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The Other American Auto Industry - 12/13/2008 11:36:37 AM

celticlord2112

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The Other American Auto Industry

The subtitle says it all:

quote:

Plenty of car makers make a go of it in this country--they're just non-union and not headquartered in Detroit.

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RE: The Other American Auto Industry - 12/13/2008 11:38:47 AM

masterBruce

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amen to that and thank god for it

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RE: The Other American Auto Industry - 12/13/2008 2:47:58 PM

Lorr47

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quote:

ORIGINAL: celticlord2112

The Other American Auto Industry

The subtitle says it all:

quote:

Plenty of car makers make a go of it in this country--they're just non-union and not headquartered in Detroit.

In another Profiles In Courage moment Pat Buchanan wrapped him himself in Old Glory on the McLaughlin Report and took on the "Southern Toyota Republicans" (Buchanan's name for them). Buchanan criticized the STR for trying to intentionally destroy manufacturing in America for their foreign masters and for causing Reagan Conservatives to leave the republican party in droves. The destruction of the republican party is on schedule and that it is a suicide is even more satisfying. (We missed a lot of his sermon because we were clapping so loud. )

Bush is probably going to bail out the auto industry ? Bush is a patriot? Who would have thought. That he acted this way at the end of his term may leave him with the title of "patriot."

Taking Buchanan's criticism a little further: It is treason for the "Southern Toyota Republican" lawmakers to take money from foreign nationals to influence policy in the US? I volunteer to carry out the sentence for the government.

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RE: The Other American Auto Industry - 12/13/2008 2:53:20 PM

Owner59

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Did you mention the taxfree deals,free land and other give aways given to the companies doing business there?

Those things are payed for on the backs of the state`s tax payers.

Or the other burdens picked up by the state,like health care costs?

Funny how that never get`s metioned durring the foning over union free companies.

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RE: The Other American Auto Industry - 12/13/2008 3:02:52 PM

rulemylife

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quote:

ORIGINAL: celticlord2112

The Other American Auto Industry

The subtitle says it all:

Plenty of car makers make a go of it in this country--they're just non-union and not headquartered in Detroit.

Thank God we have the Koreans and Japanese to instill us with true American pride.

Let's all hold hands now and sing God Bless America.

< Message edited by rulemylife -- 12/13/2008 3:04:46 PM >

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RE: The Other American Auto Industry - 12/13/2008 4:00:48 PM

Lorr47

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Owner59

Did you mention the taxfree deals,free land and other give aways given to the companies doing business there?

Those things are payed for on the backs of the state`s tax payers.

Or the other burdens picked up by the state,like health care costs?

Funny how that never get`s metioned durring the foning over union free companies.

Senator Shelby always pisses me off the most. Letting them fall will cause a real time loss of $200 to $300 billion in taxes. Yes, they still pay a helluva lot of taxes. Also think of all the property taxes, sales taxes etc. that they are also still paying.

About $200 billion worth of pensions will become Uncle Sam's problem if they go under. Yes, they are still paying those also.

Anywhere from 250,000 to 500,000 people still receive their paychecks from the auto makers or subsidiaries. Those wages will be gone.

One in ten workers in the US is involved with the industry somehow. Think of all the suppliers, distributer and parts shops that will likewise fail. I have seen some studies that say between 3 to 5 million people will be directly impacted if the industry falls. Think of all the unemployed. Think of all the lost wages. Think of all the suffering.

How much is the auto industry paying for health insurance? The industry is still paying those premiums. That responsibility will somehow become the federal government's burden.

All in all the industry failing will probably cause the economy to take a trillion dollar hit. Can the economy withstand that blow right now? I do not think so.

Since there is no lending available for a Chapter 11 procedure, the calls for a Chapter 11 are actually calls for a Chapter 7. (I know CL but as I asked you several times : Just tell me where the lending is going to come from.) In any case, Franks is correct in saying that a bankruptcy is not viable because of what GM is and the status of the economy at this time.

All Shelby says in answer to any question is that he would not vote for a bailout even of Chrysler 30 years ago. Does that make sense since Chrysler paid the money back with interest and has paid 30 years of taxes, salaries etc after that. If we knew that the industry was going to pay back every cent with interest and go on to pay wages for another 30 years, I suspect that Shelby's tirade would remain the same. He is not interested in what is best for the US but rather a "Southern Toyota Republican" who has been well paid by foreigners to destroy manufacturing in the US.

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RE: The Other American Auto Industry - 12/13/2008 4:14:24 PM

popeye1250

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It *really* makes you wonder who these "senators" are representing, The People or.....

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RE: The Other American Auto Industry - 12/13/2008 4:34:57 PM

LookieNoNookie

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No US manufacturer has sold an American made car since the 30's.

In fact, the singularly most American made auto in the United States....is a Toyota.

(Do your own Google...it's a fact).

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RE: The Other American Auto Industry - 12/14/2008 9:43:50 PM

OneMoreWaste

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You want to talk about building cars in the South?
Okay, let's talk about building cars in the South.

Until about three years ago, there was a Ford assembly plant in Atlanta metro employing about 2000 people.
It had opened in 1947.
At least as of a year or so ago, you could still see the huge letters painted on the side of the building, about how they're proudly assembling the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable.
The Taurus and Sable were mid-size family sedans, the bread-and-butter unit shifters for a U.S. auto manufacturer. When they were introduced in the mid-late 80s, they were a huge hit- in fact, they were the last American-branded passenger car to be the domestic best-seller.

But management- not the UAW, but FoMoCo execs- ignored the advances being made by the Accord and Camry. They let one of their key platforms stagnate, giving it only minor facelifts as the competition was doing clean-sheet redesigns to provide more comfort and convenience, better handling, and more contemporary styling. Just because the category is the perennial market leader in sales- who cares? If a family needs a car, we'll sell 'em a truck, because they're more profitable! Just push that macho, adventurous image and the suckers will stand in line for it!

In the last year of Taurus production, the platform was so dismally outclassed that they weren't even worth putting on dealership lots- they were fleet sale only. I drove one, courtesy of Enterprise Rent-A-Car. It was pathetic. In 2006, for a midsize sedan that would have stickered at over $20k at a stealership, it had a TAPE DECK. Where did they even fucking find a tape deck in 2006? That's just an example- the handling, interior appointments, powertrain, and just about any other metric you can think of, all felt like left-overs from the 1980s. I actually felt sorry for the poor, anonymous grey-silver thing.

Gee, for some reason, Taurus sales aren't nearly what we projected. Kill the program.
2000 jobs go away.
Must be the Union's fault.
Damn Unions, making the poor widdle manufacturers pay people $70k/year to turn screws. If it weren't for them, everything would be just fine.

Juuussst fiiinnnne....

< Message edited by OneMoreWaste -- 12/14/2008 9:50:32 PM >

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RE: The Other American Auto Industry - 12/14/2008 9:47:24 PM

elegantalexis

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Come on...you can say it, Pops...

or perhaps I should...

Shahar

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RE: The Other American Auto Industry - 12/14/2008 10:20:27 PM

bamabbwsub

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I think what may bother me the most is the question...where and when will it end? There are lots of huge companies that employ thousands of workers; GM, Ford, and Chrysler aren't the only ones. So, let's say we start a precedent and bail them out.

Well, gee...(hypothetically) AT&T can't afford to pay their CEO his billions, plus his perks. So let's bail them out too. And Proctor and Gamble aren't selling nearly as many cosmetics as they used to, so they put their hand out as well. And let's not forget Lowe's and Home Depot. The credit and housing crunch is keeping people from building and renovating their houses...brother, can you spare a dime?

If one or any of these companies fails, thousands of workers will be out of jobs, adding to the downward spiral of the current economy. And people will still be making the same arguments that they're making for the Big Three bailout: People will be out of work, and somebody has to pay for it. So I ask again...where and when does it end?

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RE: The Other American Auto Industry - 12/15/2008 12:08:59 AM

awmslave

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Car fetishism should end. Let us have cheap ugly reliable car for evrybody.

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RE: The Other American Auto Industry - 12/15/2008 4:35:58 AM

UncleNasty

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Lorr47

quote:

ORIGINAL: celticlord2112

The Other American Auto Industry

The subtitle says it all:

quote:

Plenty of car makers make a go of it in this country--they're just non-union and not headquartered in Detroit.

In another Profiles In Courage moment Pat Buchanan wrapped him himself in Old Glory on the McLaughlin Report and took on the "Southern Toyota Republicans" (Buchanan's name for them). Buchanan criticized the STR for trying to intentionally destroy manufacturing in America for their foreign masters and for causing Reagan Conservatives to leave the republican party in droves. The destruction of the republican party is on schedule and that it is a suicide is even more satisfying. (We missed a lot of his sermon because we were clapping so loud. )

Bush is probably going to bail out the auto industry ? Bush is a patriot? Who would have thought. That he acted this way at the end of his term may leave him with the title of "patriot."

Taking Buchanan's criticism a little further: It is treason for the "Southern Toyota Republican" lawmakers to take money from foreign nationals to influence policy in the US? I volunteer to carry out the sentence for the government.

I think you have a word incorrectly spelled. Try instead "paytriot."

Uncle Nasty

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RE: The Other American Auto Industry - 12/15/2008 6:14:06 AM

ScooterTrash

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Good article....I'm not happy with the path we are following, but it's about basic economics and at the end of the day, that's what counts I suppose.

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