Posted by
Chris on Sunday, November 16, 2008 5:17:23 PM
If it is broke, just throw our money at it! That seems to be the philosophy of government now. Now the auto industry is showing up requesting our money. The 700 billion economic bailout has been so successful so far, *sarcasm*, that now we need to bailout the big 3. What happened to Circuit City? They just had to file bankruptcy, where was the government then, wanting to bail them out with our taxpayer money? Maybe if Krispy Kreme needs to be bailed out the government will step in for them as well!
Look, this is an extremely slippery slope that our elected officials are climbing. We have cities showing up with their hands out now as well. Where does it end? Did you know that auto companies with plants in the southern part of the US are not experiencing the problems that the Detroit auto makers are? What are they doing that has allowed them to remain more successful than Detroit auto? Their cars are more popular than Detroits, also the Unions are not in these states. Union labor costs have made it very difficult for the big 3 to remain competitive with Toyota, Nissan, Honda etc.
What we need is for the auto industry to retool itself so that it may be more competitive. We do not need to let Congress throw our money at it. That will not fix the problem, it will only cover it up for a while. This is your money, your children's money and Congress is spending it right and left. We have to let our representatives in Congress know how we feel. I contacted my State Senators Friday and expressed my concern on the upcoming discussion about this in the Senate Monday. I urge all of you to contact your State Senator and tell them to stop spending your money and your children's money.
So what happens if GM, Ford and Chrysler have to file bankruptcy? It does not mean that they will completely shutdown. They will be able to renegotiate Union contracts under the direction of the courts though. Even if they do not receive the bailout they will not neccessarily file bankruptcy either. They may be forced to fix the problem themselves, renegotiating Union contracts on their own or perhaps building a better product that can compete with the foreign automakers. Either way, bailing out everyone with our money is a bad idea. If we continue up this slope the fall will be quick and painful.
Now...CALL YOUR SENATORS!
NC Senator Burr Phone: (202) 224-3154 or (800) 685-8916
NC Senator Dole Phone: (202) 224-6342 or (866) 420-6083