Both President Bush and President-elect Obama say a bailout for the auto industry ought to come with strings. Which strings would you apply in exchange for financial support?
UAW Golf Resort 12/29/2008 12:41:00 PM Although the CEOs of the Big Three are being asked to fly coach and take $1 pay packages, the UAW was able to hold dearly onto their prized golf resort. The $33 million, 1,000-acre retreat (used often by UAW executives) loses an average of $4.5 million annually, a small price for downtrodden union members' dues to pay for in exchange for discounted golf. I wonder if the Greens Keepers and Caddies have organized and demanded the healthy pay packages and lavish benefits as their UAW bosses receive.
Endo 12/22/2008 7:16:45 AM You mean a UAW bailout. Non-union factories are not getting any printed government money bailout. That union is like an anvil on the back of a drowning man. As long as there is a UAW the big three are doomed (in the USA, that is). Just look at what they did for the brass mills in Waterbury, Connecticut: all gone--moved to the midwest. Bye Bye, United Auto Workers.
Bill G. 12/13/2008 10:18:06 PM How about bailing us hardworking citizens out?
I got an idea... let's print some more cash, seeing the government is willing to lower the dollars worth and bailout the real people in need, us little people!
I would have taken the original 700 billion dollar bailout and request that in this years tax return, each hardworking tax paying citizen, who has a mortgage, submit a form with the amount owed... then when the government completes your official tax return they would pay off each and every hardworking taxpayers mortgage. Definately fix ALL of the bad written mortagages. Take the burden off the banks, and stimulate the economy from the bottom side - UP with everyone now being able to use their mortagage money to pay down on their credit card debt.
But no, instead we will continue to give the cash to a CEO guy who earns an annual raise or commission base that is greater than my life's annual salary.
wrong strings 12/11/2008 9:55:45 AM The wrong strings are being attached to this bailout. The strings should be allowing the big three to renegotiate their current union contracts that weigh like anchors on the struggling automakers. Their insurmountable labor costs exceed the far lower-cost, non-union workforce costs at US plants of competitors like Honda, Toyota, Subaru and Nissan. I think the shareholders will get the worst of the deal. They should spin off their intellectual property into a separate unit and license the designs and technologies to the manufacturing unit. This will allow the shareholders to separate the value of the company away from the asset-heavy and labor-burdened manufacturing, allow the plants to close, then buy them back at pennies on the dollar and hire labor at non-union prices. Not to excuse management, however screw the unions - they caused most of this and can offer the most help to reverse course, but are unwilling and expect their gross contributions to Democrats will help protect them. Truth be known, no amount of money will save this US industry for the long term as long as labor runs the show.
Eric 12/9/2008 6:26:20 PM Of course it should. The daze of Detroit doing Big Oil's bidding are over and if they are not required to create energy efficient cars under the bailout agreement then it's just a wasted opportunity.
Saving the Unions 12/9/2008 10:52:02 AM The Democrats are quite warm to the idea of controlling who runs US automakers, how much they are paid, restricting dividends to the shareholders (the actual owners), want a stake in the companies but somehow deny that these moves closely resemble nationalism. Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Chris Dodd and Barney Frank (AKA the Failing Four) believe that the US taxpayer should shoulder the funding of Unions in our nation through subsidizing their contracts with taxpayer dollars. Why? Because Unions gave $477 million dollars to the Democrats in this last election, compared to just $35 million to Republicans. Shocked? Why? Oh, they promised CHANGE, but you had no idea what you were in for........
What do you think?
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12/29/2008 12:41:00 PM
Although the CEOs of the Big Three are being asked to fly coach and take $1 pay packages, the UAW was able to hold dearly onto their prized golf resort. The $33 million, 1,000-acre retreat (used often by UAW executives) loses an average of $4.5 million annually, a small price for downtrodden union members' dues to pay for in exchange for discounted golf. I wonder if the Greens Keepers and Caddies have organized and demanded the healthy pay packages and lavish benefits as their UAW bosses receive.
12/22/2008 7:16:45 AM
You mean a UAW bailout. Non-union factories are not getting any printed government money bailout. That union is like an anvil on the back of a drowning man. As long as there is a UAW the big three are doomed (in the USA, that is). Just look at what they did for the brass mills in Waterbury, Connecticut: all gone--moved to the midwest. Bye Bye, United Auto Workers.
12/13/2008 10:18:06 PM
How about bailing us hardworking citizens out?
I got an idea... let's print some more cash, seeing the government is willing to lower the dollars worth and bailout the real people in need, us little people!
I would have taken the original 700 billion dollar bailout and request that in this years tax return, each hardworking tax paying citizen, who has a mortgage, submit a form with the amount owed... then when the government completes your official tax return they would pay off each and every hardworking taxpayers mortgage. Definately fix ALL of the bad written mortagages. Take the burden off the banks, and stimulate the economy from the bottom side - UP with everyone now being able to use their mortagage money to pay down on their credit card debt.
But no, instead we will continue to give the cash to a CEO guy who earns an annual raise or commission base that is greater than my life's annual salary.
12/11/2008 9:55:45 AM
The wrong strings are being attached to this bailout. The strings should be allowing the big three to renegotiate their current union contracts that weigh like anchors on the struggling automakers. Their insurmountable labor costs exceed the far lower-cost, non-union workforce costs at US plants of competitors like Honda, Toyota, Subaru and Nissan. I think the shareholders will get the worst of the deal. They should spin off their intellectual property into a separate unit and license the designs and technologies to the manufacturing unit. This will allow the shareholders to separate the value of the company away from the asset-heavy and labor-burdened manufacturing, allow the plants to close, then buy them back at pennies on the dollar and hire labor at non-union prices. Not to excuse management, however screw the unions - they caused most of this and can offer the most help to reverse course, but are unwilling and expect their gross contributions to Democrats will help protect them. Truth be known, no amount of money will save this US industry for the long term as long as labor runs the show.
12/9/2008 6:26:20 PM
Of course it should. The daze of Detroit doing Big Oil's bidding are over and if they are not required to create energy efficient cars under the bailout agreement then it's just a wasted opportunity.
12/9/2008 10:52:02 AM
The Democrats are quite warm to the idea of controlling who runs US automakers, how much they are paid, restricting dividends to the shareholders (the actual owners), want a stake in the companies but somehow deny that these moves closely resemble nationalism. Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Chris Dodd and Barney Frank (AKA the Failing Four) believe that the US taxpayer should shoulder the funding of Unions in our nation through subsidizing their contracts with taxpayer dollars. Why? Because Unions gave $477 million dollars to the Democrats in this last election, compared to just $35 million to Republicans. Shocked? Why? Oh, they promised CHANGE, but you had no idea what you were in for........