General Music Chat

isn't that the way a "free" market economy is supposed to work?
other companies will come in and take up where others have failed. a free market economy is supposed to be self adjusting. when government tries to step in and manipulate the market.....well remember the great depression?

I remember Soviet Union where all the industry (and everything) was government controlled. I also remember what happen when that system collapsed and so called "freedom" wiped out what food left in the stores and inflation was unbelievable. People had to stand in line in 9 below from 5am to get a pound of sausages and loaf of bread in a store that opens at 10am.

So let them fall on their faces. Perhaps some interprenuer (spelling?) will come up with some hydrogen driven vehicles and make it big.

I don't think letting the car companies fail is a good idea. Instead they should use the carrot and stick method. The federal government should say to the car companies "Okay this is what we're going to do, take it or leave it. First restructure your business from top to bottom including union wages and benefits and salary structure and price of autos. Second, we're going to put in a 17 billion dollar order for new vehicles AFTER you restructure. You get 50% down and 50% when the vehicles are DELIVERED. The vehicle order will consist of new vehicles for the military, new vehicles for all federal agencies, new vehicles to replace aging buses in the public transportation sector, etc. All vehicles MUST consist of new fuel technologies, hydrogen fuel cell, electric, hybrids, etc. You have ONE chance to make good or go out of business, PERIOD, take it or leave it. The oil companies should be required to be a part of this deal. They MUST invest half of the 17 billion dollar investment and will receive some of the vehicles into their fleets. Any federal bailout in the future MUST be an order for goods and/or services. All bailouts will have RIGID checks and balances with FULL REPORTING OF EVERY TRANSACTION MADE AVAILABLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. If the federal government does something for ANY private industry then WE THE PEOPLE WHO ELECTED THESE ASSHOLES MUST BE FULLY INFORMED OR THE ELECTED ASSHOLES ARE PROMPTLY IMPEACHED FROM OFFICE. Later...

But George W. is an oil tycoon .. what will become of him .. <cry><sob> blaaaaaaahahahhhaaa.. poor old millionaire dude... i feel so sorry .. for him... ahhuhhhh...

There was a saying back in the day - "What's good for GM is good for America."

It never was true. Before & during WWII, GM was building Panzer tanks for the nazis. It was their factories that built the plane engines & the original VW's as well.

Let 'em crash & burn, I say!

I'd write to my congressman if I thought he could read.

This is so wrong! We DID our part, didn't we? We cut back on foreign oil use. We've been good.

When will our gov't do its funking job!?!? The thing to do is to "redistribute the wealth," to use Obama's words, at this point. Redirect the monies that are going for useless crap like the ongoing study of the ecological effects of cow farts, and put it to use on our infrastructure! Why would they need to take more money from us?

This was one of my worries about Obama, and I'm sorry to see it coming true.

They're bailing out everyone at our expense, ppl. It's time to start the revolution.

I could sure use some bailing out!

You see, they don't mind giving 7.7 Trillion dollars to the wall street crooks (and yes, it really amounts to that much, the treasury only went to congress for the initial 700Bil), and those crooks then gave themselves bonuses and took lavish vacations.

But they bitch and moan when the auto industry asks for a $25 Bil LOAN, because they don't want to support the unions or the little guys, so they DEMONIZE that as a "bailout".

Regarding the infrastructure 'redistribution'... It's a fantastic idea, and what really helped build this country, and damn if it ain't all falling apart and NEEDS to be funded. But again.. the money goes to a bunch of blue collar Joe's and those goddam bankers, politicians, lawyers, lobbyists, etc... just can't stand the thought of it.

They just want the poor to remain as poor as possible so they can't afford to fight back and have to beg for table scraps.

It's getting worse. I find it really upsetting that this country is (or was?) wealthy enough that NOBODY should be homeless or have to go hungry, have their utilities shut off, etc... And the rich wouldn't even feel the difference in their bank account, but they can't be happy enough with just being wealthy, they have to be obscenely wealthy, THere's no amount that's "enough", and somehow those same people come to the incorrect conclusion that those without money are just lazy.

Argh!