US auto bailout

I rather have America hit rock bottom now then later! Soon or later it has to happen and I prefer soon! Nice cars by the way!

An unpopular view but probably the most pragmatic. It's good to suffer that way you're made cognizant of what you've lost, or in the process of losing. Being hungry awhile steels the resolve.. The next couple of years are necessary.

I like those cars too and if the UAW is made toothless you might just get them back.

Experience the worst, come through it, and enjoy renewed prosperity.

Seems to work for the Asians, but they do it on a longer span. The renewed part isn't guaranteed but I think there's a healthy dose of fear going about here right now. When the upper middle class is scared everyone kind of gets in gear,.. Lawyers, Engineers , that kind of thing.

FDR said the business class is a "Stupid Class" and of course he was right. They're never satiated. They'll cut their own throat but at least they have sense to yell for someone to take away the knife.

It's kind of funny if you think about it.

It's a mentality thing, so many believe that they are screwed from the outset and are thus defeatist. Yes, it's hard to reinvigorate the economy when everything points against it, but certain measures can be taken to alleviate the drought and instill confidence.

Yes, you have to reinvorgorate the imagination first, then the bucks follow, then the conspicuous consumption continues, this begets more wealth. Spending for the sake of it is not so bad but you have to weather the storm, and a very nasty one is brewing. You ever want to read a good book read Studs Terkel "Hard Times" about the Depression. Chicago guy. Probably Top 10 book for me. You'd be surprised how many funny, good things came from it. It was more blessing than curse in hindsight. People were kinder to each other in the 30's. Not this dog eat dog stuff of the 90's.

Yeah, the lingering thought of ulterior motives crept to the fore all too often. What does this G want? should have been the foremost consideration. Times change and 1930's approaches appear dated but we can still learn a few tricks from the founding fathers and innovators of yesteryear.

It would seem to be the case, but there's a kid in California who has developed the Aptera which gets pretty good gas mileage. Google it. As a lot of us (most of us) never expected the hegemony so the imminent loss of it won't be that bad. If worse comes to worse we grow our own food and make our own whiskey. Many a dutiful lad resides Tennessee and Kentucky.

With the sincerest respect, only the British truly miss their superpower role, maybe the Russian. I don't think we're as drunk with it as you perceive.

Yeah, but realism tells us that we make whisky and you guys don't, ;)

You make sour mash and bourbon. JD is not a whisky or whiskey in my book.

Ahhh.. But you are the European my man, and ever the keeper of the life's truths ,
Lot's of them genuine.. some of them inflated.. ;-(

Hey, the Brazilians, Mexicans, Peruvians will say the same thing for the most part.

I don't deny inflated truths, but they remain truths for all that

You were first.. there's no escaping that. You must be careful you don't become an anachronism like the Romans and Greeks. If you can put forth another Renaissance now is the time to do it.

All kidding aside, the world still pays a lot of attention to Europe. You have to earn that attention though, right?

With whisky, we kinda have ;)

Nah, we are deficient in many areas. Britain has hardly been the exemplar of decency in how to avoid a recession.

"US monetary system and all other systems in result are spreading into failure like cancer":

cinema.lycos.com/cinema.php?video_id=1450650

I think that's a mistake. US manufacturers are making good quality cars.

Frankly, I think GM, Ford, and Chrysler need to tell the UAW we need a big wage cut to get ourselves competition with the foreign makers in the US. Bailout loans will simply delay it. Would you rather have jobs at $33 an hour or no job at $50 an hour. I know what I'd do.

A major, major cost to the big three is retirees health insurance. It adds something like $2000 to the cost of every vehicle coming off the line. They don't have that cost in Canada.

If the big three go into chapter XI bankruptcy, there are huge unfunded pension liabilities the US government will have to pickup. And the workers won't get their full pensions.

I'm driving a Ford for the last 8 years and it is as good as any other. I'm due for a new one soon and just out of spite - I don't want a foreign one.

I hope the big three can survive and learn a lesson, for the sake of people who work there. As F15Guy said, it's better to have a job for $30 or so than none at all.

Well when you only drive 35mph on the Hi-way of course the car will last forever:)

I barely have any reason to drive on a highway nowadays, unless some people want to have a lunch in city...
My little silver baby hit a 100 last week and is running without a squeak! So there.


lol. I'll try it next time and count all the fingers.

As long as there is a bed nearby, I'm in.