Still the Worst President Ever
The lame ducks are quacking, but W. still proves able to come up with inconceivably bad ideas and the supine Democrats in Congress still go along with him in his schemes to enrich his cronies in the oil industry at the expense of pretty much everyone else.
The U.S. automakers are in trouble precisely because they have insisted on building gas guzzlers no one wants to buy any more, and have refused to make available smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles. Now that the market is spoken these socialists-for-the-rich want to give fifteen billion dollars to these companies so they can continue making heavy trucks and SUVs no one wants any more, and Bush wants to take the money from funds specifically allocated by the Energy Independence and Security Act to develop new fuel efficient vehicles the public might actually want to buy. This is state socialism at its stupidest.
The market has spoken. Consumers don’t want to buy what the automakers want to build, so let the big three go out of business. If the tens of thousands of consequent layoffs bother the so-called liberals in Congress, then allocate the money to the unemployed directly, or start a jobs program for something we actually need. How about a little socialism for the poor for a change?
December 9th, 2008 at 3:46 PM
Instinctively I’d agree with you, but Jeffrey Sachs is no fan of W either, and he is in favor of intervention.
December 10th, 2008 at 5:54 AM
Complete agreement, let them go bust. 15 billion also will not get them anywhere. A company which burns 5 billions a month will survive for 3 months on that money, and then it will be back again.
To make things worse, there are actually 3 companies bruning money at similar rates, so expect them to be broke in February instead of December now – or to keep paying for approx 150 to 200 billion. Imo it will take that amout of money to turn them around, they do not have finished plans for better cars in their desks after all, and developing them will take at least two years.
December 11th, 2008 at 3:28 PM
Hear, hear. All of these failed corporations, every last man jack of them, should go bankrupt – banks, auto companies, the lot. Our economic system only works when there is a severe cost for failure to balance the rewards. Privatized profits and socialized losses is an absolute disaster in the making.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:48 AM
The best solution for these companies is probably a restart anyway. Remove the least profitable brands and replace the management by a bunch of Koreans or Japanese. Although selling them to the Chinese may also be an option. The current management only knows how to build big stupid cars. That market will disappear. The future is advanced & efficient. Small, supercharged engines; electric; hybrid; next-gen diesel, etc.
December 15th, 2008 at 4:05 PM
Oddly, letting them go bankrupt would be good for almost everyone except top management and the UAW. That would allow fresh starts with sane labor relations and focused management.
Sadly, the combined power the current executive sway with the Republicans and the UAW’s sway with the Democrats will keep that from happening.