[Kaslin]

I guess ol' Patrick wants the government to bail out GM

[Pagey]

BUMP!

[pcpa]

I would suggest that the Unions bear a major part of the responsibility for this. Look at the coal industry and the steel industry.

Both of these were heavily union, just like the auto industry. The costs they have extracted in wages and benefits were exorbitant relative to other industries. The other problem with all of them was they did nothing to combat the regulations that came down on their industries.

The unions supported the various government regulators that undermined each of their industries. As a voting block the continued to elect people who imposed more regulations on their employers and more costs.

The industry could afford it and should have to pay whatever the cost was is a mentality that exists among union employees. They never want to accept any responsibility for their decisions, they are OWED !!!

I saw it first hand in the coal industry and have no sympathy for them and their mentality. My frustration is the failure of the education system to teach what should be taught and not the indoctrination that has happened for 50 years now.

[count-your-change]

Detroit didn't die from one ailment and curing just one ailment wouldn't keep it alive.

And Detroit didn't die from a lightening bolt but from decades of neglect and indifference.
So now, after nearly 50 years of unions, poor management, a government love/hate attitude, and rising competition Detroit dies and everyone can justifiably point to their favorite villain.

No more duct tape, Bondo and joy riding. Either the old heap gets overhauled completely or it heads to the crusher.

[choirboy]

Nathan Detroit is dead? Damn!

[LjubivojeRadosavljevic]

Who killed Detroit?

Well, the former (late) Mayor Coleman Young had a lot to do with the destruction of Detroit - and no one even mentions this...interesting.

[quadrant]

Generally, I disagree with Buchannan, but his analysis is correct. He fails to note that “greed” and stupidity killed the auto industry. Greed by the companies, the unions, and most importantly: greed by the government for the money that could be squeezed from these companies.
Stupidity by the companies, the unions, and most importantly by the government who believed that one could lay one burden after another on this industry and still would produce profits.

[BuffaloJack]

Unions and socialism killed Detroit !!!!

[fight_truth_decay]

First of all how "weird" is FR right now regarding format?

Back to subject: Bailout

The Bailout Boys

An animated video featuring U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. By John Kenney and Pete Slife. NewYorker November 18, 2008

[rmlew]

Yes. I happen to agree that we must save our auto-industry. Sadly the bailout wont do it since it fixes none of the proplems.
Speaking of problems, PJB forgot the government enforced "closed shops" and prevailing wage laws.

[word_warrior_bob]

Oswald

[WilliamReading]

PJB is frothing at the mouth again.

[Gritty]

Big deal. Who cares about these smokestack dinosaurs, anyway? After all, we can still fall back on the lucrative money changing and paper pushing industries of banking, finance, and stock and bond trading. Oh, wait a minute. Never mind.