BAIL MONEY
I've been thinking about government bail-outs of the auto manufacturers, which now, on both sides of the border, runs in the many billions of taxpayer dollars.
(I'm not sure yet what I think about similar bail-outs of banks -except for a natural disgust, of course - so perhaps more on that on another day. For the moment, I'll just add that to my list of reasons for being happy I am a Canadian and not otherwise.)
It seems very clear to me that the car companies as they are currently structured and focused are history.
The so-called Big Three have been making trashy products that not one person I know buys. The only place I ever see these products are on rental lots.
It is all well and good that the unions have made concessions and taken pay roll-backs to help these misguided corporations seize more of our money. But that is hardly the answer.
If Obama and Harper are so determined to save these industries, then why not ask for real change?
We'll bail-out your sorry butts if:
You start making electric cars today.
You make small cars like the Smart Car.
You take the plans and tool-ups for all your SUV's and turn them into nuclear waste.
Trucks will be built and sold to truckers, not re-designed as passenger vehicles and made exempt from pollution restrictions.
Every American preisdent and every American presidential candidate for ages has blathered on about the necessity for "freeing ourselves from the addiction to foreign oil supplies."
So?
Go ahead. Free yourself.
Go electric.
Go small.
Go You-Know-What until you can come up with real valid reasons for taxpayers to shore up these doomed and completely out-of-touch businesses.
6 comments:
The sad fact about this post is that it shows that our public transit system ain't working and it is the same 1970's mentality that runs Trans Link is alive and well with the big three auto makers.
Your product is CRAP!
Do not invest in C***! Do not buy C***!
Welcome your ideas David but please explain how I'm going to tow my vacation RV with a "smart car" . . . or pack two kids, a dog and my wife in one for a three week road trip?
Thanks today for a more balanced comment. I agree it is a great mistake to hand car companies billions of dollars merely to prevent layoffs in Ontario and Quebec. We must have broader social purposes served. Remaking the fleet should be part of that requirement.
Modern small cars burn fuel relatively efficiently and cleanly so why not remove all older vehicles or bicycles. Fashion a national upgrade of the BC Scrap-It Program and aim to get cars older than 10 years off the road, replaced by fuel efficient, made in North America, vehicles. The purchase incentive grant would increase according to the environmental benefit realized. That way, we stimulate manufacturing, improve air quality, save fuel and provide benefits to the broad base of taxpayers who fund the program.
If government merely hands the manufacturers a few billion dollars with no strings, that might fund great executive bonuses and short term job extensions. After that cash is gone, they will return for more.
Hi Jeff,
Hahahaha...good question!
You're going to buy and use a big car or truck like you always have, because you have a real and legitimate reason...
David
David
I'm like Jeff, I need a big car because I'm a big person and have a wife and two kids. I tried sitting in a smart car and what amased me is that I could. BUT with a wife and two kids it's totally impracticle.There isn't room enough in the back for groceries. The current smart car is called a twofour or something like that in Germany thay have a four passenger version, but for some reason it's not over here. Smart car has been having problems for the last couple of years as well and laying off people. It was Just made available in the US a year or so ago. I don't know how popular it's been but I doubt it will be very sucessful given all the great highwaydistances most american commuters travel. I know the car is very safe but it sure doesn't look it.
AQs for the big three auto makers they were in a lot of cases building what the public wanted and needed. BUT with hourly wages topping $75.00 plus an hour and major benifits as well as good old corporate greed they were bound to lose sales. The japanese manufacturers stole a lot of their business, with cheaper(less labour costs) and better built units. You will notice that the japanese have started to manufacture larger trucks and cars as well to compete with the big three. I think that the turning around was the price of gas. Everybody panicked. People were trading in their big vehicles and taking a huge bath on them and then investing in a better fuel efficient vehicle to save money. That reeally confused me! Lose $10,000 or more on the trade value ,pay more money for the new car. How long will it take you to make up the $10,000 plus you lost on the sale.
@ Anonymous 7:16
Anyone who thinks autoworkers are paid $75 and hour plus benefits is watching too much Faux News.
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