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Originally Posted by laconic1
I'm torn about this too. I see the unions making concessions on new hires and getting the new people back down to reasonable wages and benefits and that is good, but there is still the legacy issue. And how do you fix it? I don't think it is fair to tell somebody what pension they will get for 30+ years and then yank the rug out when times get tough, but what is the answer? I do think the country needs a manufacturing base, I don't think any industrialized nation can survive on the retail and service sectors alone.
I grew up loving GM vehicles. I lusted after Camaro's from the time I was 8 years old. When I was 18 I got a job at a Chevy dealer which was a dream come true for me. I drive a Chevy now.
I don't want GM to go under. It pisses me off that there are many people actively cheering for GM's demise. It pisses me off that Rick Wagoner has been CEO of GM for almost 9 years now, with all the mistakes he has made, and the board still won't can his ass. It frustrates me to know that there is good product in the pipeline that may never see the light of day. It annoys me that the government has shoveled almost a trillion dollars into the banking industry without hardly batting an eye or attaching any strings while giving a big Fuck You to the auto industry in their moment of need.
At the same time I can't blame people for being hesitant to buy from an American brand after hearing the American brands talk the talk about quality for years without backing it up. I can't help but think that perhaps a loan might be a waste if the companies don't complete the restructuring they have restarted and have to come back for another loan next year. I wish I knew the answer.
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Yeah, pretty much what you said. Except I've always leaned toward Ford trucks. This is my second. My first new Ford was a 97 F-150. I can't even remember the number of recalls on it. Everything from lug nuts to some fuel line issue that was causing some units to burst into flames. That'll ruin your day I'd guess. Was going to buy a new GM when I got this one but a good friend of mine had just bought a new GM, the lifter(s?) were knocking. I thought it was diesel the first time I heard it. He took it in right after it started making the noise and the dealers reaction was "noise? what noise?" He spent months trying to get something done about it. I never cared for Dodges that much so I bought another new Ford. Like I said driving it home I could feel the front end shake. I took it back and got "shake? what shake?" Seriously do you really think anyone that stupid?
I wish I knew the answer(s) too. What I do know is what they're doing now is absolutely not the answer. I find it just fucking sad that they (the big 3 CEO's) showed up in DC looking for a multi-billion dollar loan without even having a plan. You can't get a loan to open a Subway sandwich shop without a business plan. Their plan seemed to be show and tell congress "give us money or we'll fail." Don't look now fellas... you are failing.