As a junior in high school in 1970 I bought my first car, a 64’ Pontiac GTO. It will always be my favorite. Since then I’ve owned many General Motors vehicles, including a 1975 Chevy Camaro, a 1985 Chevy 1/2 ton Scottsdale, a 1990 GMC 4-wheel drive Sierra, a 2003 GMC 4-wheel drive Canyon, and most recently a 2008 GMC 4-wheel drive crew cab Sierra. My wife has also owned several GM vehicles over the years.
It’s sad to say but my 2008 Sierra will be my last GM vehicle. I don’t believe the federal government should be in the business of making cars. I don’t believe they should be in any kind of business at all. They’re not good at making practical business decisions. They’re only good at injecting politics into business decisions and spending (wasting) taxpayer money on these businesses (bailouts). In the case of Chrysler, giving unions priority over bondholders and a majority stake in the new company is a perfect example. The union is now both management AND labor. Is that going to work? NO.
How does Ford now compete with Government Motors? Ford files its corporate taxes with the federal government and must comply with government rules and regulations. As such, the government will have a distinct advantage in knowing its competitors inner workings. The government can then dictate to Ford policies that will make Ford less competitive, and force them into bankruptcy protection (government involvement). It sets a dangerous precedence when the government becomes your competitor. Whole industries will soon be under direct government control.
How do we stop this government takeover of the private sector? We start by not participating. I bought my last GM vehicle last year—I’m now a FORD man.
Jeff Jorgensen
Treynor, IA
Moe Lane
Steve Maley
Dan McLaughlin
Neil Stevens
Daniel Horowitz
Ford
exitsfunnel Tuesday, June 2nd at 1:04PM EST (link)I love the sentiment, but unfortunately, Ford is headed for bankruptcy (without the governments help) as surely as the sun rises in the east. At their current burn rate, they’ll probably drop below their minimum operating capital level early in 2010. The government is destined to add Ford to it’s ‘automobile division.’ I wish that it weren’t so, but it is.
-exits
How About A Red Chinese Hummer?
azletx Tuesday, June 2nd at 2:28PM EST (link)Don’t tell me you are not for the wholly owned by a non-govt – the Hummer Brand – which now always will come with a RED under-coat?
nope, no Fords either
Darin_H (Diary) Tuesday, June 2nd at 2:53PM EST (link)traded in my 1997 F-150 about 6 weeks ago (needed an SUV), and we went with a Honda Pilot. Fords are still made by UAW. The UAW was paid off by this administration in their takeover of GM.
A visionary coward says that anger can be power, as long as there’s a victim on TV – Flat Top, Goo Goo Dolls
Sticking with mopar
panthera (Diary) Tuesday, June 2nd at 6:28PM EST (link)glad you said an American company and not a foreign one. I wont drive a foreign car unless there is no american company left and my cars wheels fall off.
Id rather the money stay in the country..
Which reminds me, if I see another Obama sticker on a foreign car, Ill scream. If Obama wants to help the American company then he should tell his followers to buy one.
Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.
Don't forget that the government also bailed out
The_Rebel (Diary) Tuesday, June 2nd at 9:00PM EST (link)GMAC, so now fresh with government funds, not only will GM have a leg up on Ford with its vehicles, it has a government-funded financing arm ready to sell those vehicles at rates that Ford could not hope to match.
Demise of car companies?
redneck_hippie (Diary) Tuesday, June 2nd at 9:12PM EST (link)I look at the American car companies vis a vis their knuckling under to unions as not purely previously privately run enterprises.
They will go from union-run and ruined companies to government and union owned and ruined companies.
Ruined one way, now the government steps in to deliver the coup de grace. Shame our money is being wasted to save union jobs so more democrats can stay in office.