ACOT Message Board

 I see they bailed out citigroup last night--do you think they will help the automakers

Do you think they should????

 That's a sensitive subject here - we live in Michigan and I come from a family of auto workers - most who have since taken buyouts or left for better things.
I wonder if Citigroup had to give the government a detailed plan on what they were going to do to improve their company like the auto companies have to do.  On the other hand - there is still too many executives with their hand in the till at the Big 3 and until they are willing to sacrifice more, I say don't bail them out.  I feel sorry for the workers, however they have been making fantastic money with benefits for years - I am more sad for the auto supplier employees who do not get paid as much or get nearly as many benefits and stand to lose their jobs if the Big 3 go under.

 Yes, they've got to do something.  A whole industry can't go just go under.  We are already too dependent on foreign countries for oil, do we want to be dependent on foreign countries for our cars, too?  Does everybody want to drive a foreign car?  Our foreign trade deficet would just be getting bigger and bigger and bigger!!

And for those who don't know it, China does make cars.  China has been wanting to sell their cars in the US for a looooong time.  I'm sure they would be the cheaper cars, too.  Considering how China puts lead in the paint in kids toys and melamine in grain and milk products that have actually killed children and pets, DO YOU REALLY WANT TO DRIVE A CHINESE CAR??????

But yes, the US auto makers do need to make some consessions.  They have been fighting the higher gas milage requirements for years and the Bush administration has been letting them have loopholes.  Put strict gas milage rules in place.  All gas guzzlers need to become hybrids!!

 I think something needs to be done, but not sure how it needs to be done....other than all the CEO's that get the big salaries, bonuses, benefits, etc.  THAT HAS GOT TO STOP!  Ridic for that to go on while people are being laid off....

 We have given the US auto industry plenty of chances to get their act together. We have bailed them out twice before and they still haven't gotten it together. The only one who should be given another chance, possibly, is Ford, simply because they haven't had multiple bailouts in the past. I say to heck with the other two.

America is not the only country buying these cars - they sell to the world and the rest of the world doesn't want their oversized, gas guzzling pieces of junk.

The rest of the world doesn't drive Hummers and SUVs and over-sized trucks.

The rest of the world signed the Kyoto protocol and need cars that meet those enviornmental regulations which the BIG 3 do not and refuse to meet because America does not require it of them.

Asia, Germany and Great Britain meet those needs. Their cars are already at least 10 years ahead of the engineering of anything the Big 3 is making now. They actually have to reverse their engineering on the cars they bring to America because WE don't the capability to service the cars' advanced technology - we still use GAS!! How antiquated. Even Brazil is ahead of us.

Most other industrialized countries heard the warning bells in the 70's and adjusted their engineering. Most industrialized countries madated changes during the last energy crisis. America, as usual, did not. America was greedy, wasteful and ignorant. Now the price has to be paid.

I haven't driven a car made in the US since 1983 and I never will agian! Currently I drive Scion. It is a non-hybrid that gets 48 mpg on the interstate and has over 100,000 miles on it without a major tune up. You can't find a US car that will do that.

The trade deficit isn't out of control because of this. If America wanted to control the trade deficit She would have to start back at square one... where the major corporations are sending their operations overseas so that they make higher profits. Toyota just opened a manufacturing plant here in AR in a plant that was shut down because the last AMERICAN employer outsourced to the Honduras. There's your job loss. There's your money drain.

 You go M'Lee ... tell it like it is ... lol!  But seriously, let me get this straight, give me money, and I will figure it out later, after I fly around in my private jet (which the cost of jet fuel is well over $4 @ gal up to over $5 @ gal) and don't make the cars most Americans would/should be buying (low mpg) so we can become more independent on the oil !!!!  HHHHHMMMMM what is wrong with this picture?  But the thing I don't like about Citigroup is, you remember the time period when they were sending out the credit cards to just anybody and everybody, sometimes if not most of the time when people couldn't afford a credit card ... hummm 17, 18, 19 ... year olds with a small amount of credit on the card but then in a matter of months, they up'ed the limit.  I had two teenage boys who were sent credit cards one just graduated from high school and the other was still in high school.  Well they are just now recovering, as far as credit standing goes, from their stupidity on credit cards.

I think for automakers, Chap 11, reorganization, would be the way to go.

Themom wrote: We have given the US auto industry plenty of chances to get their act together. We have bailed them out twice before and they still haven't gotten it together. The only one who should be given another chance, possibly, is Ford, simply because they haven't had multiple bailouts in the past. I say to heck with the other two.

America is not the only country buying these cars - they sell to the world and the rest of the world doesn't want their oversized, gas guzzling pieces of junk.

The rest of the world doesn't drive Hummers and SUVs and over-sized trucks.

The rest of the world signed the Kyoto protocol and need cars that meet those enviornmental regulations which the BIG 3 do not and refuse to meet because America does not require it of them.

Asia, Germany and Great Britain meet those needs. Their cars are already at least 10 years ahead of the engineering of anything the Big 3 is making now. They actually have to reverse their engineering on the cars they bring to America because WE don't the capability to service the cars' advanced technology - we still use GAS!! How antiquated. Even Brazil is ahead of us.

Most other industrialized countries heard the warning bells in the 70's and adjusted their engineering. Most industrialized countries madated changes during the last energy crisis. America, as usual, did not. America was greedy, wasteful and ignorant. Now the price has to be paid.

I haven't driven a car made in the US since 1983 and I never will agian! Currently I drive Scion. It is a non-hybrid that gets 48 mpg on the interstate and has over 100,000 miles on it without a major tune up. You can't find a US car that will do that.

The trade deficit isn't out of control because of this. If America wanted to control the trade deficit She would have to start back at square one... where the major corporations are sending their operations overseas so that they make higher profits. Toyota just opened a manufacturing plant here in AR in a plant that was shut down because the last AMERICAN employer outsourced to the Honduras. There's your job loss. There's your money drain.

Everytime i express my opinion I always seem to get flack from someone.  You couldn't have said it better and I whole heartedly agree.  So with that said.......I DITO THIS!!!!

 You know, the United Autoworkers of America really isn't helping the cause either....

DearAbby wrote: You know, the United Autoworkers of America really isn't helping the cause either....

I'm probably the one that will get flack with this but I so agree with you here ... I mean you realize how much we pay people HERE in America versus how much they pay over there.  Don't get me wrong here, their pay is (probably) way too low ... but our's has gotten way too high.  That is a whole 'nother subject in itself.  I know ... I know, I will probably receive a lot of flack on that statement.