Posted on 11/16/2008 5:22:26 AM PST by gusopol3
“Your new GM car can be built with these simple tools.” (Drawing of a flat blade screwdriver and adjustable wrench).
“Follow these simple 982-page assembly instructions and don't call the 800 number for tech support until you have reviewed our FAQ on-line at buildyourowndreamride.com”
This happened in the 60’s in the UK with kit cars....:^)
To avoid an excessive new car tax (25%?) kit cars could be sold, but no professional help was allowed.
The Lotus cars (...era of the Avenger's Elan - we all like Emma Peel...:^) were even assembled at the factory, and then taken apart for shipment. I think the local dealers even offered a free 25 mile service - roll it in and they would fix those optional brakes...:^)
High taxes can cause funny effects... ...and GM would then have to compete with the yet-to-be-announced IKEA cars...:^)
Are we to believe that GM’s entire business is run on credit?
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You bet. You can’t lose billions and billions every quarter like they have and not borrow money. They have been and are now living on credit. It’s a lost cause. Even bankruptcy would only stall their demise.
Nah... the Pinto that the lawyers got to was stationary when it was hit at 55 mph, IIRC.
This 55 mph rear end crash test was never performed on other similar cars (think small Japanese imports at that time) - it's very doubtful that any of the other small car would act differently.
Thank the ABA and stupid juries for killing the Pinto - I owned two, and they were OK cheap, small cars for their time.
Where’s my check? Where’s my 10 acres and my Lexus?
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We’re checking into it now but don’t see your name on contributors lists which may delay payment considerably.
Your Government
And put in charge of it Bill Richardson, former energy czar. After all, with one big agency dealing comprehensively with energy as started by Jeemy, we have gone from one-third dependence to two-thirds and growing. Bill has the added advantage of being Bill Clinton’s man who bailed out the Taliban when the Northern Alliance had them on the run, so he really knows how to help us lose the war.
And let’s not forget the Postal Service that, even with taxpayers picking up the entire bill for their enormous health care costs, are still outdone by private companies.
They are dropping like flies in my industry as well. Trouble is we lost 90% to imports since 1970 anyway so there are very few of us left.
Re: Bailout for GM, Ford, and/or Chrysler, I am writing to let you know that if congress bails out the domestic automakers, I will no longer purchase a new car from them, because I would then be supporting an action that I believe is antithetical to the foundations of America. It would also be tantamount to supporting the very unions that are destroying our competitiveness in the global marketplace. Also, what would this say to Americans that work for the Toyota, Nissan, BMW and other plants in the US? You basically would have the federal government picking sides in an industry, just like they do in Europe, i.e. Airbus. Our founding documents are supposed to guarantee "equal treatment under the law". The congress should not pass legislation that so clearly favors a specific geographic section over other areas. A bailout would demonstrate clearly UNEQUAL treatment under any such law to be passed. This would be a horrible precedent.
My husband was a salaried employee of General Motors (Generous motors as it was then called) over 20 years ago. He left because the plant closed...why?
The plant was very productive BUT GM wanted to sell it. It was their perogative to do it AND they were even then trying to divest themselves of Fisher Body (Fisher Guide) plants. Rather than go with the sale, the union voted in a militant president who vowed, “We’ll show THEM” and fought the sale. Two years later, the plant was closed and remains empty to this day. The older union guys who could retire, did so with full benefits and medical. The rest were without a job.
Both management and union have pushed GM to this path. THe management were dinosaur thinkers even then, but the union contracts have put the company in an impossible situation. I agree with the author’s article...if GM were to go bankrupt like other companies (look at the airlines!)and renegotiate and get on the same page as their competitors, then maybe they would have a chance. But they will NOT change if the gov bails them out. Look at what the UAW just said...”No more concessions” despite GM’s predicament.
This says it all!
The auto industry lays out Billions a month and if they finance the very cars they sell then they aren't actually making any cash back to operate. In order to get cash back they have to use accounting methods that get them to realize cash when they need it.
Our dollar has been based off of the ILLUSION of value. If we lost $2+ trillion in the market, where did it all go? The illusion has been busted, and hypothecating dollars is not acceptable.
Yes GM is in big trouble. They need to lay off workers, and get tax credits for upgrading to robotic assembly. Then they know exactly how much it will cost from day one forward, and can produce more with less.
The UAW is basically redundant, as many things in life are now. Machines can make things better, faster and cheaper. Time for them to learn new skills, like robotic maintenance and fabrication.
“equal treatment under the law”
With all of this I have been doing a lot of thinking about how we can fight the growth of socialism. I think it is going to require a constitutional amendment that will trump congress and the president.
One of the ideas I had was a guarantee of fair and equal treatment for companies, not just individuals. Yes it might sound crazy, but hear me out.
Should a company be forced to comply with laws, that would put it out of business? (i.e. Green laws) Or should some consideration be taken with companies based off of their financial output?
What about tax breaks and incentives? if the government tried to pull something a company had depended on in its short or long term financial planning, why should they suffer because of a political decision?
We suffer greatly at the hands of our government, and we need to stop letting it happen.
Lets all keep reminding our representatives: NO MORE BAILOUTS.
This has to be promoted on Free Republic. Conservative talk radio will not push hard on this because most are also accepting advertising dollars from the Big 3.
Nevr underestimate the Rat capacity for stupidity. There is such a thing as targeted import controls.
Will the wars of the future be fought in such a way that the USA will have the time to spend three years converting auto plants and ramping up production of heavy military vehicles?
I think it highly likely that the next World War will last about fifteen minutes.
While I accept your apology, you are going to apologize aren't you?, please obey the rules and be nice to others on FR.
The Labor Provision is Unfair: The Action Plan would require labor provisions beyond legal or contractual requirements. Amtrak employees already have among the strongest labor protections in the nation. Amtrak labor contracts provide for severance pay of up to 5 years, during which period Amtrak continues to pay for medical and dental insurance.
Amtrak Reform Council Action Plan Concurring Statement by Wendell Cox
A Future for Amtrak - New York Times He insists on allowing Amtrak to contract out construction and other work now done at higher cost by union members and scrapping six-year severance pay for ...
Amtrak Is Fighting Off a Walkout - New York Times Amtrak's problem, as one union official said, is not just that Amtrak has trouble ... and provide up to six years of severance pay for workers it lays off . ..
rom: Caroline Nolan/CNN In: Washington Posted 11-6-97
Subject: Senate Team Reaches Amtrak Deal
Senate members have been negotiating since last weekend, after a tentative agreement fell through following objections from Democratic senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and John Breaux (D-La.).
They said union members would be unfairly penalized by a cut in the length of severance pay. Collective bargaining law mandates that Amtrak employees be provided with six years of severance pay, while the Senate deal gives Amtrak 180 days to negotiate a dec
Amtrak Train ADVISORY - What you need to know before you travel by ...
Many employees would get 5-year severance payouts in the event of a layoff -- it's estimated that it would cost Amtrak billions of dollars just to pay off ...
www.trackandtrain.com/atmypace/getting-around/amtrak.html - 15k -
Some say five years and others say six - take your pick.
“www.trackandtrain.com/atmypace/getting-around/amtrak.html - 15k -
Some say five years and others say six - take your pick.”
I work there - I don’t need to take my pick.
The “6-year” severance rule got changed to something like 6 months with the Amtrak Reform Act in 1997.
Even before it was changed, the requirements to qualify were such that very few current employees would get anything like that. I know I wouldn’t be eligible, and I’ve been running Amtrak trains since 1981.
I don’t know where you work, but wherever it is, I’ll assume you know what goes on there. When it comes to Amtrak, you simply don’t know what you’re talking about. No apology offered.
- John
You are correct, your perspective is much better than mine. I only know what I read and what I read was long ago. Some of what I posted was debate over the 1997 bill to reform Amtrak but apparently none of it was after the final passage.
Thanks for the update.
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