Re: [Amc-list] Chrysler sale

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

Don wrote:

> Here we go again blaming autoworkers for the ills of the US 
> automakers.

Amen brother.

<rant>

That "cost all in" crap is... crap.

Poor multibillion dollar businesses, held hostage by their employees.
You and me? YEAH RIGHT. They drained the cash cow dead and dry.

Poor bankers, held hostage by hoards of poor people and all their
B-rated mortgages. YEAH RIGHT. Engineered profit-taking.

GM, Ford, Chyrsler dug their own graves over three decades. They chose
short-term profit over long-term sustainability. Maybe that's "written
in" by the market's structured need of constant growth, but it's not
workers fault. Auto unions got fat lazy and stupid, but they hardly
designed the business model and product line.

Why is every worker so ready to blame themselves or other workers?

Honda's decision of no V8s, no monster trucks/SUVs... how dumb is that
now? They made $$$$$ off the stuff GM et al had abandoned, and said
they couldn't make money from. THAT was embarrassing. Toyota will hurt
slightly, and recover nicely.

Americans made microprocessors for a buck, went to the moon six times, 
made the internet, and Ford can't make a good cheap non-toxic 
automobile? Please.

American engineering has been, and can be, the best in the world. On
it's own merits though -- no sympathy for big business from me. They had
the resources and they squandered it. "Buy American" in that context is
a fool's errand. It has to mean something besides sloganeering, and
lining the pockets of the wasteful rich.


> Once the imports caught and surpassed the US automakers in quality 
> and price and the BIG 3 didn't pick up the pace, the writing was on 
> the wall. Those decisions were made in the ivory towers of management
>  and IMHO that's where the problems are.


Problems WERE... cash extracted, they'll move into their houses (not in 
MI) and retire or consult elsewhere. No real problem for most of them.

Half of my extended family has some connection to MI, MO, and are 
already screwed by the financial glacier that's been sliding into town 
for the last decade or two. None of this is really new.

</rant>

OK, Frank, I'll stop :-)

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