Posted by
TrueBlueAmerican on Saturday, December 06, 2008 10:00:00 AM
The Big Three have gone to D.C. again to plead their case for a loan. While the big wigs in Congress are wringing their hands and putting the auto executives on the hot seat, at home, Detroiters are wondering what is going to happen next. For the past couple of months there have been no clear answers to what went wrong with the Big Three. Oh, sure everyone is pointing fingers at everyone, but there are no clear answers or clear solutions. It may help to trace back the origins to see how this mess got rolling and thus built up momentum to the point that it is ready to steam roll over everyone associated with the industry.
Some pundits have said that if the Big three would just make cars that people would want to buy, part of the problem would be solved. WRONG. People don't have the money to buy cars or they are waiting for things to get better before getting a new vehicle. Let's face it, if your car is working pretty well, why replace it unless it is a necessity. Take a look at the sales foreign car manufacturers, they are all down. So the theory that the Big Three does not make cars people like is bogus. The foreign auto makers sales should be up, but they're not. The reason why car sales are down is largely due to the fact that the economy didn't turn bad over night, it was gradual. As the stock market started to shake a little, consumer confidence was down and the gas prices skyrocketed. All these factors together didn't cause the total melt down of the Big Three, but it sure didn't help.
Another cry from Congress and others, the Auto Executives make too much money. WRONG. How much should an executive be paid to run a multi million dollar company? There is a lot of responsibility at the top, not to mention that these men and women worked their way up to get to that position. So who is really getting paid too much? The autoworkers in the factories. The average pay is $28.00 per hour, that does not include the health care benefits, the overtime, vacation which brings the figure up to $33.65. This wage is for workers who did not go to college, did not learn a specialized skill, and in most cases do not move up the ladder, but do the same job, with the same task day in day out. So why is it that they deserve this amount of money? If someone can explain that, besides the Union thugs, that would be one of this world's greatest mysteries solved. Please, do not add in that the workers have families, that is not a reason to pay them that much. For years, the executives have been blasted for sending jobs overseas. Can you blame them? When the cost of the employees keep going up, the cost of dealing with specific government regulations are added on, not to mention taxes. Why build an expensive car in the United States when you can build the same car cheaper in another country? Don't blame the Executives for the money they make, they are at the top. They should get paid big bucks. Blame the unions who acted like thugs and literally put a gun to all three companies demanding the wages for the workers when no other company in their right mind would give that kind of wages. Ask anyone who works for Toyota.
The Unions want to help out the Big Three and they are only in it to help the "workers" WRONG. The unions are what got Detroit in this problem. They have become corrupt, greedy and political. Union dues do not go back to the workers or help them in anyway. They go to political parties and groups that support the thuggery that is the Unions. Anytime there is a Democrat candidate, the unions always put their nasty face in and demand that their members vote Democrat. They are in bed with dirty politics and they will stay there until their demise. What would be nice to see is if Congress says that they will give the bridge loan on the condition that the UAW and all unions would be disbanded. A pipe dream, for sure. It will never happen but it should. The Unions have done more to damage the American workforce than any law legislation could. They demand more pay for less production. If there is a fault in this statement, let it be proven wrong with good solid evidence. Warning: it may take forever and a day to find it because it just is not out there.
Finally, what went wrong with Detroit, is that the same government that the Big Three are turning to is the same one that piled on all the restrictions, the taxes and worker demand on them. RIGHT. The United States Government, especially the Democrats who are so cozy with the unions, save the earth extremist and anyone who hates capitalism, have created this path for the Big Three to fail. It was disheartening to hear the CEO of GM, Rick Wagoner apologize and state that GM made mistakes. The congressmen, every single one of them, gloated. Watching the spectacle unfold on the news, the running line under the congressmen should haver read, "Oh, wonderful the executives are taking the blame so no one can point at us." The one problem with the Big Three going to the Government is that it's like an abused spouse going back to the abuser. Take the slaps, hits and insults in order to get what is needed to survive. This is what has become of the Big Three and Detroit.
Should the Bridge loan be approved? Yes but it is not going to be the "lifeline" this great city and industry needs. It will take much more than that. Ford, GM and Chrysler have made an industry that has not only kept Detroit running but also America. If we want to see them succeed, it has to start from the bottom up. American consumers should support American companies by not only buying products that are made by Americans but also by demanding that congress get out of the companies way and let them do what they know how do do best. We have been the best at designing cars that everyone in the world wants, it is time to reclaim that title. Let this be the first consumer's voice to rise up and tell congress to stop standing in the way of progress, ingenuity and the creation of the American automobile.