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Figures Bush would pull a stupid move like this. When you have a cancerous growth, do you try to kill it, or inject it with steroids? I'm buying Honda from now on.

I make no deception about the fact that I live in Michigan, but nothing irks me much more than the insistence of media using the phrase "Detroit doesn't produce cars people like." While they admittedly have some major flaws in their vehicle lineup, over the past few years, all 3 of the U.S. auto manufacturers have been able to launch new cars (not trucks) that meet and exceed international (i.e. Honda, Toyota) standards in quality, design, and the vague concept of "desirability". Slowly, people are coming around to this new reality, but it does not help this evolving image if people who have not even recently considered American cars stick to this flawed mantra. Please reconsider.

http://WeAreOfMichigan.blogspot.com

America got of cheap. Find out what a laid off or displaced worker would get when they aren't working. You'll be suprised, but this isn't the only industry that we carried.

The author of this article Johnathan Berr is a real brain trust. Such "101 observations" as "all of the money in the world will not help Detroit if the Big 3 don't produce cars people like." is a real break-through. Probably wrote that one as he was driving in with his 20 year old Honda civic. Bet they are throwing that statement around at the Harvard Business School as we speak. That statement applies to commerce in general and is only part of the issue and the smallest piece at that with Detroit's emerging green cars. It is about unions and a $30 per hour disparity between Detroit and the transplants. It's about insurance and pensions. It's about everything the Japanese do not have to contend with. I do believe regulated bankruptcy is the right approach.

The article is yellow journalism at best if you can call it journalism at all....sounds more like a high school BS session...

At least with manufacturing there is something one can physically grasp....what about the rest of the 800B with no accountability whatsoever. Oh yeah, those are white collar crooks....I forgot.

This is a bad time to be retired from the auto industry. Like most people my house and investments have taken a big hit. Now their comming after my pension. I dont think our pensions are as good as everybody thinks they are. I work part time to help out. If they take my pension away, i will have to find a full time job. That will not be easy the way things are now. Dont want anybody feeling sorry for me, just letting you what this means to a lot of people.

AT total pay and benefits averaging $75 per hour thats $156,000 a year for Autoworkers bolting on tires etc.

Now Toyato pays abiut $55 an hour including benefits or $114K on average.

Whats wrong with thispicture?

Ford has annual sales of 172 Billion but lost 1.7 Billion. They have 246,000 employees.
So if every employee took a $5.27 an hour cut in wages or benefits they would be at Break even again. a $ 10 cut and they would have a 1.7 BIllion profit.

Why not cut the pay back and bonus the workers if they make a profit. Sounds reasonable to me and everyone keeps their job.

Oh but THAT would be too easy and we have the Union to deal with.