Termyn8or
Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005 Status: offline
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No actually it is because fewer people have the money with which to buy new cars. As my Mother used to say when we wanted something we couldn't afford - "Things are rough all over". All in all foreign car companies have been better managed, and more responsive to the market. I don't think they will need a bailout. I think they will trim some fat if they can find it, possibly be forced to reduce their scale of operations for a time and so forth, but they are not in a rut like the US automakers by any stretch. The article speaks of a reduction in profits mainly, a downturn. From what I read they project a loss, they haven't lost it yet. Or did I read it wrong ? (it happens) They are in alot better shape than the big three. Even if they had these ridiculous retirement plans they haven't been here as long and the load would not be so bad. I say, and maintain this much : Pay people good for good work. Pay them when they work. Do not pay them when they do not work. Let the union handle the sick days, the vacations even (although in Canada you get two weeks by law from the company, big deal). Let them handle all that and just stick to what you know. Respond to the market instead of trying to mold it. What do you think they were trying to do with GMAC credit ? They got a bunch of people to overbuy cars that depreciated faster than a pet rock. Me own Mother bought an SUV. I told her that Mike (our mechanic) is not going to like this, but it had a ten year hundred thousand mile drivetrain warranty. It is also a four cylinder, she is not speed racer anymore. It has anough balls to get on the highway and delivers quite good mileage. It also sports the advantage of being PAID OFF, and of course a CD player. What the big three failed to take into account is that people of brainage consider their own means, and just how much they want to put into something. She could've afforded the biggest Escolade or Yukon they have, but did not want to. So a logical conclusion could be that the big three did not count on there being that many reasonable and responsible people. But then, one of the basic tenets of human psychology is that everyone tends to think others are the same as they are. If that is accepted we would have a situation where high paid executives go to the government looking for basically welfare on a grand scale, in their private jets. Hmmm, we have that already don't we ? Actually, when it comes to welfare for the commoners, assistance or whatever they choose to call it, only amounts to like 2-3% of the budget. Most of the "welfare" is in the form of pet projects, pork and research "grants". Typical social engineering, I just wish we had better engineers. T
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