Thank you for your business.........

[Pez7378]

Or not! Either way we don't care. Got this in the E-mail tonight.

Why are they rubbing my nose in it? I own a Dodge!

[Penopolypants]

What? I own a subaru....

[Samson]

Here it is explained perfectly.....


The Bailout

How the bailout works

Young Chuck moved to Texas and bought a Donkey from a farmer for $100.

The farmer agreed to deliver the Donkey the next day.

The next day the farmer drove up and said, 'Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died.'

Chuck replied, 'Well, then just give me my money back.'

The farmer said, 'Can't do that. I went and spent it already.'

Chuck said, 'Ok, then, just bring me the dead donkey.'

The farmer asked, 'What ya gonna do with him?
Chuck said, 'I'm going to raffle him off.'

The farmer said, 'You can't raffle off a dead donkey!'
Chuck said, 'Sure I can Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead.'

A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, 'What happened with that dead donkey?'

Chuck said, 'I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made $998.'

The farmer said, 'Didn't anyone complain?'

Chuck said, 'Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back.'

Chuck now leads the US bank bailout team.

[H20doctor]

Ya .. Isn't it amazing that that the auto makers are a business.. And why isn't the government giving me a bailout to help me with my business??? I've lost clients.. And I am not that busy and I need a bailout too !!! Why isn't there a business bailout for all of us small business owners ???? $#$@?!?:;

[Sounder]

Ya .. Isn't it amazing that that the auto makers are a business.. And why isn't the government giving me a bailout to help me with my business??? I've lost clients.. And I am not that busy and I need a bailout too !!! Why isn't there a business bailout for all of us small business owners ???? $#$@?!?:;

Because your business (what ever it may be) doesn't have the enormous effect on the market that the automakers do. If you went under, nobody would think twice - there are businesses going under everyday. If Ford or GM went under, it'd screw everyone... and I don't even own a Ford (sorry Ron, you know I'm a Toyota guy) or a GM vehicle.

[H20doctor]

Well I disagree... They should be resposible for themselves and should have made less cars.. We all stopped buying gas because it cost too much.. And new cars don't get that much better gas mileage.. But its the banks not giving the people with 650 credit scores a loan for a new car... So the cars dealers should have made a better mileage car, and slowed down their car production.. I don't think my tax dollars should pay for their lack of running a Business... No ones gonna bail my company out or all the builders building homes.. I blame the banks for not giving the average peolpe loans that's where the blame lies and all the home foreclosures.. But still why are we responsible for a company not being smart about running their business?? ...

[BASSMAN]

If the government gave me the money and required me to buy a brand new car from Ford,Chrysler or GM, I would gladly help out in that way.
That way, the car companies sell more cars and gets the bail out money too.
Are the prices going to go lower, when they get the bail out? "I don't think so Tim."
I agree with H20 Doctor, Why should we bail out the car companies just because they failed to run the busness corectly.
simple busness plan...not selling? Figure it out and sell a prouduct that the cosumers want at a price they can afford.
I know it is not that simple for the dealers, but at the factory level, they should be able to figure it out.

[spatman]

Why should we bail out the car companies just because they failed to run the busness corectly.
simple busness plan...not selling?

there is no doubt the auto industry really screwed up, and the idea of another bail out is infuriating. (remember lee iacocca?).

BUT letting the industry die will effect millions of workers who aren't responsible for the gross mismanagement. not just the factory workers, but the employees (and their families) of suppliers and other related industries who are dependent on that income. the state and local gov't's loss of personal tax income from these collapsing industries could affect budgets for education, police, fire, and public health, which might cause cutbacks–resulting in real harm to many other people in the short run.

yes, it sucks. but a collapse like this could possibly push us from a recession to the verge of a real depression.

my personal opinion is to give them the money, but attach strict rules on production, significantly increasing gas milage, higher emissions standards, and alternate fuel sources.

{/soapbox]

now, if you'll excuse me, i need to go pack my subaru and go diving!

[Samson]

Bailing out these businesses that have failed is a damn joke! What about all the other auto makers out there that have run their businesses properly? The way the market is supposed to work (without the government interfering) is that when poor businesses fail, it creates opportunities for smart businessmen to take over their vacancies left in the marketplace. Where is the reward for these businessmen who have been waiting for such an opportunity to expand???. Ill tell you where,... its gone!! Its pathetic,.... help out the idiots of the world and let the strong intelligent ones hang out to dry.... Capitalism, the Market based economy which this country was founded on is being destroyed! Its survival of the fitest, only the strong survive and the weak die off. It is the way it has always been. Where they have failed, others will rise up and take their place....What this government is doing is turning this once great strong proud nation into a nation of people with thier hands out begging for welfare after they have made bad decisions and failed! A nation that is no longer based on capitalism, but socialism....pretty soon the government will be telling us, not only what kinds of cars we can buy and produce, but how much we will be able to spend for them, how much we can use them, what we can do with them once we own them,... etc. etc. etc.....

Ohh, and by the way,.. feeling sorry for the workers that might be laid off, is also a joke! Half the reason they are in trouble is because the workers unions have driven the wages up so high that the owners can no longer compete with the other auto makers. The damn bailout would have passed the senate, but the one condition they put on the auto makers, which was to reduce your wages in line with the other automakers, was flat out refused to be complied with by the employees........
I weap for the future of this nation........

[Bric Martin]

Even the Big 3 will tell you that this bailout isn't a cure. The big 3 asked for 30 billion dollars to get them through January 30th. The Big 3's idea of long range planning is all based on the current quarters profit line.

This whole thing is crap!!

[Samson]

Yeeaaaaaa!! you tell em blackwater!!!!!!!!!!!!

[airsix]

Sampson nailed it.

-Ben

[Fishstiq]

Ya .. Isn't it amazing that that the auto makers are a business.. And why isn't the government giving me a bailout to help me with my business??? I've lost clients.. And I am not that busy and I need a bailout too !!! Why isn't there a business bailout for all of us small business owners ???? $#$@?!?:;

Because your business (what ever it may be) doesn't have the enormous effect on the market that the automakers do. If you went under, nobody would think twice - there are businesses going under everyday. If Ford or GM went under, it'd screw everyone... and I don't even own a Ford (sorry Ron, you know I'm a Toyota guy) or a GM vehicle.

It'd screw everyone? Oh, so lets just give them a big ole heap of taxpayer money. How many taxpayers are paying into this bailout? More than the number of employees and contributors that will be "screwed" by the big 3 going under I think. So which way screws everyone?

America is a free country, and the greatest country the world has EVER known. What most people don't like to hear is that being FREE means you are free to try, free to succeed, and FREE TO FAIL.

Samson, you said it perfectly.

[loanwolf]

take a step back and ask yourself a question. WHY ARE THE BANKS NOT WILLING TO GIVE THE AUTO MANUFACTURES A LOAN? As of two days ago over half of the bank bailout money has been dispersed. So the banks have the money to loan out for business. especially business as big as the big 3.

Can it be because it would be bad business? The banks are going to require that a business plan and a restructuring plan that makes good business sense be in place before they loan money out. If they have either of those what is the problem.

Well the big 3 do not have either of thous and that is why they are asking the tax payer to belly up pay what the banks will not loan to them. As stated by GM's CEO "we have exhausted our credit capability's"

The banks will not loan to them without a sound plan. so they come to the tax payers and say give us 15 billion so we can keep afloat for the next month and we will be back in a month for another 15-20 billion to figure out a business plan.

No step back and look at that!!!! This is your money they are wanting.

Or does the whole thing need to be BK'd and then rebuilt form the ground up under oversight and new management. Or do we as taxpayers continue to poor money into a industry that is such a nightmare and has such poor business practices that the banks will not touch it anymore.

[Biodiversity_Guy]

I just think it is sad that the american car industry is based on a business model of expecting people to buy a new vehicle every 3 years or so. That is just not environmentally sustainable--and we are recognizing, not really economically sustainable either.

If the average person kept their vehicle longer, it would actually generate more local jobs (O&M) and more demand for replacement parts from 3rd party companies--diversifying the economy and making it more stable.

[loanwolf]

I just think it is sad that the american car industry is based on a business model of expecting people to buy a new vehicle every 3 years or so. That is just not environmentally sustainable--and we are recognizing, not really economically sustainable either.

If the average person kept their vehicle longer, it would actually generate more local jobs (O&M) and more demand for replacement parts from 3rd party companies--diversifying the economy and making it more stable.

very good, take a look at Japan. It is set up so most people get a new car every 4 yrs. Shaken, license and insurance is every 2yrs. Most people do not put shaken on a car but twice. the test are very stringent and maintenance on a car their is very expensive. a standard car battery costs 120-130 dollars US. Tiers we pay $35 for here are $160 their. It runs $140 an hr for shop labor. Hell i paid $90 for a for a standard headlamp and $70 for stock wiper blades for my van. Their system is so set on people getting new cars that the replacement business is very limited and expensive. But that is begining to change as of late and has had a big effect on the auto industry their. More and More people are keeping their cars and or bying used cars. 6 years ago their were no used car lots. As of 3 years ago their are all over.

[Samson]

I have one more point that will piss you off. I am in the trucking industry..... So I have a question..... Semi trucks are made with engines that come with a 500,000 mile warranty. They ALL go over 1,000,000 miles if taken care of properly. They are not even considered broken in until they top 100,000 miles. So why is it that our cars and pick-ups are pretty much DEAD after only 100,000 miles??? The technology is out there to make cars and trucks to go for a million miles....

Ill tell you why,... so the good folks of the world have to keep buying a new car every few years..... it is a crime what the auto industry has done to this country.......deliberatly!

Dont even get me started on the cost of fuel........