They were too proud of themselves as number-one to admit that this could happen.

And this was already going to happen… it was just a matter of time. They’re using this opportunity to blame an event.

http://nettwerkdesign.com/general-shares/photos/gm-should-according-to-google.bmp

Love that…

So you think the line workers are lazy? Wow thats just rich. When was the last time you worked on an assembly line? You know who has the entitlement mentality? All of those rich mofo bankers who robbed taxpayers of billions giving out bonuses to idiots who deserved to be fired for running their banks into the ground.

GM had all the time and resources in the world to turn things around when the early warning signs arrived, now it goes crying to big daddy government when things get out of control and it can’t stand on its own legs.

Stop pouring taxpayers’ money into the abyss. Declare bankruptcy, and I am sure other companies like Toyota will be happy to buy the company for cheap.

Auto workers out of job? Time to find a new job. Maybe your new master Toyota will offer you a job, but you won’t get the perks you lazy, entitlement mentality unionized American auto workers are so used to.

Feh. The only decent car GM makes is the Corvette.

The main reason I hear for allowing automakers to go chapter 11 is to allow them to bust the unions. To what end, lower wages? Shifting the burden of retirees from the corporations to the government?

So we’re going from a point in history where real wages have been decreasing and exchanging that for even lower wages.

This should end well.

In fact, GM’s only profit over the last few yeas came from selling smaller, fuel-efficient cars to Asia, and especially China. But now that China’s economy has tanked as well, no more of that.

Any Federal money spent that creates or _keeps_ jobs is worth spending right now, but in the long term GM’s previous business model was an obvious failure.

And in a worst case scenario, simply sell the GM plants to Japanese and Korean auto-makers at sweetheart prices. There _is_ a relatively succesful car-making industry in America, and it’s called Honda/Toyota/Hyundai.

Funny. So have Honda, Toyota, and Mazda, but their cars don’t look like what GM has been selling.

I’m a little horrified that seemingly intelligent people are so gung-ho for the death of GM. We’re spending $800 billion with the hope of creating 3-4 million jobs, and we have idiots who are unwilling to spend $30 billion to save 2-3 million current jobs (approx, including suppliers, dealers, etc). If the whole stimulus package were as cost efficient as just saving GM, it would only have to cost $200 billion… Can GM recover? I’m not sure, but throwing $30 billion at them is a bargain (and yes, I’d very much like to see their senior management and a good chunk of their junior management tossed) relative to the other huge wads of cash we’ve already wasted (hell, didn’t we lose half that much in cash in Iraq?). Plus, it’s conceivable they will pay us back, which is more than anyone can say for the banks/mortgage companies, etc.

Americans for far too long have lived like there is no tomorrow and have treated oil as if it were as plentiful as water. Americans got into this mess by being spoiled and selfish, the car companies just gave them what they wanted.

As a former resident of Detroit I can tell you that cities like Detroit are already failing, I left 15 years ago because I saw the writing on the walls economically. The real shame is that millions still live in the Detroit area and they are barely hanging on as it is.

To encourage everyone to take a deep breath and think long and hard about allowing these companies to tank. How would you feel if it were your company that needed help?

Add +1 Vote for this suggestion.

Hell, how many cars are needed for various government officials? All those food inspectors have to get places, right? Make cars with very high fuel efficiency, excellent safety, but don’t bother with style (outside of aerodynamics).

But let them file for bankruptcy and try to reorganize? Absolutely.

I’ve said it in a variety of contexts, but it applies here just as well: “if you’re too big to act responsibly, you’re too big.” It was first said about big companies spamming, it fits asshats like Kos (”you can’t blame him for all the nuts who have diaries on his site!”), and it fits GM too.

I didn’t like the first bailout, and I sure as hell won’t like another. Sorry, GM.

J.

Here’s the question: Can GM return to viability at any time, ever? If that’s not imaginable, then a carefully managed bankruptcy or forced sale to a foreign automaker is the only solution.

If GM can become viable again, I think it’s in the country’s interest to have a prominent U.S. automaker survive. It’ll be painful.

I have no idea why GM’s shareholders aren’t carrying management out of town on a rail.

Having said that, since we’re all talking about nationalization, how about nationalizing the car companies too?