The hot news of late has been the bailout talks the 'big three' auto companies, Ford, GM and Chrysler are having with the Feds. I just want to throw out some of my SlingShot Thoughts on the subject and get to the main reason for writing tonight.
- First: They auto companies asking for $25,000,000,000 dollars. And that is just a bridge loan to cover a short term deficit. If there was one thing we should have learned lately is that things always cost more than twice as much as the original request. I point to the banking and finance bail out and the cost of the Iraq war as two points.
- Second: They are claiming 2.5 million jobs could be lost. Using the same logic above I will say that really only 1.25 million jobs would be lost in the short term.
- Third: You fuckin' jerk off CEOs. Fly 30 million dollar private jets, costing $20,000 for the trip to beg the government crying poor mouth. FUCK YOU GUYS! That's like, what, going to the welfare office wearing a new suit and gold chains.
- Fourth: I say let 'em falter on their own. It was their poor business and management practices. They are not producing products the people want. It's no ones fault but their own. Own up, BITCHES!
Ok. The real rant. GM is pushin' out the Chevy Volt. It goes a whole 40 miles on batteries. whooooo. (if you didn't hear my sarcasm, read that again) 40 miles and the car while, granted LOOKS really cool, is going to cost (according to some reports) like $40,000. This one more perfect reason why they can't sell anything. Who the frig has 40-grand for a car that only goes 40 miles? My mom sold a Toyota Tercel to a guy who DIY electric car that easily does 20 miles for 5 grand. HERE. This guy got half the range for way less cash. 
I'm just blabbering and complaining. With all their resources GM should have a car out, next year, that is getting 300 miles on battery power alone and cost 20-grand. This is the 21st century for christsakes. I mean really we are less than 60 years from when we are all supposed to be living like George Jetson and I can't even get a flying car over here.
It's just aggravating that the car companies are not held responsible for thier actions and that the government isn't pushing for great things. Maybe Obama will put out a Kennedy-esqe man on the moon, electric car in every driveway. However the more I see that news the less and less Mr. Change is bringing in the ol'Cliton gang. So disappointing.
Is it time to buy GM stock?
ReplyDeleteActually, when I was growing up, I thought we were supposed to live like George Jetson by 10 years ago! And we don't have phasers, yet, do we?
Sorry, just ramblin' on...
They can start to save themselves when they stop giving the big wheels raises and private jets.
ReplyDeleteThis has so many buttons that have already been pushed on my blog, that I won't even link them all. Needless to say I have been echoing almost all of these thoughts for the past 4 years over at "Hyprocrisy".
ReplyDeleteHowever, a few points:
1) Let them go under....something will rise out of the ashes. Will folks lose their jobs, sure....but that makes for great generational mindset to not let it happen again. What does bailing the out accomplish? A mindset that it is OK to screwup, there will be a reset button if we do?
2) Corporate Jets for CEOs. In reality, they are leased by the company for specific time frames. The money has already been spent on them so they might as well use them. Although it does show poor CEO / Public relations to use them at this juncture. The PR folks should have told them to show up crammed inside a smoking Yugo....
3. I don't even want to go near the 'electric car' debate. I had an EV-1 for a week back in 1997. The car that GM made and leased for 4 years. It would go 100 miles on a charge and was a blast to drive, but big oil and short term profits killed it....they shut down the assembly line and started making Hummers instead. I didn't have a lot of sympathy for Detroit after that, and that was 10 years ago.
I am looking forward to a much brighter future, but it will be a long and cold night of economic upheval before we get to it. We have been living on borrowed economic time for the past 30 years while the rest of the world passed us by. I say, lets just roll up our sleves and get it over with.
YEAH BRUCE!.
ReplyDeleteyou me and mitt romney.
Pah-PING!*
ReplyDelete*that's me, getting smacked in the temple by a SlingShot Thought!
I heart you Geology Joe. Great blabbering and complaining. If only THEY could hear your rant!
And Bruce, my sleeves are rolled up and I'm ready to get 'er over with. Sigh.
thanks kate.
ReplyDeleteI hope that someone reads/ finds my blog from a google search then decides that they need to pay me to sit around and blabber and rant my ideas. right now its all for free.
It's quite appropriate for Obama to bring former Clinton staff on board as they're experienced. They have a new leader now. He needs experienced people running the federal government.
ReplyDelete- D
Well, I'll say right off the bat I'm against just letting the auto companies liquidate, go down the tubes, whatever. This would have a hell of a far reaching effect and make the present economic situation much, much worse. And what's more, I support the blue collar guys! Even if it's only 1.25 million people losing jobs rather than 2.5 million, that's still a hell of a lot jobs down the drain.
ReplyDeleteHey, I see by today's news that Axelrod, Obama's brain trust guy who was instrumental in managing his election win, has come out with a blast against the big Auto three: devise a plan to retool and restructure by next month. Otherwise, he said, "there is very little taxpayers can do to help them." Then he added as a kicker: I hope that they will come back to Washington in early December — on commercial flights — with a plan.
Finally, I agree with what Anonymous said. These new appointees may have a Clinton connection but they're also pragmatists and appear to be competent. The important thing is to get something done, anything, to get us out of this mess and put people back to work.