Friday, December 05, 2008

Not Even Close

According to this analysis by Jim Manzi, it appears I spent more time and effort on my post Wed. night than GM did on their "restructuring" proposal to Congress.

As I read through Manzi's post I found myself growing angrier, further resenting these asshat execs running GM, and wishing them and the company nothing but ill will.

GM does not appear serious about doing anything that will help the industry—or even their own goddamn corporation—over the long haul. Their proposal appears to be nothing more than a PowerPoint presentation for getting in on the bailout bonanza and a way to extort concessions from the unions. Assholes.

Oh, and fuck Chrysler and Cerberus.

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UPDATE: Ford says it's okay for now, but wants a line of credit in case things get worse—I think that's posturing and merely trying to avoid the "about to go under stigma" of GM and Chrysler. That USAT link has a side bar that includes a list of each automakers plans. Here's part of GM's:
Sell Saab, trim Pontiac, sell or close Saturn, sell fewer models. Reduce powertrain and stamping facilities to 38 by end of 2012, from 64 now.

A good start, but nowhere near what I suggested, and as Manzi pointed out doesn't get them anywhere close to financially viable.

UPDATE 2: An additional "Fuck you" to Cerberus, and can somebody explain to me how combining two "too big to fail corporations" into one even bigger failing corporation is a smart move? Republican Senators are pushing for a GM/Chrysler merger.

2 comments:

Noah said...

can somebody explain to me how combining two "too big to fail corporations" into one even bigger failing corporation is a smart move

It's the same old tired republican mantra of "merger = savings." When you merge two organizations, as their calculus goes, it is always more efficient than keeping them separate. Business know-how = good government.

Missives From Suburbia said...

No one should merge with Chrysler, and they shouldn't be given a second bailout. Sorry, if you can't make it on the first one, you shouldn't be alive.

Why aren't those candy asses in Washington holding these clowns to mandatory emissions numbers and demanding that they convert to green manufacturing and green product development as part of the bailout packages? The UAW should be committing to supporting the retraining of workers to support these new technologies. Where's the change we were promised? This is a perfect place to start insisting upon it. No green products = no taxpayer green. It should be that simple. Move these companies into the 21st century already or let them die like the dinosaurs they are. (Gosh, I feel so right wing and Green Party all at the same time when I write that.)