Comments on: Big Three Spending Millions On Lobbying
Auto Makers Drowning In Red, But Still Spent Neary $50 Million Lobbying Congress
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- POOR CONCORDE 5 COMMENTS = SAYING ALL AUTO WORKERS
MAKE THE SAME.... ANOTHER UNINFORMED MINUS ECONOMICS
KNOWLEDGE.
WHO IS LEFT TO PAY FOR ALL & EVERYONE???
WHY DO PEOPLE THINK THEY HAVE ANY RIGHT EVER TO
"OTHER PEOPLE''S MONEY"... FOR ANY REASON ????
PUNISH THOSE THAT TOOK CARE OF THEIR BUSINESS
TO PAY FOR THOSE THAT DID NOT TAKE CARE OF THEIR BUSINESS==========SEEMS TO BE THE CURRENT THINKING OF
OUR ELITE (USELESS POLITICIANS) & UNEDUCATED PUBLIC. - Reply to this comment
- They are all crooks, congress, legislature, big three. Put them all where they belong
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- It is very stupid to say that the problem with american autos is that the unions have run pay up so much that they are not financially viable.
The last time I checked, foreign autos COST MORE THAN AMERICAN CARS!
The problem is not that american cars are too expensive. The problem is that they are ugly and don''t hold up! People are not buying higher cost imports because of Unions. They are buying foreign cars because they hold up better and they are designed better. - Reply to this comment
- NOT MANY OF COMMENTS COULD PASS ECONOMICS..
LABOR UNION LAID OFF HUNDREDS OF WORKERS IN OK &
THEY RECIEVED ALL THEIR PAY & BENEFITS FOR OVER 2 YEARS.. PLUS MONEY TO RE TRAIN IN SCHOOL. EACH AUTO
FROM U.S. AUTO MAKER COST 1799.00 MORE == TO
PAY FOR UNION "BENEFITS". ONLY PLACE WHERE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES MAKE $18.00 PLUS DOLLARS AN HOUR!!!
HO, HO, Also, note, all American made auto''s have
a black box in them! (for futher tracking of you)
Hmmmm!!!!!!!!!!! - Reply to this comment
- Screw the over paid babies. Time to get a real job where you have to work for a real wage.
Hope the unions are broken. - Reply to this comment
- I don''t know what to make of it all. If it were not for the seriousness of the economic situation we find ourselves in I would be the first to say let them go into bankruptcy and if they can be restructured into viability do it and if not let them fail. However I am not sure the economy can stand the number of job losses that would create. I do believe that as of yet neither the Big 3 nor the unions have gone far enough in consessions. I believe that GM in particular is just too fat to survive even with a loan. They have too many brands and too much redundency between or within brands. If they reduced the number of models they have competing with themselves for the same market they could save a fortune in advertising alone. Why do they need both Chevy and GMC trucks? The same could be said for at least a dozen other models which are nearly duplicates. Why should we loan them money when they''re spending nearly as much as they''re asking for on lobbying. As far as the Unions go I think they need to be willing to take deeper cuts if they want to end up with a job at all. They need to be willing to settle for the kind of health insurance that everyone else has to settle for. They need to take at least a few of dollars in base pay cuts across the board. If saving their job doesn''t mean that much to them then give it to someone who it does.
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- A counterweight to the lobbies is starting. term limits and tax change. We are losing our democracy to lobbies and need to take this crisis as an opportunity to reframe. Many comments here are about this issue, which according to http://justcircuses.org/ is about the Declaration of Independence, the purpose in it. Organizing will do more than complaining and feeling powerless.
- Reply to this comment
- LOOK UP DEFINATION OF SOCIALISM & THEN MARXISM THEN
COMPARE TO CURRENT CONGRESS RULINGS & GIVING AWAY
TAX DOLLARS. OUR GRANDCHILDREN ARE ALREADY ON THE
HOOK FOR FIRST BAILOUT. (CONGRESS HAS BEEN FINDING MORE & MORE WAYS TO GET INTO EVERYONE BUSINESS = GOOD BY AMERICA HELLO==SOCIALISM.
NOT ENOUGH TAXPAYERS EXIST TO PAY FOR ALL THE "MONEY OUT THE DOOR" CONGRESS. (YOU CAN BET, IT WILL NOT AFFECT THEIR OWN HIDDEN MONEY) "THEY ARE THE ELITES & THEY KNOW BEST"... THROW UP. - Reply to this comment
- The unions didn''t kill the US auto industry, the engineers did. They have designed cars that are ugly and don''t hold up over time.
When the US auto industry started making inferior cars back in the 70''s is when the decline started. The unions had been around for a long time and as long as detroit was producing good cars that were better than the japanese cars, they did fine!
They didn''t run into trouble until their cars became inferior. If they produce a superior product again, they will be profitable again. Union or Not!
Lets keep the blame where it should be, on the engineers and the ceo''s and the politicians. But lets not blame Blue Collar workers who are just trying to put food on the table. - Reply to this comment
- THIS CONGRESS SHOULD BE TAKEN DOWN. THEY HAVE PROVEN
THEIR INTEREST AREA == SELF INTEREST - NOT EVER CONSIDERING WHAT IS BEST FOR AMERICA....BUT WHAT IS
BEST FOR THEIR POCKET & POWER.
MOST DISGUSTING GROUP OF STUPID & GREED EVER.
****READ GEORGE WILL''S COLUMN TODAY - TERRIFIC 12-4 - Reply to this comment
- HO ! Big 3 - has always been run by stupid - due to idea - that would always be important.
Union deals killed auto Co., just as they did the
RR, & airlines, etc. Unions always kill everything
they touch. - Reply to this comment
- Posted by a_witness at 03:20 PM : Dec 04, 2008
We can''t blame the employees or the Union for these problems. American auto workers make comparable salaries to auto workers for toyota, honda, etc.
Don''t get me wrong. I''m not saying that the Big 3 have no blame in this mess. They have designed inferior automobiles that don''t hold up the way they should. But lets not punish the Blue Collar workers for the mistakes of the ceo''s and the politicians who have caused this mess.
Either the tax payers can bail out the companies or we can pay for welfare, food stamps, unemployment etc for all those workers who will be without a job.
We''re going to pay one way or the other. Lets do it in a way that keeps americans employed. - Reply to this comment
- "The auto industry spent nearly $50 million lobbying Congress in the first nine months of this year"
No wonder they are broke. Just what is this money spent on? Who in Congress received it?
Oh hellll noooo!!!! Remove the CEO''s and others who ran the companies into the ground. - Reply to this comment
- By: kristimaggi
I sent this to our US Reps and Senators by email. I strongly urge you to do the same if you agree. The possibility of losing their Power Positions in D.C. is the only thing that makes these out-of-touch ELITIST politicians LIKE PELOSI/REID listen.
Dear XXXXXXX,
I most strongly urge you to oppose any bailout for the auto industry. It is irresponsible and will not correct the problem: mainly, overinflated wages, benefits, and retiree plans. The "other" American auto industry is thriving with happy employees, efficient output, and quality products that American consumers are buying in record numbers. The Big Three are simply non-competitive in the global economy - or even in the domestic market! The Big Three will not disappear; they will either reorganize or be acquired by other automakers - there is simply too much brand value and infrastructure in place for them to disappear. But a bailout will only prolong their demise and cost us - and our children - billions. It is nothing more than pandering to the unions. Your support of a bailout will ensure my not supporting you in the next election and resolve me to work hard to see that you are replaced with someone who truly represents the desires of the majority. Please oppose any more bailouts for anyone! - Reply to this comment
- We made a huge mistake when we threw anti-trust legilation out the window and left it lying by the roadside. We are now reaping the rewards of that mistake with companies "too big to let fail" dominating the market in everything from manufacturing to insurance to finance. We have too long listened to the preachers of a "Free Market Economy" when truly free markets nor true free trade actually exist. That doesn''t mean that protectionism or overregulation is the answer, just smart regulation and smart trade policy. Unfortunately high educatiion and true smarts are not necessarily one and the same. In this regard the often overused term "common sense" is truly applicable.
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- It''''s time to put blue collar american workers first for a change. Save the auto industry and save the American manufacturing sector.
--------------------------Posted by concorde5
They put themselves first when they joined a Union and blackmail employers to pay up or else. If the company is being broke by the Union, break the Union or go under like anyother business. If all 3 go under we will still have cars. The employees can go work for one of the more pratical automakers in the US. - Reply to this comment
- Political affilliation doesn''t matter. I''m sure if the big 3 go down, both republicans and democrats will be in the unemployment line, the food stamps line, the welfare line, and the soup kitchen line.
It''s time to put blue collar american workers first for a change. Save the auto industry and save the American manufacturing sector. - Reply to this comment
- Very few in Washinton have the guts to do the right thing. They are too interested in getting re-elected to bite the hand that feeds them. If they do the right thing it would be political suicide as there is no end to the amount of money corporate and special interests would spend to back their opponents in the next election.
- Reply to this comment
- Any member of Congress who has taken money from the auto makers SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO RECUSE THEMSELVES and not to participate in the hearing or the decisions!!! It is prima facia BRIBERY if they do.
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--Posted by TexGEOas
Damned straight! Only problem is...if we recuse every politician whose been bought, who''''s left?
------------------------Posted by fahr451
What is left are the chimps which are happy with a banana and a pat on the head. - Reply to this comment
- Notice the article never mentions political affilliation. I wonder why?
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Posted by planet87
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Because polical corruption knows no party affiliation! - Reply to this comment
