Exclusive: Rock Band Unplugged Track List

AOL Money & Finance

Does GM deserve a taxpayer bailout?

The New York Times reports that General Motors (NYSE: GM) wants a $50 billion bailout due to the credit crunch. It says it can't get the money it needs to build fuel efficient cars. But during the decade, when it was minting money from SUVs and trucks sales, GM could have invested those profits in fuel efficient products. Now that those profits have evaporated, it wants taxpayers to step in.

What kind of bailout does GM want? The Times reports it seeks $50 billion in government-backed loans to retool its plants to build fuel efficient cars. GM is not alone -- Detroit's automakers and the United Auto Workers (UAW) already requested Congress to "appropriate $3.75 billion to back the $25 billion in loans authorized last year." Now they want to double that amount and are "urging Congress to act by the end of September so that the money can be available next year." No doubt the industry is in trouble. The Times reports that "total sales for [August are forecast to be] 14.4 percent lower than a year ago and that G.M.'s sales [will drop] 27.5 percent."

But the economic logic for this taxpayer-funded bailout is tenuous. GM wants the government to leave it alone when it comes to fuel efficiency and it made huge profits on gas guzzlers before the price of oil shot up from $24 a barrel to $117. Thanks to GM's lack of investment in fuel efficient vehicles, its losses are soaring. Most recently it lost $4.4 billion and its revenues plunged 33% from $29.7 billion to $19.8 billion. It wants our money to make up for its bad management. Since its current CEO, Rick Wagoner, has taken over, GM's stock price has fallen 83%. But he still has the support of GM's board.

If Wagoner can pull off this example of private profits and public losses, it would be quite a feat for GM. It is also an example of how what's good for GM is bad for America. If we carry GM's logic to its extreme, then every company and citizen in the U.S. that has been hurt by rising oil prices, the collapsing housing market and the credit crunch should get a government bailout.

So if Wagoner can get taxpayer money to bail out GM, I'd like to hire him to get me a check to compensate me for the higher gasoline prices I have been paying and the drop in the value of my house.

Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He has no financial interest in the securities mentioned.

Get the latest on cars and trucks
from GM and all brands at AOL Autos.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Symbol Lookup
IndexesChangePrice
DJIA-69.458,113.72
NASDAQ-6.361,746.19
S&P 500-7.22875.46

Last updated: July 10, 2009: 12:13 PM

BloggingStocks Exclusives

Hot Stocks

Learn More About GM Cars

General Motors Brands:
Find Your Next Car

AOL Autos New Cars and Used Cars

DailyFinance Headlines

Latest from BloggingBuyouts

TheFlyOnTheWall.com Headlines

BioHealth Investor Headlines

WalletPop Headlines

My Portfolios

Track your stocks here!

Find out why more people track their portfolios on AOL Money & Finance then anywhere else.

BloggingStocks Partners

More from AOL Money & Finance

WalletPop Headlines