You can just go to…

http://www.thingsivenoticed.com

http://uh2l.blogs.com/things_ive_noticed/2008/11/weve-heard-a-lot-of-news-from-the-press-lately-about-the–dire-situation-the-american-automobile-industry-is-in-in-pa.html

It’s not about who’s to blame; it’s about what should we do now for the good of the country.

UH2L

Nov. 26 (Bloomberg) — General Motors Corp., working to cut costs to win $12 billion in government loans, is studying whether to shed its Saturn, Saab and Pontiac brands in addition to Hummer, people familiar with the matter said.

Selling or dropping brands would save money and reduce overlap as the biggest U.S. automaker struggles to avoid running out of operating cash by year’s end, said the people, who didn’t want to be identified because no decision has been made. GM’s other U.S. brands are Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Cadillac.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=amIqBBYGRh5Q&refer=home

Maybe Rick Wagner should drive to Washington in a 2005 Pontiac G6 or Chevrolet Cobalt with 40,000 miles on the clock to see why GM’s bread and butter products simply don’t compete with some of those fuel efficient imports. Maybe when he hears those cheap grinding brake rotors at every stop or the clunk of front control arms with the bushings falling out he will get the picture of why people don’t always come back to GM for a new vehicle. Once that new car smell wears off it is a whole different experience.

And let’s be honest – how are hybrids the answer to everything anyway? One day one of those Prius owners is going to have to put a new hybrid battery in one of those things and that will pretty much wipe the green grin right off their face. Sure, they like to gloat to us how they are saving the planet, but I am willing to bet when the green they see is pouring out of their wallet – they will be singing a whole new tune.

At any rate – technology isn’t Detroit’s problem; it is the lack of quality and failure to get things right the first time that has beat them up time and time again.

Also, though it might seem like a double-standard that the auto manufacturers won’t get a piece of the bailout pie whereas Citigroup and everyone else do, keep in mind that Joe Taxpayer already gave these companies something like 75 billion dollars in the last few months, once for “re-tooling costs”, and a couple more times for some other lame trumped-up reasons. While I think bailing out ANY of these companies is questionable, if the gov’t bails-out the Big-3 it sets a bad precedent. Next you have all the airlines wanting a bailout. Where do you draw the line?

Another take on this situation could be summed up as: Washington is going to pay. Either up front by supporting the companies or in the end by supporting unemployed staff. Option 1 is a hell of a lot cheaper.