler as the company actually did appear to be trying to manufacture vehicles that were worthwhile (the Pacifica, for example, is one we almost bought this year but couldn't turn down a Toyota that cost less and was a more solid vehicle). GM, on the other hand, makes bland, overpriced garbage and is getting its teeth kicked in as a result.
By the way, I agree with Fearless. My comment section is completely unmoderated. I've been called everything but a white boy over there and it doesn't bother me one whit. Opposing views generate meaningful discussions and develop back links. Fine with me.
The Hawg
Since I already made a big mess of your comments here, I noticed this ... help you get that Google ranking
Google Page rank has nothing to do with content. It has to do with links from high PR sites. That simple. Traffic (page loads) is also in their calculations, but links are key. Get ONE link from a PR 10 and you would jump to a 5.
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