Basic economics. Money flows downhill to the least expensive way to produce a given quality. That is why government should NEVER interfere by "helping" any industry survive. If, as in the case of GM, it keeps some workers employed, it only delays the inevitable as those workers lose out to China, or wherever. If GM and Chrysler couldn't succeed on their own, then they should have been allowed to fail. However, that doesn't get you any votes from the low information voters.

Indeed the bailout was a disaster...Not only did the taxpayers get ripped off, so did the bondholders whom were cheated in the bankruptcy. I have thought it over carefully and there isn't a car or truck GM makes that I would want....not even the Corvette. I will never be a customer of GM

I have just about always bought US Cars since my first car, a '51 Ford, in 1960. I had a Cadillac in my garage from 1977 to 2010. Since 2010 there has been a Lincoln MKZ parked there. I will never buy another GM car because of their crony capitalism practices.

Made my blood run cold. Akersons groveling and kowtowing is disgraceful.

Me too. We are being fleeced!

Indeed. The flat screen technology you are probably viewing right now was created here in the states. Toshiba of Japan subsidized their own production of them with profits from other products so they could dump their screens below cost on the market and drive all of the U.S. manufacturers out of the business, thereby creating a monopoly to exploit. The Chinese trade practices are no better and our government does little to nothing...

I remember... they manufactured the zeros that attacked Pearl and brought us into WW2. After the war we helped reconstruct an economy and a nation that would then pose an economic threat and practice unfair trade.

A vast amount of manufacturing jobs have been turned out by these activities and government policies. For quite a while the Unions because of political clout, media attention and shutdown threats have been able to preserve assembly plant jobs, but even those jobs are endangered now. If trade policies aren't fair not just "free" and Unions aren't responsible in the face of economic realities more of this is sure to come.

Look at the GE bulb plant (http://wkbn.com/2014/01/24/lamp-plant-go...)... the company's proposal (that was the best they could do for the plant) was put to the almighty union - had it passed, they would still be in business, but being voted down (by 6 votes), GE could no longer afford keep the doors open. The workers, in esence, fired themselves by trying to show the company who was boss... well, they found out the cold reality that if you don't have a head for upper management, maybe you shouldn't be making decisions for those who do.

So maybe therein lies the answer - people want to work? Get rid of the unions that end up costing jobs. Because when you get greedy, want more than the farmer can produce, don't be surprised when the trough you're being slopped at goes empty, and there's no more slop. Ever.

Workers of the World Unite! Everyone that reads this thread should check out this article. It only ends when there is nothing left...

I'll give you one better - the Unionization of Ford, which was spearheaded by the Communist Party in the late 30's and early 40's, a fact they (the communists) are rather quite proud of...

http://speakout-now.org/the-strike-at-ri...

Yes, We need a movement! We need to flush those turds! I can't believe that people aren't organizing. Pass this video around to everyone you believe receptive. Send it to the few honest politicians you know of. That should be a shorter list. If any rally is to have any notice it will have to be large. I am not a TEA party member but I know of a few. I am going to forward it to them also.

Really OA I have one last two-thousand mile drive in my old body. What day shall we assemble in D.C.?

Yes! A company should stand on its own and get private funding. I like Ford's management... their business model and hope they destroy the competition. How the government can justify their actions in the eyes of anyone except the unions is a mystery. The unions have too much power. I know they influenced this and in the end they may yet see the folly of their ways as their jobs disappear. Just reward I would say...

All automakers have a foreign presence; I like Ford where that presence stems from *here*, not China or Europe. Plus they didn't put their hand out for the bailout the dotgov was trying to make all 3 take - GM & Mopar stuck their hand out, Ford said No Thank You. Made me a believer iin the blue oval ever since.

Marxist politicians, bankers, and crooked businessmen - an unholy alliance. How will we fight them?

That is the 64 thousand dollar question. The government has the legitimate use of force and is in bed with the enemy... On one hand they are trying to disarm us while they re-educate us with their propaganda... We may end up marching on Washington with pitchforks and torches... not very effective, just the way they want it...

Me too. I have worked on a lot of Fords and the parts have always been more expensive and difficult to replace... Still, I can't see rewarding this kind of nonsense any longer...

Indeed. I am intimately aware of the practices over the years, yet for the most part the engineering was being done here and the majority of "value added" parts were being manufactured here, but now even that is blowing in the wind and being funded by our money. The treasury sold the last of their stock at a ten billion dollar loss to the taxpayer and they still owe 5 billion more... http://freebeacon.com/gm-auto-lender-sti...

I would say that most of the information was correct. There are a few caveats. Many of the automobiles and supporting parts for them have been made in Canada and Mexico since the Clinton era. Even prior to that. For many many years American cars have been assembled here but most of the parts made elsewhere.
The fact that 70% of the cars are made outside the US is not all that surprising to me. Given the market in China (rather the reputed market, who really knows) to a multinational it would make sense to move the production to where the demand is.
The time to really get worried is when they ship cars from China to here. Something similar happen to Toyota (might have the company wrong but it was Japanese). All of the Camrey model cars are now built here and shipped back to Japan. (This may no longer be true, my data is a little old). Cost them jobs on the Home Islands.
anyway, the situation is bad enough that we should start asking for a larger portion of the debt they owe to be repaided, like now.

Vote against them, use our voices to cause others to vote against them, participate in marches and protests, and finally shrug and let it fall. That's all we can do imo.

I have had too much trouble with fords. there was this one lemon taurus....sigh. but I was proud of Ford in that bailout nonsense.