VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION General Discussions Should America Save GM?

I do not know Jerold V. Murphy but I congratulate him on his very fine article in the August G & D "SHOULD AMERICA SAVE GM?"
I do not know how old he is but he is very wise.

This article should be in every newspaper in the country.

There were nine GM plants in my home town and now there are none. We had NCR that built carburetors, bomb sights, and the machine that broke the German code. Now NCR is gone.

I agree!

That article is one of the best written, and logical pieces that I've read in years.

Congrad's to Jerold V. Murphy for making sense in helping to clear up an unlikeable subject. I agree that the process will hurt, but we as a Nation need to take a stand against outsourcing so we can re-build our manufacturing base here in the U.S.A.

Buy American!

RGwiz:

The problem is: how do you define American in a global marketplace? I own a car with an Asian name, but it was made in Alabama by American workers, pays American taxes, pays good wages, and 60% of its parts are made in USA. It is also of much better quality than other American-made cars based on national surveys.

Is this an American car, or is the most recent best-selling Ford, which is made in Mexico, an American car? Is Chrysler, which will soon be owned by Fiat, an "American car"?

I agree we need to save GM, but how is the question. This is not 1950. Auto companies must compete in a world market where their costs/prices must be competitive. We have the highest corporate taxes of the industrial nations, we have the most expensive regulations which add greatly to costs, and are ready to double our energy costs through the new cap & trade bill and porkulas bill, and we are not fully developing our domestic oil and coal resources. We need to reverse those government actions that add greatly to costs if we want to end outsourcing.

While China is building one new coal-fired electric plant a week for cheap energy, we are spending 100's of billions of dollars to produce high-cost energy which will make our mgf plants even less competitive.

American "names" can make it in a competitive world market, but they must be competitive, and that is not done by becoming a government supported/run industry. Great Britain proved this.

Again, please define "American car" in terms I can use in making my next auto decision.

I have a 2009 Malibu 3.6 V-6. It is an American car. I love my Malibu and I love the VVT DOHC 3.6, and the car is very passenger and driver comfortable. 30 mpg hiway and 25 mpg average combined. Special thanks to all the tax payers that took a chance on my favorite American car company. I think it's even cooler than the new Camaro, but that's my opinion. I love the new Vette's also, but Silverado went ugly IMHO with the weird fender bumps (I think my 2000 Silverado looks better)

Dr David,

Dr David,

Yes, I agree that the statement and questions involved are complicated. I once thought, and said here on this Site, "Buy American, if you can find something built in America".

I also said although painful we do need to start somewhere. Perhaps the current administration is going about it in unorthodox ways, but at least someone has taken the initiative. What we do with it is up to us a Nation to decide the outcome.

You are right with the fact that this is not the fifties. I'm glad to hear that because we are still paying for the mistakes of bad decisions made long ago. I do believe that some of the regulations that are in place are there for good reason and without them the public's health, wealth, or lifestyles would be in jeopardy.

As you say, it is a new age and a new World economy. How does America fit in while we observe other Nations mistreat the environment and mistreat it's citizens. I don't know! Sometimes I think we would be better off as an isolated Nation but that could spell disaster for a number of reasons. President Wilson tried that in the early 20th Century.

I think we are all looking for answers, but I feel that those will be a long time coming. Hope and new initiatives are the only thing we can try for now. Painful as it sounds, I think we will have to bite the bullet and pay thru the nose. I don't like it and I shouldn't be held accountable, but I elected the jerks that screwed me. I let them get away with it. I should have paid closer attention and voted them out of office. Instead I didn't vote the right way or didn't speak my mind thinking they would handle it.

Greed and incompetence is clearly not the answer. That is what got us into this mess.

Picked up a 2009 Sierra 2500 crew cab, gas job. Ordered it the way I like it made in the site of the 2011 VCCA Anniversary Meet Flint MI. Great truck made by americans, it was not cheap but I got what I paid for! I was paid for with union wages!
John

RGwiz: glad to hear your definition of "buy American" means assembled in the USA. That means my SUV qualifies.

Agree that much of the trouble we have in this country is because too many Americans are greedy. Many don't want to work hard, and want the government to take care of their needs rather than take personal responsibility.

Unfortunately, too many politicos of both parties pander to them for votes thus forcing up taxes and the cost of regulations. This drives companies and the rich from our country. When most of the companies and the rich have left, who will provide the jobs, and who will be left to tax? Are we going to end up like England and France? Of course, Chevrolet is a French name isn't it!!


Good for you John348/340p.

It is sometimes tough to "buy American" on one of these Sierra trucks as they are assembled in Canada, US, and Mexico. The last I heard the diesel engines were made in the USA by Isuzu. The gas engines are made in the US and Mexico. I am sure you checked to make sure your engine was made by Americans in the USA.

To all:

This save GM message gets more complicated when you consider a lot of the money to bail out GM is not coming from taxpayers but is being borrowed by the government from the Communists in China; and we are paying them interest that they are going to use to build plants that produce cheap energy to lure more of our mgf companies away. If GM ever becomes profitable I suspect the first profits will probably go to China to repay the debt.

RGwiz you are certainly correct that this is very complicated and no easy answers. The more the government borrows money from the Communists to bail out the car companies, the more we help the Communists become the major economic power in the world and reduce us to number 2. But, if we raise taxes again to pay the debt owned to the Communists, the more we drive companies to China which has lower corporate taxes and more economic freedom than the US.

Attaway John!! Enjoy the new Jimmy!!

Jim.