Voter Pressure Mounts To Stop Aiding US Automakers

Is anyone (besides 1uaw and cappy) surprised by this survey's findings? Americans are tired of bailouts. And GM and Chrysler keep coming back begging for more and more taxpayer money as they continue their downward slide each quarter.

Americans have been voting with their wallets and have moved away from purchasing domestic vehicles. I have never owned an American car, but the unions and management still believe I should be subsidizing them with my hard earned money. It makes no sense.

Chapter 11 is the only hope for Chrsyler and GM.

— HSCenterconsole (View Profile)

Posted on 3/4/2009 12:44:43 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

You know the government should just GIVE GM the money and not even ask what people think. Like giving AIG $150 BILLION without even setting one shoe in front of congress. Now AIG is about to get another infusion of BILLIONS upon BILLIONS of TAX PAYERS DOLLARS and the only response, "They are to big to fail" but not to big it be IDIOT SAVANTS though. What is the difference? Can anyone with the ability to formalize a logical response, not emotional, tell me the difference?

— inspirion7 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/4/2009 12:50:56 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -3   

BAHAHAHAHAHA.
You have to love the UAW assembly line workers, who probably have no more than a high school education, trying to act all intellectual. Stick to the manual labor guys. It is more suited to your capabilities.

— FillorKill (View Profile)

Posted on 3/4/2009 2:06:04 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 6   

And cappy, through his limited vocabulary, poor grammar, inability to formulate a coherent argument, and use of juvenile abbreviations like STFU, proves my point about the limited intellectual capacities of the UAW line workers. Thanks buddy for making it so easy! Shouldn't you be installing door trim panels on a Chevy HHR somewhere?

— FillorKill (View Profile)

Posted on 3/4/2009 3:01:08 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

1UAW, you need to spend more time trying to figure out where your next job will be rather than post on this site. "For all we know" you might be working for Toyota in three years since GM is destined to fail.

— Veeracer (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2009 6:11:58 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

to be fair... the question asked in the survey was whether or not it was the government's responsibility to help the automakers. It did not ask whether the government should or should not help. That is a different question.

It is completely valid to have an opinion that it is NOT the governments responsibility to help, yet still want the government to help anyway.

— holmstar (View Profile)

Posted on 3/4/2009 1:46:37 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

So since someone seems to think what I said in my original comment is wrong, why don't you pipe-up and explain why? Or do you just have a problem with the truth?

— holmstar (View Profile)

Posted on 3/4/2009 2:05:15 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2   

These surveys are funny. Don't forget, over 80% of Americans thought invading Iraq was a good idea (according to the polls of course).

It'd be nice if the poll question was stated like this:

"For the Government not to help Detroit automakers, the Big3 would go into CH11. Since research and common sense dictate that no one would buy from a bankrupt automaker (regardless of some govt scheme to guarantee warranty, etc), and DIP loans worth over $100 billion would never be paid back, a loss for the taxpayers. The loss of the automobile industry would translate into the immediate loss of millions of jobs, would throw much of the MidWest into abject poverty, and would immediately reduce government tax revenues by hundreds of billions of dollars per year. In the long run, the US would experience capital outflows of hundreds of billions MORE per year, not only to the middle east and China, but also a few hundred billion per year more to Japan & Korea thanks to the loss of the domestic auto industry.

Knowing full-well that the GM (for example) has the best lineup of vehicles it has ever had that are competitive with any of their foreign competitors, on top of the massive restructuring that already was happening at GM for years, on top of the fact that this mess that Detroit is in is a direct result of Government & Wall St. incompetance/criminality, do you support the federal government giving the US automobile industry loans worth tens of billions of dollars?"

Remember, americans supported going to Iraq (b/c no one really cared to research the issue more than watching bobblehead TV) and we re-elected Bush..........

in other words, most intelligent people will see that these polls are nonsense.

— neutral (View Profile)

Posted on 3/4/2009 3:00:59 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

Editors note- Cappy bit the dust for his abusive comments

— Agent009 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/4/2009 3:12:41 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 6   

Well to me the issue stems from the current economic climate and overall lack of consumer confidence. The reality is that people are NOT buying cars. Period. It seems to me that the cycle of American consumer lust for new vehicles has been satiated for the time being. Consumers are putting their cash under their mattresses and not buying anything. More cash to GM & Chrysler, hey why not? But it will not make people buy cars right now. What it will do however, is maintain jobs. If these guys fail the unemployment rate, impact on dealers & communities overall will surely push us further into this recession. I pay my taxes and would honestly rather see them provided to those industries that have provided employment and driven a sense of patriotism in this country rather than pour ANOTHER $50B into AIG who have already been 'given' $150B in funding. There have been no Government regulators, corporate restructuring guidance -- anything of the hoops the manufacturers have had to jump through. What is up with that? With Global news trickling in that other OEM's are seeking assistance from their respective Governments, should the whole industry fail? I don't know, but I love cars and could care less about an insurance company that has mismanaged its trillions of investments -- I would put my money in manufacturing (tangible assets). I want to see where the money is (vehicles) and goes (employees).

— THESCOOTER (View Profile)

Posted on 3/4/2009 4:40:10 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

If not saving Detroit is not an option, then why are they not doing anything about it? Lets pull out another 200billion and take care of all the problems. Stop this band-aid approach, take care of the core problem. Use the money and start buying out the UAW and retire people early so Detroit can run lean and won't go through cash so fast as it currently does. Detroit's problem needs to be out of the way so the president can go on saving the world.

It's gotta be the republicans holding us back. Everyday I here them complain about big government, reckless and over spending by the democrats while offering no alternative. They're basically like a nagging wife. The GOP sat around and did nothing while the economy sank, this economy tanked on their watch, it peaked just as Bush is about to leave office, coincidence? It's almost as if this was all planned by them. They didn't raise a helping hand or say anything to help detroit. They'd preferred Detroit file for bankruptcy. When faced with no choice and had to beg, they ridicule Detroit CEO for going there in private jets.

Now they're using all kinds of excuses and methods to stone wall Obama so he can't get anything done. They're hoping if they get on Obama's nerve enough, he'll stoop down to their level and argue all day long and get nowhere.

I don't agree with everything Obamas doing, but it's better than sitting around doing nothing and talk crap all the time like the Republicans. WTF?

— Badgewhore (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2009 5:10:45 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Great!! "crappy, I mean cappy" is gone......Now if we could dump "UAW1 & Michael Taylor" we may have a good blog going on.

— gkearns56 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2009 9:07:17 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

Here is what I don't understand.The big 3 problems at this point largely stem from a global downturn in the auto market,not their lack of a competative product(Chrysler,however does have problems which could be solved if the government approves the Alliance with Fiat).For many years it was the product.The problems that the big 3 are having now is that people can't get loans to buy cars. And of course the cause of this are banks. Of course this was brought on by the mortgage crises. Now it seems to me that until the government gets to the root of the problem(getting banks to lend money again to businesses and individuals)the entire auto industry is going to tank. It is quite obvious that Toyota,Nissan,Mazda,Honda,Mitsubishi are hurting quite badly as well. No it is true they are not in the same dire straits as the big 3. However,I can safely predict that if there is not an up take in auto sales during 2009 then it is not inconcievable that some of these other auto makers will fail as well.So the issue is what is the lessor of 2 evils,finance a chapter 11 bankruptsy for GM that could cost the US government over 100 billion dollars(just for GM) or keep proping them up until banks start lending money again. The other point is that if GM goes down don't you think Ford and Chrysler will follow simply because the parts suppliers will then tank. This would end up being a domino scenario.Then once the big 3 tank you are going to see all the Japanese auto makers fold up shop in the US as well. So my point is when 65% of the people say let the big 3 fail are they looking at the big picture here?The other question is if money was easy flowing and people with a 620 credit scores could buy cars would the big 3 be in the mess? My guess is no they would not.Conservatives may be up in arms regarding the amount of money the government is spending aiding the banks and the big 3. Their approach is just cut taxes and things will work out.Sorry but I don't agree.These are not normal times,this is not a normal recession and this needs to be treated differently. If the money can't flow how can ANY business survive in the long run.

— mini22 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2009 12:51:51 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

Here is another thing the government could do to encourage people tobuy a car. Do what Germany is doing. Offer a $3000 scrap incentive for trading in any vehicle that is 9 yrs or older if they buy a GM,Ford or Chrysler product.It worked in Germany it can work here. True German car makers are also offering their own incentive as well. So what! The US has been doing that for yrs!The combination might be enough to spur car buying in the US again.

— mini22 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2009 3:01:13 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

People wanted 'Change' and now they're pissed off that Change is paying back his union voters. There's no making stupid people happy, or Democrats.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/7/2009 4:03:35 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1