greg334
Veteran Expediter
Well I would like to see that headline and actually he did say that in different words.
As much as I would like to see our remaining two auto companies get it together, I do not want to see our government spend a dime on helping them – they need to find their own path to getting it together and moving forward. The help they need is in front of their face and they do not want to do anything except move more production off shore.
What’s bothersome is the ideas that Obama have laid out;
• Help domestic automakers to make fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles by giving them health care assistance for retirees. Federal financial assistance would cover 10 percent — up to $7 billion — of automakers' annual legacy health care costs through 2017,
• Provide $3 billion to automakers over 10 years to help retool plants to make fuel-efficient cars and trucks.
Neither of these are really needed when you look at the companies themselves and the gains that both have made overseas. They are not dying companies, but rather have strong overseas operations.
It is rather odd that Toyota and Honda are doing so well here by the way.
Maybe it is their mentality that Toyota and Honda have that GM and Ford lack.
Maybe it is the fact that Toyota and Honda don’t really sell their products through lease programs but seem to actually sell to consumers.
Maybe it is the fact that Toyota and Honda have a product to sell. GM and Ford just don’t have products people want to buy here or a dealer system setup to be consumer friendly.
I guess I am sick of GM and Ford crying about health care when GM can become a third party health care insurer and start reducing costs through a health prevention program. What is really odd is that they say healthcare is the only reason that they can’t compete but as I was told tonight GM has more than 60% of its retirees covered by Medicare as a primary insurer (Ford by the way is around the same number).
I am also sick of them crying about the CAFÉ standards and how they will cost jobs if increased. They will not, in fact if they produce vehicles that get better mileage and surpassed the present CAFÉ standards, they will sell more cars.
If GM or Ford need more help to design, build and sell cars in their home market, maybe they need to seriously consider that it is time for the to leave the market all together and let other more efficient companies sell their products.
What ever the solution could be, government needs to increase the CAFÉ standards and not give them a dime.
As much as I would like to see our remaining two auto companies get it together, I do not want to see our government spend a dime on helping them – they need to find their own path to getting it together and moving forward. The help they need is in front of their face and they do not want to do anything except move more production off shore.
What’s bothersome is the ideas that Obama have laid out;
• Help domestic automakers to make fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles by giving them health care assistance for retirees. Federal financial assistance would cover 10 percent — up to $7 billion — of automakers' annual legacy health care costs through 2017,
• Provide $3 billion to automakers over 10 years to help retool plants to make fuel-efficient cars and trucks.
Neither of these are really needed when you look at the companies themselves and the gains that both have made overseas. They are not dying companies, but rather have strong overseas operations.
It is rather odd that Toyota and Honda are doing so well here by the way.
Maybe it is their mentality that Toyota and Honda have that GM and Ford lack.
Maybe it is the fact that Toyota and Honda don’t really sell their products through lease programs but seem to actually sell to consumers.
Maybe it is the fact that Toyota and Honda have a product to sell. GM and Ford just don’t have products people want to buy here or a dealer system setup to be consumer friendly.
I guess I am sick of GM and Ford crying about health care when GM can become a third party health care insurer and start reducing costs through a health prevention program. What is really odd is that they say healthcare is the only reason that they can’t compete but as I was told tonight GM has more than 60% of its retirees covered by Medicare as a primary insurer (Ford by the way is around the same number).
I am also sick of them crying about the CAFÉ standards and how they will cost jobs if increased. They will not, in fact if they produce vehicles that get better mileage and surpassed the present CAFÉ standards, they will sell more cars.
If GM or Ford need more help to design, build and sell cars in their home market, maybe they need to seriously consider that it is time for the to leave the market all together and let other more efficient companies sell their products.
What ever the solution could be, government needs to increase the CAFÉ standards and not give them a dime.
