Posted on 11/14/2006 9:23:30 AM PST by Flavius
The chief executives of the three US carmakers will tell President George W. Bush on Wednesday that US energy, healthcare and trade policies are blunting their competitive edge against fast-growing Asian rivals.
Mr Bush is to meet Rick Wagoner of General Motors, Alan Mulally of Ford and Tom LaSorda of Chrysler, a division of Germany’s DaimlerChrysler. The get-together, initially set for last spring, will be the president’s first with all three executives.
(Excerpt) Read more at registration.ft.com ...
...wait 'til the Libocrats kill the Big Three with emissions controls, health care taxes and all sorts of other goodies.
Oh, I wonder who is eyeing those pension funds?
I thought the unions were the ones that were cramping their style.
12,000 paid not to work (UAW Union Alert)
In the meantime, if your healthcare and pension costs are too high, renegotiate the darn contracts next time around.
Try new EPA mandated fuel economy regulations.
It's both--Unions AND Wackos.
The Libocrats have a slight problem...which portion of their "base" do they make happy? The Unions or the Enviro-whackos?
If the Enviro-whackos win, the UAW will be out of jobs, move out of those strongholds of union bliss and there goes a HUGE voting block for the Dems. (especially in Michigan)
If the UAW wins the Enviro-whackos will find someone else to vote for. The Wackos tend to be a younger crowd and will be around longer.
I don't suppose those fat-assed slow working over paid union workers have anything to do with it...ya think?
The big 3 is all for universal health care. They want out from under their own labor agreements on health care.
"Sure, let's have the American taxpayer subsidize more bleep like this..."
I was suprised when a WSJ article revealed that it was management at
GM that first proposed the "jobs bank" idea.
Some days I don't know who to give the major share of blame to:
the unions or the management.
After all, somebody in management did greenlight the Pontiac Azteck (sp?).
Those eevvviiilll corporations....
Toyota and Honda actually *build* more vehicles in the US than GM, Ford or Chrysler. Wonder why they weren't invited?
How about designing and building "quality" cars and trucks the whole world wants and needs.
BTW, I was through Toledo the other day. They are tearing down the old historic Willy's Jeep factory.
Yeah, I think it's the Aztek but who cares? The most recent example of awful American design (I see those on the road and think: what was the owner THINKING OF when he bought that???).
On your point on management vs. union: it's clearly both. The unions forced it but management caved. The precedents were set back in the 1950's and 1960's when presidents (Eisenhower in 1958/9 and Kennedy with the steel strike in 1961) pressed the companies to "come to an agreement... America can't tolerate an extended strike.
Management had to know when those contracts were being negotiated in 1999 that the healthcare and pension benefits (retirees spend NOTHING for their very high-end healthcare benefits) were unsustainable, uncompetitive, and in the process of bankrupting the companies. And now both Management and the Unions will be turning to Demo Congress to bail them out. One more huge slippery slope for this country. We've getting socialism and collectivism through the back door.
Ronald Reagan is groaning in his grave.
sad truth is that the only domestic car i would buy would be that cadillac escalade EXT (and not for the quality, which i assume may not be the best, but cuz it looks nice!)
other than that, i'm happy with toyotas and lexus!
Let me guess! X-body and K-Kar?
Yep, that's what I was getting at. We're not going to get ahead subsidizing buggy whip plants. I drive Chevy, I would love to see GM join the 21st century.
Are you kidding, socialized medicine bails out our big 3.
EPA applies to all cars sold here so it isn't unfair to our big 3.
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