Why Democrats gave Big Three a reprieve

Macho

Macho

Macho............get over machismo, america.  Your car isnt a reflection of your penis.

The most amusing thing to me is this spend happy Congress and Senate would bring up the words Acountability and Viability. Our leaders have done neither while leading our country to disaster. I think Dodd, Pelosi, Reid, Franks, etc., etc. should claim culpability, accountability and that having them in power leads to viability.

By the way they will never shelf the aid to there Union brothers who have stuffed there campaign coffers and ballots. The whole thing is a sham. I think no money is to be given to our automakers until all the unions are disbanded. They will return for more money by 2010 if they maintain status quo.

But how to define “viability”?

Dodd replied, “Well, I don’t know; that’s a great question. Obviously those are the important issues and we’ll have to sort that out ourselves.”

Now you know we are in trouble, this is the one of the same guys that started the housing fiasco, and he admits he does not know what viability is....... Just goes to show you how much these idiots know on capitol hill.

To me, the Republican opposition to providing support for the auto industry is the height of hyprocrisy.  They say that these companies need to become more competitive by shedding costs - specifically the unsustainable benefits that are paid to retired auto workers - like medical insurance and pensions.  Has anyone ever looked into the retirement benefits that our congressmen get - free medical insurance and a pension system no average joe (plumber or otherwise) could ever hope for.  With the current US debt level, perhaps our government needs to shed some unsustainable costs - like benefits for current and future retired congressmen.  I'll believe the Republican politicians really have the interest of the country at heart and believe what they say about auto bailouts when they put their money where their mouths are - give up their retirement benefits and join the rest of us average people who work until they put us in a coffin.  (I'm always amazed at how the Republicans can continually deceive the average joes in the south with their scripted talking points).

Back in the 90s, GM made electric cars they leased in California. People LOVED them. People wanted to BUY them. But instead of selling the cars, GM confiscated them and CRUSHED THEM. So it isn't that they didn't have the technology to compete, THEY WILLFULLY CHOSE NOT TO. We could have been leading the green revolution with regard to cars, but those yahoos decided to build gass guzzling Hummers and Escalades and crap like that instead and turned their backs on anything green.

And now they want us to bail them out? I say, get rid of all the executives, and start making these electric cars again, along with cars that run on compressed air (like the ones invented in France and Australia).

People need to see the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car."

In addition, why are they blaming the union workers, when the executives are the ones who make millions per year? :rolleyes: What a bunch of tools.

And WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS ON TV?  HELLO!!!

Jerry D. Williamson

I notice you rant and rave about Barney Frank and Chris Dodd( I do Too), but at the same time you defend unions to the nth degree. The unions put these crooks in congress ever election by donating to these 2 to the nth degree. Raise heck with the unions that donate to Frank and Dodd.

Now that makes sense!!!!

One word - Unions.

Why reprieve? They can't even argue and impress the House and Senate then they get a second chance. They better come out with good excuses why Big 3 need bailout money otherwise, the best option is bankruptcy.

why is that noone can see the truth its not the auto companies directly its the oil company who has the most to gain by the big three putting out those gas guzzlers people look at the bigger picture

post this

What I don't understand is why this houly wage keeps coming up and to me it seems as though the country is totally against the UAW workers that we make to much money and our wage is a big contributor to the big three going down.  When this week is a perfect example of what is going on in corporate america. Ford has been in buisness for a long time and through the years the money it has wasted is beyond diffineable. The workers have only tried to make these companies give back a little of the money that we have made for them throughout history. I don't think we make to much, I don't think the rest of middle class america doesn't make enough. Toyota and the rest of them haven't been in business long enough to have pension plans to pay.  I chose manual labor and I am a hard worker who gives it my best everyday, I wish the rest of the world would have an oppritunity to defend their rights as workers and make corporate america start redinfing how they run their business.  They line their pockets and fly around the world why they starve the very people that make their success possible. This has been going on for so long now that we think of it as the norm and it is crazy.  If Ford would have made better financial decisions when the money was rolling in and had enough since to look toward the future the mess their in now would of never happened they would of weathered the storm but the big three continued to line their pockets and have a hay day wasting money and throwing away our future. This is where america is at.  All of our jobs overseas because its cheaper and we all helped make it possible and the UAW has fought to keep the jobs in America but we're the bad guys we make to much money. Well i'm sitting in my 55,000.00 dollar house with my little economic american made car and hoping that i will be able to continue to live my humble life and I hope the rest of america realizes that we have been trying to tell this country for years that what is now reality was stoppable but no one would listen.

This was not intended to be offensive just me speaking out

The big three have done this to themselves.  Every time someone came up with great technology, they bought it and squashed it.  They have been anti-environment, anti-gas saving, and anti-safety right down the line.

Now they can't compete with Toyota and Honda.  Boo Hoo.  

Then get your butts back in the game with something that is better for the environment and uses less gas than a Prius.  Do something competitive and stop whining that your dinosaur approach to business isn't working anymore.

i have to pay 1000 amonth in rent and cant have been trying for years to get a 100000 dollar house for a paymnt of 750 and no bank will give me a chance becasue i am not willing to do be a recepticle of the BIG STICK of CREDIT i have always paid for everything with cash never credit so i am considered a credit risk no how BACKWARDS is that the real problem aside from oil is the credit industry so many things on your credit report are wrong and inaccurate and out of date but you are based of this information in my opinion the entire credit rating process should be scrapped it just awat to make the poor pay more what sense does it make to have a person by there standards has a poor credit score have to pay more than someone who has a better credit score now they will blow skoke up your arse saying that som1 who has poor credit is a greater credit risk then please explain why ytou would require this person to pay so much more than a person who has good credit it makes no sense if you ask me it is away to keep the poor even more burden and while the rich to stay rich

I've read all the comments and it seems the majority favors bankcruptcy as a a solution-count me in. The big 3 should be responsible for their own mistakes and should not be turning to their sugar daddy for another lifeline. They failed to compete with foreign cars that are fuel efficient and doesn't breakdown within 5 years. American consumers are looking for quality and reliability so they turn to Japanese cars. These "big 3 " should keep their eyes wide open and don't live on their past glories, they should keep up with the trend.  After all America is the land of innovations. Can they not do that-sure they can but first of all they should file for Chapter11.

Frank & Dodde! you have to be kidding. They are incompetent, they said Jennie & Sallie mae were strong and look what happened. I can't believe Frank was re-elected, so what does that say about the people who re-elected him. Now, is this what we can expect in the future? Mention of only the changes/re-0rganization of the Little 3 and "NO" mention or media attention on the UAW and the necessary changes involving them. If there aren't drastic changes involving the union then the little 3 and the workers will be on the tax payer tit for a LONG time. Dig deep people and open your wallets, this is only the beginning!

One would have thought these three CEO's would already have had a plan in place for achieving viability over the next 3 to 5 years before jetting into Washington seeking $25 Billion in loans.  The fact that they did not is grounds enough for their immediate dismissal and replacement by their respective corporate boards.  Then again, perhaps their respective corporate boards should be dismissed and replace as well.  At this point, both are likely to happen as a condition of a public loan.

After all, the handwriting has been on the wall for several years. For national economic, security, and environmental reasons it has been clear that this country must take the world lead in transforming from an oil-based economy to a clean-energy green economy and common sense dictates that it starts with the manufacturing base conversion of gasoline driven to fuel cell driven automobiles with hybrids serving as an intermediary step.  

Rather than fight this necessary 21st century economic  transformation, the Big 3 CEO's and their Board of Directors should have embraced it willingly and demonstrated their willingness to do so by arriving in Washington in fuel-efficient cars rather corporate jets.

As it is, Congress understands, and more importantly our next President has from the beginning understood, that it and he can not endanger the jobs of 3 million citizens for the pleasure of slapping down 3 CEO's nor take the chance of losing another if not our most essential manufacturing industry to foreign countries if we are are make the 21st century an American one as we did the 20th century.   

Henceforth, our automobile manufacturing industry should necessarily be viewed as a critical part of the long-term solution to the economic, security, and environmental issues we face and our focus should be on enabling it to become so.

The Sopranos, a.k.a.Congress...is part of the mob skimming off of this. This handout thing to The Corleones...a.k.a. big business is at the "tip of the iceberg" point. Over the next two years they'll end up doing absolutely nothing to improve anything but methods for increased extortion....a.k.a. taxation.

The Gambinos....a.k.a. the IRS will start whining before the month's out for their cut of the action. Then Bonnie & Clyde....a.k.a. Fannie and Freddie will need yet another "feeding." Won't be long before Capone, a.k.a. CitiBank will muscle in and demand 100 billion. I wouldn't be surprized if the Yakuza a.k.a. Toyota doesn't get into the act for their American plants. Where we'll REALLY get into trouble is when the Crips & Bloods - a.k.a. the "defense contractors" line up for their take. So long as we don't throw money at the Hells Angels...a.k.a. big oil - just give the lobbyists a while... we may even give money away to Dr. Death...a.k.a. big pharmaceuticals because people are buying less Cialis in the weak economy.

A nation fascinated with their little crooks they put in Washington. By the time they get around to us, they're out of funds, so they rob us in the street to keep their rackets going.

I think the members of Congress need to explain to the American public how they are going to "change the way they do business" & turn the economy around and they also need to make wage and benifit concessions!

As a GM car salesman, I certainly have a vested interest in GM's survival.  As tough as it may be, a Chapter 11 bankruptcy is the only thing that makes sense.  But the REAL problem seems to be the idiots running Congress--- on both sides of the aisle.  Can we truly say Pelosi, Reid, Dodd, and Barney Frank have the sense to come in out of the rain?  And THEY are going to decide what the best course of action is to save the U.S. auto industry?  As badly as they have run the country (and need we mention, the Social Security Trust Fund), while voting themselves bloated retirement plans and multitudes of perks, they are going to berate private industry for doing EXACTLY what they've been doing to the United States of America?  When Pelosi took over as Speaker of the House, didn't she DEMAND  a FULL-SIZE AIRLINER as HER personal mode of transportation, rather than a very reasonable personal-size jet?  When are we going to get these greedy irresponsible representatives and senators in line?  We need some "hatchet men" over reorganization of the auto industry AND congress.

Hey while everyone else is getting bailed out, I figured I would ask America for a bailout too.  I am in need of a bailout due to 220K in education debt and family of five.  I have actually made good financial decisions and have a real plan for bailing myself out.  It seems ridiculous to me to keep flushing money down the toilet for bailouts.  But since we're all begging for a handout check mine out at bailtravisout.com.

It's all about greed.  Corporate greed, union greed and societal greed.  It all has to come to a stop.  First, Chapter 11 reorganization with two emerging auto manufacturers, fewer dealers, and finance lending in place for unlimited auto loans to the public.

No union participation for two years... then gradual reintroduction with financial restrictions limited to the same cost of non-union auto industry workers and job bank participation limited to two weeks. 

Corporate salaries cut to $2 million for CEO's and half that for lesser top management. Fifty percent reduction for all other management positions above $500,000.

All other ammenities such as jet "fleets" will be cut to one jet per company. 

Nafta and Cafta (what ever that is :)) will be renegotiated by Congress within the first three months of session.  No auto plant in the US is to be closed in the US without closing all foreign plants are closed first.  No parts may be ordered from any plant that makes their parts anywhere but totally in the US for use in the assembly or manufacturing of any auto made by the US auto makers.

"Alluding to the PR fiasco, Reid summed up the obvious: “What happened here in Washington this week has not been good for the auto industry.”

Executives flying to the Capitol on corporate jets to seek a loan “doesn’t send a good message,” he said."

Bank CEOs never fly corporate jets. Doh!!!

Obama will give the  big 3 50 billions to make AUW happy

If we bailout the three largest US automotive companies then we might as well bailout the remaining blacksmiths or even perhaps our steel industry.  The three automotive "giants" are now begging for our money after decades of reckless mismanagement.  When my father purchased his first Chevy,  the rear bumper fell off on the way home from the showroom.  Since 1950, this industry continues on its journey through OZ believing that they can turn an antiquated industry, weighted down with poorly negotiated entitlements,  into a bright and shiny ending.  When will the automotive industry (workers and management) wake up and realize – You are never going home?

KC77, when the UAW consistently demands more and more and more while profits decline, they ARE part of the problem.  You cannot always have growth, not even in your own paycheck, and if you insist on it in bad times for the business, the business goes under.  Please explain how that is not related...

Umm, show proof of the UAW asking for more and more.

They have been giving and giving.  As far as the VEBA it is going thru courts now.Try doing some research.

Also GettlelFinger DID NOT fly a private jet. Show the made up links

More lies!!