The Big 3

[TheBigChicken]

how dare those greedy greedy bastards. so many people out of work, including myself and they want a bail out...

[Angry Ewok]

Can't we force the District of Columbia out of the Union?

[ycartrob]

exactly.

You ever had to deal with an auto company or credit card company when you are behind on a payment and need some slack? They're rude bastards who could give 1 shit about you, or your financial situation, or whatever. They just want to get paid and they will follow you to the ends of the earth to get their money.

Now all of a sudden these greedy people want a break and some compassion?

whatever

[Taterbug]

Who pays the pensions for the millions of retirees of the auto industry when they  collapse ?   correct me if I'm wrong,  but I think we will.   IMO when they collapse our National Security will be compromised.
I'm not fallin for the sky is falling bullshit like the 700B bailout for wallstreet any more.  There is still plenty of fat to trim off the automotive industry that could keep  them operating without filling bankruptcy or bailout money.  The government SHOULD protect assets owned by the auto industry and keep them from being bought up by the chinese and other foreign companies.  The same tooling that makes cars also supports our military.

Lots of people are still wanting to buy cars, it's the banks that won't give out the loans.   There are alotta of good deals out there.  
Buy American if you can. You might not be able to get parts for it next year though.  WHAT A FUCKED UP MESS WE CREATED.  FREE TRADE MY ASS.  TARIFFS TARIFFS TARIFFS

[MarkW]

TARIFFS TARIFFS TARIFFS

Not sure isolationism will save you, Tater.

Let's look on the bright side; if the car industry goes tits up, we've all got a chance of reaching the carbon emissions target by 2020...

[The DARK]

Damn straight. I can't understand any of the arguments that big business (of any sort) is throwing at us anymore. Copyright lawsuits, government bailouts...it all comes down to their "right" to be infinitely self-serving. Trickle-down doesn't exactly work when their cup is eight miles high.

[Angry Ewok]

I can't wait for the bartering years to begin. I'll trade the dealership six honey baked hands, four jars of potato juice, and three boxes of ammunition for this baby and a tank of gas...

[megalicious]

lol. i can see brad now... "i'll trade you my wife for this bentley."
:D

seriously, though. i wish someone had bailed me out when i was drowining in medical debt b/c health insurance was too damn expensive for me to have. just sayin...

[Penny Lane]

TARIFFS TARIFFS TARIFFS

Not sure isolationism will save you, Tater.

Let's look on the bright side; if the car industry goes tits up, we've all got a chance of reaching the carbon emissions target by 2020...

NO! that only hurts your economy in the long run! Free trade is so important.

they need to let these companies file for bankruptcy, that's what it's there for--they say they're scared people will stop buying cars but they've stopped buying for the last 10 years. the big 3 need to figure out how to rebuild and compete in the BRIC market (brazil, russia, india, china) plus bailing them out is unfair---look at all the other industries that will also need bailed out---

the big 3 need to figure out how to tailor their businesses in order to compete globally (which means free trade!) for every 900 americans, there are 1000 cars driven---this should not be their market---families are scaling back--they need to figure out how to make money in china and india--i think the UNION has killed the industry-the japanese are non union (obviously) and pay their workers the same amount but they make cars cheaper because they don't have the overhead legacy costs and overly restrictive work rules that contribute to innefficiency

giving money to the big 3 is unlikely to trickle down---especially chrysler---bought by private equity billionaires? that is capitalism-they took the risk

OMG--i could go on all day--where is the MEDIA in all this? what are democrats (and some repubs) thinking!!! god i hate congress

[Killgies]

exactly.

You ever had to deal with an auto company or credit card company when you are behind on a payment and need some slack? They're rude bastards who could give 1 shit about you, or your financial situation, or whatever. They just want to get paid and they will follow you to the ends of the earth to get their money.

Now all of a sudden these greedy people want a break and some compassion?

whatever

Tracy I normally don't agree with you on many things but you hit the nail on the head here though.
I have issues with the Big 3. I know several people that work for GM and make an insane amount of money. I have no trouble with people making a lot of money, I'm capitalist myself.

I know of a guy who works for Saturn that makes over 100k a year filling orders in the parts warehouse. He hasn't even worked for GM that long. Also same group of workers were threating to strike 4 years ago because their dental insurance was going to raise $2 a month.

My firm belief that Unions are out dated and most should go the way of the dinosaur. Not really needed in this sue free society.

[mjkoehler]

Wow, this many posts in an no one hit this up yet?

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8lAjmor6bg[/media]

[TheBigChicken]

Wow, this many posts in an no one hit this up yet?

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8lAjmor6bg[/media]

Damn Meg White is SEXY as hell :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*

[Penny Lane]

exactly.

You ever had to deal with an auto company or credit card company when you are behind on a payment and need some slack? They're rude bastards who could give 1 shit about you, or your financial situation, or whatever. They just want to get paid and they will follow you to the ends of the earth to get their money.

Now all of a sudden these greedy people want a break and some compassion?

whatever

Tracy I normally don't agree with you on many things but you hit the nail on the head here though.
I have issues with the Big 3. I know several people that work for GM and make an insane amount of money. I have no trouble with people making a lot of money, I'm capitalist myself.

I know of a guy who works for Saturn that makes over 100k a year filling orders in the parts warehouse. He hasn't even worked for GM that long. Also same group of workers were threating to strike 4 years ago because their dental insurance was going to raise $2 a month.

My firm belief that Unions are out dated and most should go the way of the dinosaur. Not really needed in this sue free society.

where i grew up in Ohio, 50% of my friends' parents all worked for a GM or Ford related plant/factory while my parents struggled--they made $$ and the jobs were BS--some doing perverse management jobs on a 3rd shift when the plant's not even open--tick tock tick tock--that union mentality doesn't jive anymore--and we're picking up the check for it. this is supposed to buy them time to change their practices?  they've had a long time to get their acts together.

this is something that dems and repubs should have no problem agreeing on---i don't get it...someone explain to me what is going on...

[tomEisenbraun]

(posted this in the current complaints thread, but it's more applicable here)

Not so much bad leadership as much as the union sucking them dry. If they could file for bankruptcy, they'd be allowed to renegotiate union dues and hourly wage. Granted, I'm sure no one wants to see their pay come down from $75/hr, but seriously, that's around $150k a year for working in an auto-shop. I'm not going to make judgments on what is and isn't fair, because I'm in no boat to vote for lowering anyone's wages, but the union as a whole needs to pay attention to the resources of the company its people work for and also take into account the needs of its workers. That money could be spread a little more effectively through the company to keep it from sinking. If the bail-out goes through for these guys, it'll basically just give them more time to work with before filing chapter 11.

My dad works for Chrysler and sent a series of email about the 5000 upper level employees they're having to off because of the situation. He's not taking a severance package because he is ONE YEAR SHORT of getting any benefit from the packages they've offered, and so we're not entirely sure he'll have his job come January 1. We're relatively sure that he'll be okay, but it's still a little sweaty when there's not a 100% in front of that "sure".

Seriously though, it'd be nice to see these guys have the opportunity to file for bankruptcy, get their union shit straightened out and have another go at it.

It'd be nice if they had a chance to go FedEx with it, but I think the entire UAW would try to flip upside down over that one.

[mjkoehler]

Wow, this many posts in an no one hit this up yet?

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8lAjmor6bg[/media]

Damn Meg White is SEXY as hell :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*

I think so. I'd buy an overpriced car from the Big 3 from her. Now if we can get her to do cartwheels and splits on the hood...... ::)

[The DARK]

Wow, this many posts in an no one hit this up yet?

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8lAjmor6bg[/media]

This was actually the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread.

[getinthevan]

I've lived in the Lansing, MI area for almost my entire life.  It's hard driving through Lansing past empty GM and Oldsmobile plants.  They just serve as constant reminders of Michigan's crumbling economy.  

Yesterday my dentist told me that she thinks I'm getting out of Michigan (and Lansing) at just the right time.

[Penny Lane]