Bailout the Big Three with People Power
I have some final thoughts about the big three bailout. President George Bush stepped in and awarded a $17.4 billion dollar bridge loan to Chrysler and General Motors. Ford stated that they would like a $9 billion dollar line of credit, but this was declined, because Ford should have enough money to get through the first quarter of 2009. Kudos to Ford Motor Company for being in better financial conditions than the other two.
Save the Big Three
So this bridge loan should hold both failing American car manufacturers over until February 2009. This will also allow the new administration to analyze the situation before further actions are taken. But my two phase plan could solve the problem before the end of 2009 and no further Government action would be required. Please hear me out and leave your comments below!
The power of people
A missing piece of the puzzle that I do believe would be helpful is the appointment of a car Czar. I’m not looking for a government official with no automotive experience to take over this position. In fact, there is one candidate that is uniquely qualified for this position. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Lee Iaccoca. This temporary position would be perfect for this retired, but respected automotive executive. I am sure with the right monetary motivation He could be convinced to take the short-term position.
And yes, you could dream about a hybrid powered Kcar rolling out in the United States automotive market by early 2010. And for those younger car buyers, I’m sure we can get a Carroll Shelby Limited Edition turbo hybrid Kcar for them as well. Lee Iaccoca and Carroll Shelby have a long and successful history together. This reunion could jump start the American car economy all by itself. Never under estimate the power of people.
Celebrities for American cars
My second people powered idea for stopping the big three from requesting more money from taxpayers is to assure their success by exploding sales in 2009. I don’t know why this has been overlooked completely. Read more
Big Three Bailout
Bailing out the big three has been discussed heavily on the Internet. I seem to have a completely different view on the topic. Possibly due to my position in the auto repair business.
So please forgive this sidebar from the water for gas posts, but I would like to express my side of the story.
Big three bailout full disclosure, I should notify everyone that my skewed opinion might be due to my position as a senior fleet service technician. I work for a large local government fleet operation that purchases Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet light trucks and cars.
The vehicles that we purchase are paid for in full using taxpayer money. As an example in 2009 we are scheduled to replace 2,200 vehicles.
As with most United States Government fleet operations the rule of thumb is to buy American. If the big three were to collapse, then this would not be possible. I cannot imagine taking taxpayer money to buy Nissan and Toyota trucks.
It is true that some of these vehicles are manufactured in the United States. But the profits from the sales of these vehicles go straight back to Japan.
I do not think that the American taxpayer would enjoy directly funding a foreign economy. I’m not sure what the numbers are, but I would figure that a large percentage of sales for the big three come from publicly owned fleets.
Quality of the big three products
For the last three years I have worked on the 2,200 vehicles that we are scheduled to replace. We have had zero engine failures, and only minor problems with these vehicles during their three years and 100,000 miles of exemplary service. In my opinion, the quality level of the products Read more
