Deweyp

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12 Comments

    • Mon Nov 3rd 11:10 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Detroit's Hail Mary: Saving the Automakers
      Excellent article Jeremy. You are the first to recognize where the problem is, what the cause of the problem is, how big the problem is and what needs to be done about it. I have read every article I could find dealing with the Auto Industry issues over the past year or two and no one else has been able to put it in perspective like you have. I for one though, believe that allowing Chrysler to fade into the sunset would not be in the nation's best interest. There may well be closed factories with a GM merger, but that , in my opinion, would not be nearly as bad as allowing their demise, as the human toll would be much greater. I look forward to more of your articles.
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    • Sun Nov 2nd 20:46 PM | Rating: +2 -1
      Commented on:
      Ford Celebrates, GM Scratches Its Head
      I am firmly convinced after reading these blogs for some time now that paulk8756 is in the foreign auto camp BIG TIME. This person has never had an unbiased or accurate comment since I have been reading and answering these comments. The US auto industry is doing everything possible to turn things around while at the same time being a responsible corporate citizen in the US. They are supporting employee and retiree healthcare and pensions at a level that provides a decent standard of living for them. None of the foreign transplants have this burden, having recently arrived on our shores, nor do the plan on doing so in the anytime future. Yes there are problems, but the big 3 are not abandoning those who have devoted their lives to these companies and are now living out their golden years comfortably, but not at the richness
      level that some would have you to believe. The efforts of these companies deserve our support, not our disdain. They should in fact be honored for what they are trying to accomplish. Paulk 8756, I find your extreme bias against the US auto industry SO reprehensible and SO entirely inaccurate that you should be censured or banned from commenting on the web sites Seeking Alfa provides.
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    • Sat Oct 18th 10:03 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Why GM + Chrysler = Ugh
      Your last paragraph says it all, the deal will reduce the chances of either company failing. You say you are not in favor of the merger, so what would you prefer, both companies failing? How on earth would that be better? By some estimates the American auto industry supports something north of 2 million well paid jobs in the US. Most critics of our government and the bailout decry the fact that medicare and social security funds are in jeopardy. How much more will they be indebted if we allow the auto industry to fail? The turn around is in progress and these companies will be self sustaining and profitable very soon. I believe they should be helped in any possible. America will benefit big time in the long run.
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    • Thu Oct 16th 09:41 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      The Electric Car Market: Wise Energy Use Stocks
      Two points:
      1) Most people will not give up the personal freedom an auto provides, even if the operating cost is higher by a few points.
      2) The world is in the beginnings of a transition from petro power to electric and eventually hydrogen or even something more exotic. This would explain why there are few sales of electric vehicles. Few are being built yet. At the turn of the last century many made just the same argument about autos vs horses, and look where we are now.
      There will always be a need for mass transport and some may find that to their liking, but I really do not believe autos are on the way out. I wouldn't bet against the auto companies, troubled as they are.
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    • Thu Sep 25th 15:14 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Auto Stocks: Value Investments Gone Wrong?
      By necessity the restrictive, destructive union rules are slowly being reduced, but not fast enough to prevent the wholesale damage to the big three. Elroy hit the nail on the head, but the protectionism involved extends to currency manipulation, which I believe is the biggest piece of the pie, but at the expense of the Japanese citizens, because they pay considerable more for the products imported to their nation than Americans do. They can do this and give their auto and other industries a huge leg up, mainly because the citizens of Japan have such a high savings rate. The big three have historically provided a higher standard of living than most other industries, and they should be applauded for that, except that, with world competition as strong as it is now, it has no where to go. The American auto industry is far more important than the jobs that are provided to our labor force, although that is important. As history can verify, the auto industry has been a key player in our national defense and will continue to be, if it remains strong. Allowing that industry to go away, as some would suggest, is not the smartest thing to do. We should support it (although with much oversight) and insure it continues to be a strong segment of our manufacturing base.
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    • Tue Sep 23rd 19:42 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Chrysler: Trying to Stake Its Claim in Electric Cars
      I here that a battery company, A123, is applying to incorporate this week and that they will likely be the supplier for the GM Volt. This is good news because they are an American company, providing American jobs and with sufficient volume could easily keep the price of the battery pack below that of the offshore companies. I live for the day when paulk8756 has something constructive, accurate and positive to say about the American auto industry.
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    • Fri Sep 19th 11:49 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      GM Volt Generates Interest - Will Congressional Funding Follow?
      Change an only be made by taking risks. I give GM a lot of credit for this,
      View article »
    • Thu Sep 18th 14:26 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      GM Volt Generates Interest - Will Congressional Funding Follow?
      So far Brandon seems to be the only one with constructive comments and no axe to grind here. 18 months ago the only question asked by prospective auto customers was "how much horsepower does it have?" Now with gas prices at $4 the big 3 are pulling out all the stops to produce more fuel efficient cars, and it looks like GM has done it with the Volt. Waiting is a little like planting a garden when the grocery stores close and then try not to starve to death waiting for harvest. It is easy to blame auto companies for not seeing this coming, but 3 years ago no one I know did. Now that we are in this situation, let's water the garden instead of cursing the ground for being dry.
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    • Sun Sep 7th 20:00 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      A Rustbelt Revival: From Doom to Boom
      Thanks Afleet Alex. I couldn't have said it better. Gm is starting up a new website to debunk just such crazy comments that Doug Korthof is spreading. In addition to the fuel cell vehicles, they are building the Volt that will be available in 2 years to bridge the gap to the fuel cell. Any true American patriot would applaud the big three for devoting the resources they have toward the huge changeover since gas prices have reached nosebleed territory in just a short 18 months. Ignorant bloggers with angry, critical comments, would be well advised to check out the facts first.
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    • Fri Jul 18th 12:56 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      GM Slashes Benefits: One Bad Decision After Another
      Several of the comments I have read here seem to be sincerely and intelligently written, but I see a lot of anger, and no real constructive answers, from many others. My take on the whole article by Cara is that it was written just to stir up a lot of controversy (and it has) because no one could really believe what he said, unless he was completely ignorant of the auto industry, or so biased against the big three that his judgment has been warped, in which case Seeking A wouldn't keep him on staff. Here's the deal. Until gas hit $3 everyone wanted Hummers, SUVs and more horse power than his neighbor, so GM, Ford and Chrysler built exactly that, and did it very well. Lead times for new cars range from 3 to 5 years but gas jumped to $4.25 much, much faster than that, and folks with little knowledge of Auto industry inner workings began screaming foul when the dealer lots were full of SUVs and not 40 mpg autos. It takes a huge effort to design, tool and build a car like the Volt, but GM and others are doing just that, and I am confident they will be excellent vehicles. The comments by 223309, persamp and jacamar are pretty much on target, but I want to add that Mr Waggoner was handed a no win situation when he took over that I'm sure he could see the end result. These top guys are constantly looking at "what if" situations, trying to work out the most probable outcome, not just collecting their bonuses (which by the way have been eliminated). Their salaries are in line with other American companies and are justified. Yes, our country needs a strong auto industry for a lot of reasons (not the least of which is the employment levels created) and a lot needs to be done to bring it back to that point. You will see in the next few months and years more new vehicles that deliver on Detroit's promise for high mpg and alternative
      fuels that we all want to drive with quality and style like the CTS, Camaro and Malibu that we have now, and we will all look back on this period and say, WOW they really pulled it off, Waggoner and Lutz were true visionaries, and I love my car! In the mean time gas usage and prices will go way down and States will be scrambling to find ways to replace gas tax revenue.
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    • Sun Jul 6th 10:03 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Valuing GM: $28 One Day, $7 the Next?
      For those who have no idea what the lead time is to produce a new car, I have a little insight. Three years minimum, if you pull out all the stops. Any one remember what the price of gas was three years ago? Under $2. The public wanted larger cars, they were profitable and 20 mpg was a reasonable average. Gas has doubled since then (most of it in the last 8 months) so everyone is calling for mpg to double to a min of 40, while at the same time throwing stones at the big three. If you know anyone inside the industry, with knowledge of future products, that will talk (usually a very closely guarded secret for obvious reasons) then you would hear of new products that will blow your socks off at mpg averages that are even greater than we are crying for now. Even Toyota, who most wallstreeters seem to thing walks on water, missed the gas price run up, otherwise they would be building a whole lot more of the Prius and fewer SUVs and pickups. That is why their sales were down even more than GM or Chrysler, and they are throwing out a good number of their American team because of it. I agree with ValuebuyGM's comments as they come the closest to what most insiders believe. Maybe the price crisis is for the best in the long run, because it forces alternative fuel and higher milage cars to market sooner than would have happened otherwise, and that will eventually drive down prices or at least prevent an even higher run up. Some of the market share lost by the big three was richly deserved because of past sins, but the new leadership is very capable and driven to bring the industry back to profitably. I for one am using the low price levels as an opportunity to buy and hold!
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    • Thu Jul 3rd 17:47 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Some Consequences if Oil Prices Stay High
      #1 Solar.
      #2 Wind.
      #3 Hydro (dams, tide movements, river currents, water falls)
      #4 Earth Mining (shale oil, yellow cake, oil drilling off shore)
      Sound familiar? Been around for centuries. Problem is we have bought into the theory that anything we humans do is destructive to the environment and therefore should be eliminated. Some would go so far as to include all of us, as we, they conclude, contribute to the problem.
      It seems to me that it is time to show these bozos, who have used our system of freedom to advance their repressive ideals, that they are truly
      out of step and in the minority and we will not allow it to happen. Ours is the very best system in the world and we should do all possible to protect it. We should not allow offshore companies to delude the American public into believing that they are superior, and therefore should replace our own highly efficient and high quality products, that in most cases the American company was the inventor of. Let us begin to explore and use, the wonderfully developed products that American industry has provided, and show the world that ours is the template of freedom that most desire, rather than the quirky society that the press seems to love to show the world. We are so much better than that!!
      View article »
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