Ben Stein Votes "Yes" On Big Three Bailout

Says Gov't Must Save Detroit To Avoid a Depression

(CBS)  What economic problem should be the government's top priority? Contributor Ben Stein has his nominee:

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It's getting ugly out there.

America's Big Three automakers - GM, Ford and Chrysler - are not so big any more. They are on the ropes, in urgent danger of simply running out of cash.

Their executives and the unions who represent their workers, are pleading for a massive bailout from us, the taxpayers. President-elect Obama agrees with them.

Now there are plenty of good reasons to say no. After all, the Big Three have made every mistake in the book: far too lush employee contracts, poorly designed and poorly built cars that often burn too much gasoline.

Meanwhile, the Asian and German automakers with plants in the southern U.S. do a far better job at making cars people want to drive.

Mr. Bush, egged on by his own Dr. Evil, Henry Paulson, Secretary of the Treasury, is saying that Uncle Sam will not agree to a bailout. And in a way, I sympathize with President Bush and Secretary Paulson.

Still, the Obama team and the Democrats have this one right: The taxpayers just have to save Detroit.

We are in an economic tailspin. We cannot allow the roughly three million workers connected to the Big Three auto industry to fall into the ranks of the unemployed. It is possible that this nightmare could push the oncoming recession into being a Depression, something we definitely do not want to ever again experience.

Plus, we need a powerful domestic motor industry for defense purposes, to be able to convert to making tanks and military trucks if they had to.

Bankruptcy is not a good option. Who would buy a car made by a company in bankruptcy? After all, would the company even be there when you wanted your car serviced or repaired? And how could workers handle extended layoffs while it all got sorted out?

Yes, we need strict standards for revamping Detroit, maybe even bringing in supervisors from Toyota, BMW and Nissan. Yes, we need to make sure Detroit makes cleaner, more efficient vehicles.

But this economy is in enough trouble already. With our hearts in our mouths, we beg you, Mr. Bush, save Detroit now before it's too late for them, and too late for us.

America is not America without a big domestic motor industry. And yes, what's good for General Motors is good for America.

[smurfcrusher]

Stein is an idiot.

GM deserves a mercy killing.

[sioux4life1]

Who the he## cares what Stein says, let him stick to making eye drop commercials...which is stupid to begin with.

[maggieu1]

Since when should the American taxpayer be required to bail out companies for making an inferior product - a direct result of their union employees demanding (and getting paid) ridiculous salaries for poor work ethic! This is scary-a democratic majority in congress, the government running the banks and the auto industry, and a president with communist ideals-all we need now is to replace the Capitol Dome with a minaret! Wise up, Ben, and stop the CBS-mandate of gushing over Barack Hussein!

[troutfisher4]

We should listen to Ben now, since he has been so amazingly accurate up till now....

NOT

[trillion1]

3,000,000 jobs? Alot of those jobs are parts manufacturers which are mostly outside the USA.

[ddaryl1]

no 3 million jobs includes all the hotels, bars, restaurants tha tsurround these plants and part manufacturers in the USA alone...

the affect would be disatorous, not to mention that all those reitred workers woudl lose there UAW pension and be forced over to the pension protection act that would pretty much halve their pension checks which would cause another round of forclusures, bankruptcies, and slew of elderly workers who gave 30 - 40+ years of thier lives to work to end up destitude and livng in card board boxes.

When will many of you learn that th emiddle class is the foundation fo this country and the more you weaken the middle class, andkill good paying jobs the worse this country is going to be.

Wisen up fools

[ubrew12]

Bankruptcy. Rewrite the labor contracts. Break the Big three into the smaller thirty. Add domestic guarrantee''s that car owners warrantees will be honoured even if the new company goes under.

We need to save America''s domestic auto industry. Ben is confusing this with saving the Big Three. Indeed, saving the auto industry may require bankruptcy of the Big Three. These guys are suffering from multi-decadal noncompetitiveness and substitution of Congressional access for innovation. Handing them money will do nothing to change their way of operation. Only competition will do that.

BTW, I''m very much a liberal and believe that redistribution of wealth makes society stronger and better. Still, it isn''t lost on me that competitiveness is what makes capitalism great; not what the Big Three have been doing the last 20 years.

[billh971]

Well I was against it. I am an independent that voted for Obama. I have disagreed with Ben Stein a lot, He is Mr. Republican, Nixon speech writer Ferris Buller win Ben Stein''s money bigger than life personality. But he has it right. Their suppliers, and many other workers that would fold. I agree when Chrysler wanted money in the 70''s they got it. But please remember Lee Iacocca got paid $1 a year and stock bonuses. That is steping up to the plate. Give the auto makers the money with stipulations lower wages and benefits for the employees and $1 a year for the ceo''s and bosses. If they don''t take it, well they need to go under. They UAW workers are way overpaid and all CEO''s are really overpaid. I have a 1998 Taurus 40k miles. Trany went out. All the mechanics laugh about Fords Taurs and Sable axod trany. Ford has given us the Pinto. GM the Vega, the Checette. The only new car I have had was an 85 Dodge Charger. Junk. Bought the Taurus to give the USA a chance. Let me down. I drvoe Toyota vans for 300k miles. Very little problems. Even I have a Ford Festiva, (KIA Mazda Ford import 1993 155k super car 43mpg). Fire the bosses and the engineers at the Big 2 12. Hire the CEO''s of Honda and Toyota. Hire the engineers who design the componets of Toyota and Honda. It is not the American worker. He builds great Japaneese cars in Mississippi and Tennessee and all over the US.

[nothappyatall]

Now there are plenty of good reasons to say no. After all, the Big Three have made every mistake in the book: far too lush employee contracts, poorly designed and poorly built cars that often burn too much gasoline.

Meanwhile, the Asian and German automakers with plants in the southern U.S. do a far better job at making cars people want to drive."

Time for Detroit to go away and come back lean and mean with an under $15,000 car that works right, lasts, doesn''t look like KRAP and gets 100 MPG.

My ''89 Olds gets better MPG than many of today''s NEW cars, my ''82 Civic got better MPG still, so if an ''82 Civic can get that high a MPG why is i 20 years later Detroit STILL can''t get it right with carsthat get at least 75 MPG???

They are in cohoots with the OIL CO''s and a direct conduit to them.

[lmartink]

This isn''t Obama''s problem. The Big 3 may become the Big 0 by the time of the inauguration.

This disaster can be laid at the feet of Detroit''s idiot leadership. They should walk the plank.

[messiahx4eve]

Listen folks, no matter what WE, the PEOPLE, say, decide, or demand, guess what walks and guess which talks? For years, the oil companies and Detroit have monitored each other in the profit margins, why stop now? Let the oil companies bail out Detroits'' big three and let them LOSE their money instead of us.

[grigjd3]

Load of horse-***. If it''s true that "what''s good for GM is good for the country", that''s a relationship we need to do everything possible to break. We are talking about a company that is literally addicted to bad decision making and inefficiency. I for one do not want my fate attached to that. I agree with Ben Stein that we need to be concerned about our ability to make tanks and trucks for war and that is EXACTLY WHY WE CANNOT TRUST GM!

[bm6005]

We can either save them or "pay for the funeral". And pay you will. As much as I''d rather let the top execs dangle from a rope those 3 million people out of work really will run us into a depression. I spent 40+ yrs in mfg and "trust me" we will ALL pay dearly for any automakers demise. Force some controls on mgmt, the unions and move on. Also, hang all the WBA''s!

[mikezembill]

Maby we can just walk and save tons of money. GET A HORSE TO GET TO WORK.

[markangeloo]

They are just like the railroad industry
from the last depression--extinct

[tgvblue]

Ben, you have sensible comments, but today I need to differ with you.

The American auto industry has had ample time and money to become competitive and have repeatedly demonstrated that they are incapable or unwilling to take a responsible approach to automotive production. Their problems are well known. Since, as a taxpayer, I and my children and grandchildren will have to help cover that debt to the financial industry, I clearly say NO to the auto industry.

Ever since I sat in gas lines in 1974, I have waited for either the American auto industry or our government to do something substantial about making sensible autos or an energy policy. For a while American cars did improve. Then the loopholes and SUVs took over and here we are.

Bankruptcy did not stop people flying most of the American airlines and many would still buy from a bankrupt GM. In fact, I think the autoworkers unions require purchase of American cars, don''t they?

The jobs that the American auto manufacturers lose, if they close, will be picked up by the manufacturers remaining unless our auto consumption drops by 30%-40%. If that drop in demand occurs, the American companies will have to close in any case.

Ben, natural forces should pertain to the American auto manufacturers.

[joepack61]

The auto companies only sell what the consumer will buy. "The customer is king." The consumer is to blame for the SUV mania that lasted until $3.00 gas. The U.S. auto companies have about a $2,000 per vehicle disadvantage against the foreign transplants because of pension costs, etc. When the consumer shifted away from SUVs the U.S. companies lost much of a profitable segment but were holding on with cars like the Chevy Malibu, Ford Fusion, etc. Then the alternative fuel discussions and realiteis picked up to the point where GM was covering all bases with development of every concievable type of vehicle. It takes billions to develop vehicles, so the risk is now astronomical. Bet wrong one time too many, and there goes your last billion in cash reserves. Then the financail crises hit and car sales plummeted across the market 25 to 45%. Give the U.S. companies short -term bridge loans until next spring.

[element51]

The last thing I want to see is people who have given 30-40 years of their lives getting shafted. But at the same time I have serious doubts that the American auto industry can rise to the occasion. There is pleanty of blame to go around. Back in the 70''s we were given a red flag warning of what was to come but when Mr.Carter tried to warn us he was laughed at and called a fool. Then when Reagan came along it was time to party again. And we did. For a brief time there was an effort to develop better mileage but it didn''t last very long. Then the SUV''s came along and fuel efficiency was thrown out the window. So what to do? Commom sense tells us that we need the auto industry but at the same time we need an auto industry that can get things done. I don''t know what the answer is but I have reached the point where I don''t trust anyone. I''m still waiting to see where the emergency 700 billion bail out went. We were told that if it didn''t pass AT ONCE the country was doomed. But what happened to it. I wager that the fat cat Wall Street guys are splitting it up as we speak. So I''ll wait and see. I''ll do that while I watch our standard of living slip a little each day.

[idlepugilist]

It was only a few years ago, it seems, GM was offering the public apologies for making vehicles that were, in comparison to the rising foreign competitors, substandard in many ways. Their committments to improving brought: The GM purchase of HUMMER, with a healthy advertising budget, and the fellow gas chugging 10 cylinder hemi''s by Chrysler. Ford just tried to catch up with their own immense suv''s. It''s not that the BIG 3 are incapable - the leaders are resistant, and choose to market to a shrinking crowd who prefer Average over Avalon.
If we bail out Detroit, it will have to be under the contingency they will match Toyota''s quality and best Toyota''s fuel efficiency - in all their vehicles.
If we don''t bail out Detroit, there should be plans to convert the shops over to making Toyotas and KIAs, which should still keep most current Big 3 employees in the assembly line.

[mattboynton]

I make about $14 per hour and it infuriates me that taxes might be taken out of my check to pay for some walking-dead dinosaur company like GM and $73 per hour UAW workers. They refuse to make quality vehicles with good gas mileage that are more affordable than the competition. They are just an international company like Honda in Ohio (Mexico plants, etc). When our kitchen puts too much salt and ruins a dish we don''t pick out each grain -easier to wipe the slate clean and start over again without all the baggage. If they get a bail out, I want one too. Bailing out is moral hazard -it rewards bad decisions -look it up. We need to put our efforts into fresh new companies that have a more environmental focus. It makes me want to almost cry that the guuvment just wants to reward the status quo of wall street fat cats auto execs & UAW members that feel entitled. Sure the transition will be painful -but as the song says it has to be a catastrophe (temporary) TO GROW!!! Go USA down with GM. Senator Shelby others in Congress and an apparent majority of Americans agree with me.

[mattboynton]

I make about $14 per hour and it infuriates me that taxes might be taken out of my check to pay for some walking-dead dinosaur company like GM and $73 per hour UAW workers. They refuse to make quality vehicles with good gas mileage that are more affordable than the competition. They are just an international company like Honda in Ohio (Mexico plants, etc). When our kitchen puts too much salt and ruins a dish we don''t pick out each grain -easier to wipe the slate clean and start over again without all the baggage. If they get a bail out, I want one too. Bailing out is moral hazard -it rewards bad decisions -look it up. We need to put our efforts into fresh new companies that have a more environmental focus. It makes me want to almost cry that the guuvment just wants to reward the status quo of wall street fat cats auto execs & UAW members that feel entitled. Sure the transition will be painful -but as the song says it has to be a catastrophe (temporary) TO GROW!!! Go USA down with GM. Senator Shelby others in Congress and an apparent majority of Americans agree with me.

[mattboynton]

I make about $14 per hour and it infuriates me that taxes might be taken out of my check to pay for some walking-dead dinosaur company like GM and $73 per hour UAW workers. They refuse to make quality vehicles with good gas mileage that are more affordable than the competition. They are just an international company like Honda in Ohio (Mexico plants, etc). When our kitchen puts too much salt and ruins a dish we don''t pick out each grain -easier to wipe the slate clean and start over again without all the baggage. If they get a bail out, I want one too. Bailing out is moral hazard -it rewards bad decisions -look it up. We need to put our efforts into fresh new companies that have a more environmental focus. It makes me want to almost cry that the guuvment just wants to reward the status quo of wall street fat cats auto execs & UAW members that feel entitled. Sure the transition will be painful -but as the song says it has to be a catastrophe (temporary) TO GROW!!! Go USA down with GM. Senator Shelby others in Congress and an apparent majority of Americans agree with me.

[jackbardol]

I agree with Ben we need to assist GM, Ford & Chysler.

My reasons

1. It is a loan we will get paid back!
2. The Foreign car companies all developed smaller fuel efficient cars in their home markets because their governments taxed fuel to conserve fuel. We have not done that.
3. The pension benefits of UAW retirees while good are not as good as our state and federal employees.
4. For every UAW employess making a good blue collar wage there will be thousands of 14 dollar and hour workers who will loose their jobs with a bankruptcy.
5. Bankruptcy is not an option for these companies in this environmnet. Nobody will buy a car from a bankrupt company.
6. Over the last few years toyota & Nissan have entered the pick-up truck, larger SUV market in the USA. Why CHEAP GAS!

The lack of a government energy policy, the lack of banking regulation, and the lack of spending control have gotten us into this mess. The source of the problem "US Congress".

[geneonlbk]

I never heard that the UAW objected to Detroit spending as much on lobbying lawyers as the Japanese spent on technical engineering. Its too late now I believe. The Japanese and Indians and Koreans will fill the void with their own auto factories so few jobs will be lost.

[cbsblogger]

1/ The USA is borrowing 10+ billion a year to give to either Israel (pop 6 million) directly, or as bribes to its neighboring countries of Egypt and Jordan so that they don''t harass Israel and we can''t spend $25 billion to maintain American jobs and our nation''s defense? Give me a break. Executive must be fired though.

2/ We hand out 700 BILLION dollars of bailout money to the Hank Greenbergs of AIG, Bear Stearns and Goldman Sachs and these NYC money changers have aggresively worked to sell out the USA at every opportunity.

http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin431.htm

[jt_lancer]

PLEASE steal my tax money from me so that the government can bail out an inefficient company who pays its employees $70+ per hour in benefits and wages!

After all, it''s not like I have bills of my own to pay.

[cbsblogger]

I make about $14 per hour and it infuriates me that taxes might be taken out of my check to pay for some walking-dead dinosaur company like GM and $73 per hour UAW workers. They refuse to make quality vehicles with good gas mileage that are more affordable than the competition. snip
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Posted by mattboynton at 05:27 PM : Nov 16, 2008


I don''t entirely disagree. The CEOS must be fired in GM just as a Goldman Sachs. The latter have cost us far more.

But why don''t you also complain about the billion dollar a year hedge fund managers, many of which have directly contributed to this crisis with their reckless over leveraged buying and selling financial instruments, and which do nothing to contribute to a real economy and a productive USA?

Secondly the hourly GM workers had a contractual agreement with the company, the same as the captains of capitalism, i.e. the overpaid CEOs that should be paid 100% based upon risk and reward. But they get paid well even when companies go bankrupt or mis-managed .

Also it should upset you about the many government workers and Congree people who are called public servants but get paid and pensioned far better than anyone of those they serve.

[mycountry1st]

The government (we citizens) should help only with the following conditions:
1) All top management should be fired and their assets distributed among the workers
2) Ownership of the company be divided up 50% to workers, 50% to remaining stockholders
3) Once the workers ''own'' the company a breath of fresh creativity will result in the production of vehicles that will appeal to the various market segments. As an example, it''s astonishing that since the 1970s there is still not a 50+ mpg vehicle produced by detroit.

[noboundary]

Everything is wrong with the U.S. auto industry:
1)Excessive wages for workers and CEO''''s alike - workers get the equivalent of $156,000 just for putting on lug nuts; and the CEO''''s get their $25 million for their incompetent management.
2) Lousy products - not fuel efficient, not innovative and certainly not as durable as foreign made.
Answer: Let them file Bankruptcy, which is what many analysts see as best for everyone.

Just for the record, the rest of the governments bail out for the financial industry is equally absurd, so no bias here against auto companies...

[hitoyou1]

Who cars what this gay asssssss hooooooooooooole thinks are says. No money to the no good car companies. Let them shut down and out put all the UAW people that ran the auto companies down out of work.

[danielle_mom]

Why is the big 3 suffering while all of the foreign car makers are thriving? It sounds like mismanagement.

[ioweign]

I agree with Ben we need to assist GM, Ford & Chysler.

My reasons

1. It is a loan we will get paid back!
2. The Foreign car companies all developed smaller fuel efficient cars in their home markets because their governments taxed fuel to conserve fuel. We have not done that.
3. The pension benefits of UAW retirees while good are not as good as our state and federal employees.
4. For every UAW employess making a good blue collar wage there will be thousands of 14 dollar and hour workers who will loose their jobs with a bankruptcy.
5. Bankruptcy is not an option for these companies in this environmnet. Nobody will buy a car from a bankrupt company.
6. Over the last few years toyota & Nissan have entered the pick-up truck, larger SUV market in the USA. Why CHEAP GAS!

The lack of a government energy policy, the lack of banking regulation, and the lack of spending control have gotten us into this mess. The source of the problem "US Congress".

Posted by jackbardol at 05:47 PM : Nov 16, 2008


I agree with you on everything except your last sentence - Congress does not make an Energy Policy.

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0503-22.htm

[rushlimpdrug]

It would have been in CBS'' best interest to
preclude this article stating whether ben
stein actually owned any big three stock.

Otherwise, ben just suxx.

I say give the money to the other auto makers
then for sure we''ll get our money back.

[jschmidt27]

http://www.kudlowsmoneypolitics.blogspot.com/
''Total compensation per hour for the big-three carmakers is $73.20. That%u2019s a 52 percent differential from Toyota%u2019s (Detroit South) $48 compensation (wages + health and retirement benefits). In fact, the oversized UAW-driven pay package for Detroit is 132 percent higher than that of the entire manufacturing sector of the U.S., which comes in at $31.59.''
No bailouts without the UAW contracts being cancelled and renegotiated. Also executive compensation limits need to be put in as well as Congressional oversight of the corporation until they payback the loans. This is similar to the Chrysler bailout of the 80s. Arnie is correct and the same requirements should be forced on any city or state that applies for aid. We can''t afford the auto workers and all those associated to be on the unemployment line but we can''t let the UAW hold all the cards and get off free from blame.

[opedanderson]

Sure. Bail them out. But why are we not firing all these executives. These Masters of the Universe who come from such good schools?

They suck! Get rid of them!! Its the least we can do!

[zebra8835]

The concept that auto workers have a "plush" contract is absurd. If you would start working in a Ford or GM plant today you would be looking at about $13 an hour with a top rate of $18 an hour. There is no more pension. There is also casual summer labor at about $11 an hour. This is about as plush as a burlap sack. About 60% of their cars and trucks are made in foreign countries anyway. Mostly in Mexico and Canada. The management gambled on large trucks and SUV''s now the employees will face the loss.

[downtowner97]

Go put some Visine on your beach ball, Ben. We realized how un-funny you were when you made a movie attacking science. Now we should listen to you about the "Big 3"? Do you drive a Ford, Chrysler or GM car or truck? I doubt it.

Imagine if we offered a $25 billion "X prize" for developing a car that runs on sea water. There''d be three in a year ready to go into production, and the winning company, even if it''s Honda or Toyota, could sell them to the masses here in the US and elsewhere.

The "Big 3" already sell fantastically fuel-efficient cars in Europe. They don''t sell them here because they''ve been MANDATED by US lawmakers and oil companies to make big gas guzzlers.

[tmittelstaed]

Kudos to Ben Stein! People love to s h i t on Detroit because they always have some complaint or other about their car, but the fact is that for most of the last decade, GM and Ford -were- making a profit. Why? Because they were making big gas guzzler SUVs that people wanted to buy, and enviro-nuts hate.
Every other country in the world either outright government-subsidizes their automakers, or they erect bureaucratic red tape that make it very difficult for foreign automakers to sell cars into the country. In Japan for example, they have safety standards and annual reinspections that are so difficult that it''s impossible to get a car with more than 50K miles on it to pass - so millions of cars with plenty of miles left on them are scrapped, which strangles the used car market and guarentees Toyota and Honda a market.
And the Japanese public has a tremendous cultural bias against anything NOT made in Japan, even if it''s cheaper to buy an imported car. That is why Toyota is creaming GM and Ford in the US, and GM and Ford aren''t making a dent in Toyota over in Japan. It''s not a fair market, and never will be until the Japanese culture itself changes (and good luck with that!)

[tmittelstaed]

mycountry1st: "...As an example, it''''s astonishing that since the 1970s there is still not a 50+ mpg vehicle produced by detroit..."

Baloney. GM produced the EV1 which ran entirely on electricity and had a *** good range. People lined up for them. However the company was losing $4-6K per vehicle, and quiet surveys of the customers who had the cars showed that while they were happy enough getting a new electric car at the same price of a new gas car, no way would they pay the true cost of making the car. So, GM killed the model line. The successor to it is the Chevy Volt, which is going through design right now.
In last ''88 through ''92, Chrysler produced 4 cylinder turbocharged minivans with stick-shift. These got much better gas mileage than the 3.8L engines with the same power level and auto-tranny that replaced them later on - not 50mpg, but this is a big heavy minivan we are talking about. These models were a market failure, few were sold or ordered. Why? Because American Soccer Moms (who drive these vehicles) won''t buy a stick shift, and people think a 4 cylinder engine has no power. Despite the fact that today, people are racing these minivans with boosted turbos.
Chrysler today sells a turbo diesel minivan with stick shift in Europe, it''s popular there. Much better gas mileage than any minivan we have in the states and cheaper to run. But people won''t buy diesel vehicles here, with the exception of the 3/4 ton and larger pickup truck market.

The problem with loaning/giving money to the Big-three is that there is no clear way to gurantee its proper usage, especially not in this down-turn. If people aren''t buying cars, why should the auto companies keep employees. They will instead pay their previous creditors, and dole out bonuses.
We will still see big layoffs.

The money should be used to directly help those that are laid-off with serious re-training and extended unemployment benefits.

The other option is give smaller grants explicitly for bringing down the cost of battery technology...but that will take a few years to get right.

Meanwhile, the down-turn will help root-out the sloppy executives also.

[crisch1]

Conclusion is right for the good of our nation but some perceptions were wrong.

Per J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study, Mercury and Cadillac are in the top 3, along with Lexus. And in 2007, Buick was tied with Lexus for the top spot.
http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2008115

According to Business Week, Volkswagen had the most recalls at this time a year ago. Second worst was Toyota.
http://www.businessweek.com/autos /content/aug2007/bw20070810_455098.htm

Highest initial quality:
a. Cadillac: better than both Acura, BMW
b. Mercury: better than both Honda, Nissan
c. Chevrolet: better than Acura, BMW
This is according to J.D. Power%u2019s Initial Quality Survey.
http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2008063

Midsize sedan highest initial quality? Chevrolet Malibu has better initial quality than any competitor, including the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima. Ford Fusion also beat all 3 Japanese competitors. Per J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey, which also reveals that above average are American brands Mercury, Ford, Cadillac, Chevrolet , Pontiac, Lincoln, and Buick. Below average are import brands Acura, Kia, Nissan, BMW, Mazda, VW, Subaru, Scion
http://www.jdpower.com/autos/articles/2008-Initial-Quality:-Midsize-and-Large-Cars
http://www.jdpower. com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2008063

[d33pthroat1]

The concept that auto workers have a "plush" contract is absurd.

-- Posted by zebra8835 at 12:29 AM : Nov 17, 2008

Read this article:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/12/politics/otherpeoplesmoney/main4595068.shtml

[hitoyou1]

d33pthroat1: ALl I will say is you are WRONG. I know fist hand. They have a real real real "plush" contract. A real "plush" contract. And they do NOTHING for it. They don''t know what the word work means. The UAW must GO.

[messiahx4eve]

Hey mister Ben Stein, how about giving the BIG 3 YOUR money instead of ours??? Like that idea, I sure do....

[hitoyou1]

COme on CBS take this off of here. This is a joke, having this guy on here.

[likelyvoter]

Why does anyone listen to this fool? This guy has been saying "financials ar strong" for the last 3 years. He was even telling people Merrill Lynch was a "steal" at $75 a share (hey, what''s it worth today Stein?). Google "Peter Schiff Versus Ben Stein" and watch the YouTube. It would be hillarious if not so sad.