House passes auto industry bailout

All I can suggest about what to do right now is to drink heavily....

To be a less flip than in my last post, I note that St. Ignatius Loyola said something to the effect that we should use human means as if divine means didn't exist, and divine means as if human means didn't exist.

Human means: 1. Write editorials, contact your representatives and senators, and make it known by any means possible that there needs to be oversight in these bailouts (if we must have bailouts), not just carte blanche. 2. Whomever you vote for in November, hold them as accountable as hell after January. 3. Look in the mirror and see what you have done that may have contributed to this, and what you can do from here on out.

Divine means: Pray fervently. For those interested, the patron of savings banks is St. Anthony Claret, and the patrons of banks in general are St. Bernardine of Feltre (also patron of pawnbrokers, to which many of us may wind up going before this is all over), St. Matthew the Apostle (a one-time tax collector), and St. Michael the Archangel (also Chief Captain of the Heavenly Host. Hmmmm....)

I think that sums it up for the next little while regarding what those of us in the trenches can do.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it's ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Tell Washington I said "Go to Hell." I'm done with the charade of voting.

Hear, hear.

Is this capitalism?

Was CAFE standards capitalism?

If congress wants to run the auto industry, why shouldn't congress pay for that?

I know we pay for it. Just as we pay for all the social engineering that congress enacts on our behalf. Like it or not. Want it or not.

I'm ready to file class action lawsuits against all the big Ceo's that keep stealing all the money then asking for bailouts! I really can't take much more. I'm in for the revolt.
Let's get big government out of our lives and vote for a Libertarian!

This auto loan crap makes me not want to vote. The big thre auto mfrs should be allowed to fold. I highly believe the UNION is the main cause of their failure. Think about it. Why should a person with no college education, some don’t even have High Scool ed, make $29/hr for mounting hardware on hardware? Tires, seats etc… I have seen people “Stage” parts like screws and washers and gaskets and push buttons that get paid over $24/hr. Give me a break. No wonder they are losing money. They have to support the morons in their work force. A high scool student can do this for federal min wage!
Most everything is automated and the unhealthy stuff is done by robots. That’s ridiculous. If one were to vistt one of their plants and audit this you will see it’s true. I have been in manufacturing for 10 years. Positions get a pay increas because of tenure? WTF is that. After 5 years your still an idiot manual robot doing the same thing you got paid for when it was minimum wage! The big three should fold and the American people should not have to suffer through their reign of OPEC Support terror.
DROP THE UNION! Or beteer yet, shut down the plant and reopen WITHOUT THE UNION!
Let’s take a look at this PHEV incentive that was passed also. To take advantage of this incentive, the vehicle you purchase must have soo much battery in it, can’t remember the specs but it was 3x more than any current foreign hybrid uses. Ironically if you look at any vehicles that can qualify, only the Chevy Volt and other US hybrid wannabe vehicles can qualify. Why? Because they are soo inefficient they require that much battery to run. So basically these US autos can not sell themselves and the big 3 need the govt to try and make the deal sweeter. For this reason I will never purchase a US big 3 vehicle again. The American people CAN survive even if the big 3 auto are gone. Need a car? There’s others to choose from? Lose your job because the plant failed to foresee the coming inevitable world change and they blindly charged on building Bradley Tank SUV’s? No problem, other auto manufacturers exist here in the US and when competition is gone from the big 3, guess what, manufacturing increases elsewhere in the US. Incentives for this PHEV bill should go to the vehicles that ARE PHEV. That should be the criterea. Then the consumers can decide WHAT PHEV they want to buy. So, guess what, they will most likely not buy a Chevy Volt and I highly recommend against the volt. This vehicle as well as any other attempts for the big 3 to sell as a hybrid / PHEV is just like their predecessors. They were hogs on gas back then, and in this generation they are hogs on batteries! Nothing has changed and they learned nothing. Tell me again why we are giving these huge loans to the same people that enticed people and sold Americans these poor excuses for a vehicle? I hope they all go under. This will open the doors to the small entrepreneurs like the “AC Propulsion”, “Phoenix Motors and “Hybrid Technologies” or “Black Bay Tecnologies”.
Basically IF the big 3 took what “Hybrid Technologies” is doing and refined the process, expand their facility, buy them out and ensure product reliability to “Their” standard the I believe the big 3 can make a come back. Think about it. This little comapny, Hybrid Technologies, takes already built ICE vehicles and convert them to 100% Electric in about 4 days. You get a range of 100+ miles. Good for commute and for soccer practices and runs to the grocery store, run to fast food for the 3 kids and get a beer. That is a perfect idea. So there, I just retooled the big three in less than an hour, my bill is $50Billion please.
Of course this will not happen because Detroit has this “It wasn’t my idea so I wont bother with it” persona. Sure they’ll probably get the loan. How’s it feel to be left out in the cold for those Americans who lost their homes to bad loans? Govt will bail big auto but leave Americans to fend for themselves and at the same time pay for this friggin mess. Yes, it is true that “We weren’t pushing these larger vehicles, we were just building what our customers wanted,” Mulally said….” (Quote from: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h4EahO3VBl2HqNDP58DrifgZ_RlQ) but you continued and did nothing to “Adapt” to the market, Just like the dinosaurs, and guess what, the Asteroid of OPEC hit and you cant “Adapt”! Hey Detroit, “Retool THIS!”, bastards.

I feel bad for the next president - there should be a law that limits what an outgoing president can do. Passing bills that are unfunded and relaying on the use of future money. I am really concerned - this is completely out of hand. No one is looking to help the people who brought the car and for whatever reason can no longer afford. Why are we bailing out the big guys - so what they are unable to sell cars? Is this bailout going to magically create consumers that are now able to purchase a new car? (I don’t think so) slow down the production line - this may result in layoffs but - eventually that is going to happen anyway - I would rather get laid off prior to making a car that no one needs, wants or can afford.

That is sick...sure bailout the rich...let the poor be poor...why are the car companies still advertising on primetime TV when it costs millions. Stop the ads and save some money...I don't buy a car because I see an ad on TV. As a small business owner...I will not get bailed out when I can not pay my monthly expenses....

__HEY LIVING IN DETROIT, JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WHILE I DO NOT WANT YOU TO LOOSE YOUR JOB OR YOUR HOME, I FEEL THE NEED TO OPEN UP YOUR EYES TO THE FACT THAT THESE BIG WIGGS DON'T GIVE A HOOT ABOUT YOU, ME--THE WOULD BE CONSUMER,WHO IF BY CHANCE LOST HER JOB WOULD HAVE THAT NICE GM TRUCK SNATCHED AWAY FROM HER, AND A HOST OF OTHER ORDINARY PEOPLE BUT THEMSELVES. IF THEY DID, THEY WOULD HAVE DONE JUST THAT OF WHAT WAS ASK OF THEM AS TO HOW THEY ARRIVED IN WASHINGTON DRESSED TO THE TEEEEEE IN THEIR MULTIMILLION DOLLAR ARROW SPACE YAHT ASKING FOR A HAND-OUT FROM THE GOVERNMENT. DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT THEY WILL GET RID OF THEIR PRECIOUS ARROW SPACE YAHT AND SAVE YOUR JOB?!!! I THINK NOT!!!!! ACTUALLY, WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS THAT THEY WILL TAKE THE MONEY, CUT YOUR JOB OUT (BETTER NOT HAVE BEEN THERE TO LONG CAUSE YOU WILL GO FIRST) KEEP THE RECENTLY HIRED EMPLOYEE BECAUSE HE MAKES LESS THEN YOU DO. SHUFFLE AROUND A COUPLE OF DEPARTMENTS AND SYSTEM OPERATIONS. LABEL THAT AS RESTRUCTURING OF THE BUSINESS AND VIOLA!!!!! THERE YOU HAVE IT. THE NEW AND REVIVED GM/FORD AUTO COMPANIES OF AMERICA COMPLIMENTS OF USA'S TAX PAYERS MONEY!!!!! DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!!! MAN'S GREED AND PHYLOSOPY, MONEY FIRST, THINGS, AND THEN PEOPLE IS WHY WE ARE IN THE RUT THAT WE ARE IN NOW. DO NOT PLACE ALL YOUR FAITH AND EGGS IN THIS COMPANY'S BASKET.