slowdown

'Too Big to Fail' Should Not Exist

Well..of course I have to disagree with the whole article. Every company listed is a US based company...does that mean that Toyota for example is not too big to fail? Seriously...Or is it okay that Toyota become the only automotive company in the world because the Bank of Japan subsidizes it. How does the US keep companies in other countries from becoming too big to fail? How does the US keep the failure of the Bank of Japan and Toyota from destroying our economy?

'Too Big to Fail' Should Not Exist

We don't have a free market - globalization took care of that the moment we opened our borders and allowed other countries to dump goods here.....whether it's a communist country that artificially controls wages of laborers or one that manipulates currencies and practices protectionism...the free market only exists here in the US and is at the expense of our jobs.


On Jul 06 10:32 AM lars wrote:

> 100% Agree'd. The larger issue here is that ~50% of Americans (those
> of us in the U.S.) have some how been blinded into thinking that
> our society needs government intervention and policy around it. We
> are rapidly drifting from our free-market principles, thus our freedom.
> Why should the "tax payer" be "forced" into doing anything by the
> government? That is what should be on the minds of all free-thinking
> citizens of this country. Socialist tactics will be the doom of this
> once great nation.

What to Expect if GM Doesn't Learn from Chrysler

Your flawed opinion and only an opinion - the data (ie monthly sales reports for all OEM's) disputes what you say.


On May 12 09:40 AM rick12345 wrote:

> Spoken like a true financiar. I'll sum up the situation quickly for
> you. Both companies, with ford soon to follow, went bust because
> nobody wants to buy a GM or chrysler vehicle. They're boring, out
> of date, and most importantly, its the "car that mum or dad used
> to drive".
> No amount of restructuring will resurrect this pheonix, period. Unless
> they completely reinvent themselves, they will emerge no better than
> before. What they should have done is merged to form a new company
> with a new name and new ideas. A car for the 21st century..

Banks Take a Cue from Ford's Capitalism

Zane, Dallas Al, kk - Ryan is the author of the article and I believe that you are all addressing the post made by User 387439. Yesterday's New York Times Business topics.nytimes.com/top...
discusses the refinancing Ford did in 2006 right down to the big blue oval. According to Mullally's statements since the Congressional hearings (what a joke they were)...Ford has enough money to get them through 2009. Unfortunately - when the supply base starts going belly up in August....Ford will likely be in the same boat as GM and Chrysler....unless the government decides to prop up suppliers too.

GM's Tough Treatment Should Be a Model for Other Bailouts

The Detroit 3 OEMs sold more vehicles than the 5 transplants combined for the month of March. Knowing what we know today about the threads of the domestic auto industry woven into our economy…I hardly think bite the bullet is the appropriate answer.....and how 'bout those Spartans??? Pretty darn good for car makers that build cars nobody wants and a bball team that according to the pundits lack talent and athleticism and size. I say to hell with the pundits on all fronts - GO DETROIT - GO GREEN GO WHITE- STATE ALL THE WAY!
March auto sales:
GM - 156,380
Ford – 131,102
Chrysler – 101,001
Total Detroit 3 = 388,483

Toyota – 132,802
Diamler – 17,342
Volkswagen – 15,270
Nissan – 66,634
Honda – 88,379
Total transplant 5 sales = 320,427

It has been rather nice the last few days to focus on something positive. We in Michigan have taken enough of a beating from our Government, Wall Street and the rest of the country for something that was not our fault (every time there’s an attack on our employers – it’s a personal attack to us). Had the financial sector not failed we wouldn’t have anything to discuss other than who would win the NCAA Tourney. The fact that the Detroit 3 outsold the top 5 transplants in any given month shows that they are the best of the best regardless of what the pundits say. The fact that Michigan State will play in the NCAA Championship game tonight…shows that they are the best of the best…again….regardless of what the pundits say.
So pundits - here’s my suggestion for the auto industry (it’s not bite the bullet):
Restrict imports to the level that are exported to those same countries (reciprocation) so we can get through this…or put up the money and shut up - it really is that simple.



On Apr 06 02:53 PM Miken wrote:

> Treatment of the auto companies vs the banks and Wall Street will
> never be the same for two reasons:
>
> 1. The auto companies are not part of the east coast elitists. They
> are primarily a mid west concern. If there's any doubt about that,
> simply look at the market share of the Detroit 3 on the east coast.
> Even in the face of irrefutable data on quality, market share has
> not grown. It's simply not cool to drive a domestic car. For proof
> of that, I can provide a link that shows what the Auto Task Force
> members are driving for their personal cars.
>
> 2. You have to follow the money. I can also provide a link showing
> how much money the financial services industry has given to congressmen,
> senators, and Presidents.
>
> So, to expect that there will be similar treatment is not likely.

Let Go the Experts Who Have Learned to Fail

The problem with the author’s analysis is that he ignores the collateral damage…that would be me and my brothers and sisters who will or are losing jobs and homes because of the fallout from this mess. Well guess what – we are the taxpayers that are footing the bill for this mess that the Financial sector and the 75 or so people that got the bonuses at AIG caused….not the Auto Industry that was blindsided. We – the innocent bystanders have taken enough…we’ve lost wages, pensions, health care, home equity, 401k’s, jobs, homes etc because of a greedy few at the top that used loopholes to sell paper that was barely legal if not illegal. Enough….if the Government (the folks we elect to protect us from this crap) has to step in and prop them up to stop the bleeding – I’m all for it.
The way I see it –
1. Prop up manufacturing and manage it until we come out of this. We can’t afford to lose any more jobs where people actually make something that others buy.
2. Prop up the banks and put the regulations in place to prevent them from ever doing this again.
3. Prop up AIG and simultaneously dismantle them. Under no circumstances should an INSURANCE COMPANY ever be too big to fail. We used to have a term for that – we called it a monopoly.
Anyone that believes we have a free market is walking around with blinders on thinking that if they say it enough…it’ll be true. Well it’s not and it never will be.

Let Go the Experts Who Have Learned to Fail

I doubt you'll find anyone inside GM that thinks Mr. Wagner can't be replaced...however in light of the positive things that he has done in the last couple of years ie: re-negotiated the labor contracts, shifting health care costs, among others, I can see no reason to ask him to step down. In reality he has done more to right the business in the last few years then any other CEO has done in the last 20. It is the banking crisis that put us in this mess...something nobody including Toyota had the ability to control. All of the foreign auto manufacturers are asking their respective home countries for government funds/loans...yet very little is mentioned on this or any other blog...why?

GM: More Bailout-Worthy than Citigroup

Just to clarify - GM is not getting a bailout...it's a loan that has to be paid back with interest. The banks on the other hand are getting bailouts and they shouldn't.


On Dec 05 04:48 PM Robert Nabloid wrote:

> "GM: More Bailout-Worthy than Citigroup"
>
> Yes, it is. But no bailouts should happen, ever.