All together now... NO, NO, NO!
The lending "institutions" got their bailout, now the dinosaur... I mean, auto industry wants a hand out, even American Express thinks they deserve some of that sugar in their bowl. Make it stop... NOW!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122646207021420153.html
Call your elected officials. If that doesn't work, stop paying your taxes.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122646207021420153.html
Call your elected officials. If that doesn't work, stop paying your taxes.
Comments
it's a mistake then, now and always. some of this stuff needs to fail. this will clear the capital desks punish and brand poor management and policies, but this only promotes lousy business practices.
hey big auto, listen, especially chrysler, make better quality cars that will last the payments.
some things need to go.
hey lets bailout buggy whips, i hear they already bailed out wooden arrows.
... If that doesn't work, stop paying your taxes.
Oh yeah... That'll work.
It's very sad to see Detroit get pounded (yet again), but which moron in 2000/2001 said "lets invest all our money in designing 14mpg V8 SUVs... "
It's very sad to see Detroit get pounded (yet again), but which moron in 2000/2001 said "lets invest all our money in designing 14mpg V8 SUVs... "
A moron completely in tune with the legions of morons more than willing to buy them.
where's my bailout....so i think i will stop paying my mortgage wait a while then complain that i spent all my money on parties and girls, and i need my mortgage paid by YOU.
it's a mistake then, now and always. some of this stuff needs to fail. this will clear the capital desks punish and brand poor management and policies, but this only promotes lousy business practices.
hey big auto, listen, especially chrysler, make better quality cars that will last the payments.
some things need to go.
hey lets bailout buggy whips, i hear they already bailed out wooden arrows.
I completely agree. This must stop. I have no problem with loans to the Big Three right now, but partial government ownership? Are you fucking kidding me?
I too would like to know where MY bailout is. My college fund and 403(b) are down 40%. I work to pay my mortgage every month. I just got $1500 worth of property tax bills, with $3000 more to come. Maybe I can get some money too.
Where does this end?
Much, much, much better.
A moron completely in tune with the legions of morons more than willing to buy them.
The obese morons who can "afford" the obese cars with the obese appetites and the obese houses with the obese mortgages, but cry poor when lending rates and gas prices rise.
In other words the people who want to have their cake, AND eat yours as well.
The Govt is paying everyone else bills. AMEX figures "why not us?"
Amex should get the bailout they're requesting, but as a revolving account at 27% interest.
I completely agree. This must stop. I have no problem with loans to the Big Three right now, but partial government ownership? Are you fucking kidding me?
I too would like to know where MY bailout is. My college fund and 403(b) are down 40%. I work to pay my mortgage every month. I just got $1500 worth of property tax bills, with $3000 more to come. Maybe I can get some money too.
Where does this end?
Too bad this is an ongoing saga that started years ago. It too NZ till 1984 to finally stop bailing our and protecting inefficient industries - how long will it take the US to realise that?
That aside,
2. The US Auto Industry.
The thing is, do the clueless morons that is the leaders of US auto industry realise how fucked up the US auto industry is?
Does anybody outside the US actually want American cars? Perhaps, but do any pass any basic legal and/or environmental standards? [cf. An Inconvenient Truth]
And so the auto industry now wants 25 billion dollars. To do what exactly?
You guys/gals in the USA.
People around the world THINK SOME OF YOUR CARS ARE REALLY COOL. Really, I mean, a lot of us watch Transformers, and say, F***, I'd like to drive a Chevy Camaro, instead of that BMW everyone's raving about.
Now, here's the hard part. Talk to your elected representatives, and figure out, how the HELL to sustainably manufacture, export and profit from, well, the US auto industry, in the USA and OUTSIDE the USA.
To me the equation is very simple. Why the hell are there so many BMW's and Mercedes in so many countries around the world, Africa, South America, China, South East Asia, UK, Europe, Australia, etc... But hardly *any* US cars?
I mean, let's take the Ford Mustang, classic brand, car, etc. In the USA, it has to compete with a lot of non-US models. *Outside* the USA, it is impossible to find. Very rare in the UK, Europe, Australia, South East Asia...
What is going on? Why is the "industry" still so strongly based in Detroit? Is it still based in Detroit? Are they in cahoots with Big Oil? What are the longer term plans for global carbon reduction? Wherefore the new technologies? Why are hybrid and electric cars mainly from Japan? Are there better solutions besides hybrid and electric cars?
Why does the auto industry not use the immense brand power and cultural mindshare (spread through US movies and TV shows, for example) to *properly* globalise the US auto industry and reduce high dependence on the fluctuating domestic market whose spending is driven largely on debt...?
I'm going to run up a couple of billions in losses too...
It's very sad to see Detroit get pounded (yet again), but which moron in 2000/2001 said "lets invest all our money in designing 14mpg V8 SUVs... "
There is something very, very wrong in the *core mentality* of the US auto industry. I'm not some hippy throwing myself in front of a V8 SUV, I mean, I like playing Need For Speed, and Grid...
A. Why in the "racing" scene are US cars always "muscle"? This is not as superfluous a question as it sounds.
B. I don't think those auto industry leaders will burn in hell for making a panda-habitat-killing 15mpg car, but, it just makes *zero* sense. Does not make financial, economic, marketing, etc. sense. Whatsoever.
Something just feels wrong. This bailout is the tip of a fast-sinking big-ass iceberg. 25 Billion? I mean, are you kidding me? How are they even planning to use that money?
Too bad this is an ongoing saga that started years ago. It too NZ till 1984 to finally stop bailing our and protecting inefficient industries - how long will it take the US to realise that?
I was very pissed off when the Australian government stood by while it watched Ansett crumble to dust. I lost a lot of frequent flyer points, and it was part of Star Alliance too, which means my Star Alliance points got messed up as well. I'm no jet-setting executive, but between 1998 to 2008 I would have done about 30,000+ miles, between the USA, Australia, UK, Singapore/Malaysia.
(During these past 10 years, I've had no decent frequent flyer program I can remember. A separate issue for another time, perhaps...
At the end of the day though, I think it was perhaps wise that the Australian government did not get caught up in all this bailout stuff. Not to say they are perfect, there should always be a reasonable cushion for the working man/woman that gets caught out because the high-flying (pun unintended) executives were idiots and f*ked the business up.
I was very pissed off when the Australian government stood by while it watched Ansett crumble to dust. I lost a lot of frequent flyer points, and it was part of Star Alliance too, which means my Star Alliance points got messed up as well. I'm no jet-setting executive, but between 1998 to 2008 I would have done about 30,000+ miles, between the USA, Australia, UK, Singapore/Malaysia.
(During these past 10 years, I've had no decent frequent flyer program I can remember. A separate issue for another time, perhaps...
At the end of the day though, I think it was perhaps wise that the Australian government did not get caught up in all this bailout stuff. Not to say they are perfect, there should always be a reasonable cushion for the working man/woman that gets caught out because the high-flying (pun unintended) executives were idiots and f*ked the business up.
It was the Australian government who did not uphold their side of the open skys agreement - and now you are getting raped by Qantus (in regards to travel in Aussie) as a result.
Ansett collapsed because of the close relationship between Qantus and the Australia government; speak to REX (the small little regional carrier) what it is like trying to squeeze into getting a public service contract - no matter how much cheaper than they were when compared to Qantus.
The Australian governments fingers were all over the collapse of Anssett, too bad Air New Zealand got tied up and required a bail out. Then again, I maintained it was a stupid idea to buy Ansett to begin with. The Australian market is so crooked, any New Zealand business who tries to get into the market will be screwed over by the Australian government.
btw, am I the old one who thinks it is stupid for Australia to have a car assembly industry?
It was the Australian government who did not uphold their side of the open skys agreement - and now you are getting raped by Qantus (in regards to travel in Aussie) as a result.
Ansett collapsed because of the close relationship between Qantus and the Australia government; speak to REX (the small little regional carrier) what it is like trying to squeeze into getting a public service contract - no matter how much cheaper than they were when compared to Qantus.
The Australian governments fingers were all over the collapse of Anssett, too bad Air New Zealand got tied up and required a bail out. Then again, I maintained it was a stupid idea to buy Ansett to begin with. The Australian market is so crooked, any New Zealand business who tries to get into the market will be screwed over by the Australian government.
btw, am I the old one who thinks it is stupid for Australia to have a car assembly industry?
Yeah, Qantas-British Airways and the Howard Monarchist Australian government. I get ya. I do think Air New Zealand got shafted somehow in the whole fiasco. Also, didn't Singapore Airlines have something to do with this as well? Can't remember.
It is the dumbest thing in the world for Australia to assemble its own cars, unless somehow its very efficient for them to get all the mined minerals/ores they export, some of those minerals/ores, instead of exporting, machine it into finished cars.
But I think the Aussie assembly plants are mostly just that, assemblies. I don't think Australia is anywhere close to taking a bunch of steel/aluminium whatever and making that into a finished car. Parts, machining, engines, all pretty much come from overseas.
The Aussie auto industry is as f*ked IMHO as the US auto industry, though on a much smaller scale and in slightly different ways.
BTW, isn't Holden considered just a fairly small part of Vauxhall now?
I've been out of Australia for a few years now... Not up to date on all the happenings, unfortunately.
"They tried to give themselves a bailout, and we said, 'No, no, no!'"
Only skip the eyeliner and the drug overdoses, please.
Everybody sing along...
"They tried to give themselves a bailout, and we said, 'No, no, no!'"
Only skip the eyeliner and the drug overdoses, please.
Ha Ha Brilliant! It actually flows exactly with the song!