Republicans willing to have a depression - they can cruise through it. Won't give Detroit help with

[JohnWxy]

liquidity problems.

Republicans to Detroit: Drop dead - MSNBC

Democrats may have been the big victors on Election Day. But the Republicans still in charge in the White House and representing a possibly immovable minority in the Senate may keep the U.S. auto industry from getting the help it needs before Barack Obama is inaugurated as President in January.

To convince wary Republicans to go along with a rescue package, a House bill being crafted would give the government stock warrants, an equity stake in the automakers. It also has a provision that would put taxpayers at or near the head of the line for debt repayment when the companies recover.

(more)
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[DJ13]

1. The Republicans seem willing to put destroying the UAW above preventing a depression

I think we should take each and every one of the Republicans who express that opinion and try them for treason.

Its obvious they would willingly place ideology above the interests of the country they've sworn to uphold.

[Morpheal]

2. Saving The Auto Industry : Detroit Big Three And Uncle Sam

Remember that the big three auto makers are, were, dual purpose industries.
They exist and existed for two purposes.
One purpose is to produce vehicles for the market, including cars and trucks.
The other purpose is to produce vehicles for the military.

There has not been a war requiring large numbers of military vehicles, nor has there
been a war with high attrition of military vehicles since Viet Nam. I can recall when
the Ford Motor Company plant in Oakville, Ontario could not produce enough trucks
for Nam use, running 3 shifts, 7 days a week. Some of my father's friends worked
there and used to talk about it with him, and about the overtime they could get until
the war ended.

Remember that after WWII, inclusive of the conflict with Japan and the Korean conflict,
the big three were poised to introduce a vast number of new, luxurious and highly
competitive products into the marketplace. They had the money. Uncle Sam had
paid them well during the war years. Everything was glitz and glamour, hype and
hoopla in those glory days of the consumer automotive boom.

What now ?

There remains a potential need for dual purpose industries. Uncle Sam cannot afford
to allow offshore interests to undermine North American capabilities to produce military
vehicles. You have to have ready to go, assembly plants, for that. However, globalization
has in fact undermined that very same strategic capability, and now threatens to further
destroy that capability. However, you cannot keep a mothballed plant ready to build
military vehicles that you might never really need, and when you really don't know when
you might need them, simply sitting there. It doesn't work that way. That plant has to
produce something.... so you have to keep the non military market segment and the
ability to produce non military production actively going. You have no choice.

So Uncle Sam is between a rock and a hard place now.

Globalization and the shift allowing more international competition and offshore
vehicle production and importation, is threatening the military infrastructure. Uncle
Sam now does not know what to do other than to throw money at the big three hoping
that that might be their salvation from what Uncle Sam himself did to them.

It isn't a pretty picture and it is time politicians started to own up to some truth about
the big three and their relation to Uncle Sam. I can recall a famous film about the Fords
and their motor company that skips across the late 1930s and the 40s, not even mentioning
the war and Ford's role in it. You might even remember that Henry Ford actually helped
the Russians establish assembly lines in preparation for building vehicles for WWII. Russian
military truck production was facilitated by Ford's know how. The war in eastern Europe
would have been very different if not for Ford.

So there you have it.
Start asking question. Politicians owe you some better answers as to what is going on.


Robert Morpheal

[madrchsod]

3. if the big three shut their plants within one year

the american public would not have enough new cars to buy. there would be a shortage of auto`s and trucks in the united states with in two to three years....

to bad no one is calling out the rethugs on this "small" problem

[JohnWxy]

5. Republicans sell an image of being gung ho defense (when it involves protecting oil fields or

other business interests - but their economic policies weaken our economy and in the long run you are not going to be a powerful (able to look out for your own intersts - NOT cowboy diplomacy) country if you are not economically strong. I am no tmaking a case for typical Republican Jingoism (12 yr old's idea of patriotism) but we do need to be able to look out for our own interests in the world and this is based on economic strength.

If the auto industry goes down the tubes so goes the whole economy. We'll be in a depression like that of the thirties. This obviously will affect people who are working outside the auto industry - who feel they won't be touched by the fall of the auto industry. By the time they figure this out it will be too late.

Song of a onetime Republican supporter

[PassingFair]

4. They've been telling manufacturing to drop dead for a LONG TIME.

This particular administration has REFUSED to
even MEET with auto execs.