Previous to 1985- 850/900 employees @my work place; Toolmakers,Fitters,Cad-Cam Design,Technicians etc etc

Currently,all up Including Office Staff .......85 on the Payroll circa 2008

 

Same cars different companies:
This I guess was supposed to be a cost savings. They could produce one frame and allow the different companies have different levels of quality, trim, powerplant, etc. Some people love their Chevy's like a rock feel over say the plushy GMC. I can certainly see where this could save production cost and I don`t necessarily disagree with it.

Ford had taken out a loan before the credit squeeze and as such, is not as strapped as much as GM. The Ford CEO said that he would take the pay cut if they needed money from the government. Furthermore, the CEOs probably have stock in their own companies. It is in their best interest for the company to improve. The loan business to run a business is pretty much a norm. A company takes out a loan to merchandise, produces and sells merchandise, paying back the loan. Saying that this is more debt when they have a debt issue lacks a little foresight of business. You need money to make money.

I say do the loan to the BIG3...right after I buy their $3/share stock. GM has a line efficient cars in the works that would help bolster the company. They will need to retool and retrain for these new vehicles. This will need money.

I think the industry did shoot themselves in the foot for not having more gas efficient cars available but instead concentrated on SUVs. The problem with this thinking though...is that the SUVs were the vehicles that were selling. They were catering to the market. If anything, it is just as much the fault of the consumer as it is the company.

Keep in mind, that this is not the first time that GM has borrowed money from the government. I don't remember the time frame or the amount, but from what I recall it was a hefty amount and GM did pay it back with interest.

Some may feel that this is the equivalent of bailing out the Titanic with a spoon, but I wholeheartedly disagree.

Keep in mind that our economy is a living growing organism. If you want to be pissed at a someone, be pissed at the banks. They are at the root, the primary cause. They were handed money but the credit situation has not freed up. From my understanding, their executives were to get (or got) some hefty bonuses (or was this a rumor?).

 

This is only partially true. A lot of of the inefficiencies in GM is due to the United Auto Workers. Their sway in the business practices is extremely large and due to our laws, there is no easy way out except renegotiating terms. There is a lot of legacy here and is not easily written off with the "buy American" mantra.

 

The world has yet to embrace communism with open arms...it just don't work. The biggest flaw with that is people. I don't look for things to maintain their course this way...resources are limited but I don't think manufacturing businesses are going to go "we give up, we're all now just producing strictly for supply." Where's the motivation in that? Seriously, why would you trouble yourself with a business if there was absolutely nothing in it for you...no gain, no nothing but just maintaining the community? Unless there's a gun to your head you probably wouldn't...that's where the whole military communism thing kinda falls apart because nobody's ever been willing to do that unless there's some kind of military oppression. Running a business takes a lot of work and I will walk out in traffic if you can find one person(not lobotomized) willing to do it free of charge. It's instinct to care for ones-self and ones self alone, not maintain the community as if they were family...hell people have enough trouble just watching after their kids.. you think they'll take a cut to help you or me out? It's not old school thought process it's reality. You're dreaming if you think people are going to "wake up" and change their ways from the pursuit of happiness to be content with complacency. Please cite an instance in the technological age where someone has selflessly poured themselves into technological advancement and refused any credit, benefits, rewards, anything. You won't find it because there's always gotta be something in it for them to even bother taking a good idea to the level of design, prototyping, manufacturing, market, your house.

Your eventual change in society is about as likely as people sprouting wings and flying to overcome airport terminals and security checks...it's an idea but I wouldn't call it an argument. In the thousands of years we've been around there's been a few flawed instances that weren't much more than a front for the corrupt individuals that led them....mao zedong and his crazy communist china(people starving to death..really good idea.), stalin and their ruling with a fist. those are hardly even examples of communism which is nothing more than idea on paper...you'll never see it practiced. Exhibit A...poor sap that got trampled by moneyhungry bargain hunters at wal-mart or some **** in new york

 

Believe or not, this happens a lot on the internet. People develop all sorts of things and give it away for free. (there is a name for this...but I don't remember what it is). The problem, is that people find that it ends up costing them more time than they have to maintain them.

 

Open Source Projects.

 

Thanks Nauree...I was suffering from a brain fart.

 

The u n i o n s OWN the Democrats. Dont believe me? Go look at who they donate to politically. They got their people in the halls of power and the presidencyand its time to pay the piper.Obama and the Congress is the u n i o ns bitch.... and they got em bent over a barrel.I'll bet you 34 billion dollars they get the bailout. Anybody want to shake on it?

 

The u n i o n s OWN the Democrats. Dont believe me? Go look at who they donate to politically and who they support. They got their people into the halls of Congress and the presidency and its time to pay the piper. Obama and Congress is the u n i o n s BITCH..... and they have them bent over a barrel. I'll bet you 34 billion dollars they get the bailout. Wanna shake on it?