What GM’s Progress Report Doesn't Say

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When this country elliminates it manufacturing capacity is favor of SE Asian companies. IT WILL BE THE DEATH OF THIS WAY OF LIFE!!

When will 'people' get-it!! Buying ALL that cheap plastic crap from asia is ONLY hurting you and your spouse!! No Jobs, can't afford the food, electric, mortgage, etc!!

Save your money for an extra week and purchase the same product made either here, in the USA or in Europe where they have figured the perils of purchasing TOO MUCH FROM OUTSIDE their own country!!!

steve of FL 12:58PM December 21, 2009

Some of you have your heads in a very dark place I won`t mention. Every auto worker deserves to make that kind of money! That is only 52k before uncle sam takes his cut! Its more like $33k take home and if you think you can support a family on that kind of income your nuts!!! These guys bust thier butts in a dirty factory doing the same thing every day. They should be paid much better. Take the money from these ridiculous pro athletes that are making 20+ million a year to play a game. That would boost the economy.. donate all excess to the citys in need for education and poverty. I sell these american products everyday and all people want is something more for free. Pay for the things you want with your hard earned money, but if the price is too high, don`t even waste time looking. Someone is working very hard for a living and like the auto workers, deserves to get paid for thier work.

JC of OH 10:23AM November 10, 2009

All auto union workers DO NOT make $25-$40 per hour. Just because you know someone you think doesn't deserve their pay doesn't mean all union workers don't deserve their pay. Those calculations probably include healthcare, insurance and other standard benefits at a large company. Those workers that have a college and/or trade education deserve more than the $7-$10 an hour that the government now thinks all autoworkers should make. All companies are not the same and all workers are not the same.

Georgia DOES have auto manufacturing already. Isn't Toyota there? That's a Japanese owned company.

Wake up - we need manufacturing in America and we need American auto companies because of that. Don't you know that buying foreign cars sends company profits out of the United States? How does that support our country and our economy? If we don't have jobs and we don't have money to spend, then everyone suffers. If our country and economy are supported, then we all win. Now our government is taxing companies for energy usage. Guess what - they will set up base in other countries that don't do that and we will lose even more jobs. The problems with these companies right now is not exclusively because of union workers. Part of it is the crummy economy. Part of it is poor government decisions.

I vote for United States owned manufacturing and paying people for their skills and education. If everyone makes the same wage, then what is the point of trying harder and getting an education? Oh, wait. Our education system is downhill too. Pretty soon we will depend on other countries for everything.

Dee of MO 11:08PM November 07, 2009

GM and Chrysler could have staved off bankruptcy and increasing union labor costs by relocating some of their plants to the South. The companies could have offered a wage to the workers about half of what the current wage is now. The workers would be elated at this wage, approx. $25-$40 per hour, since the cost of living is lower in the South. This plan would also lessen the stranglehold the union has had on the auto industry, as the South is predominantly non-union. All of this lowers the companies' overhead and also lowers the prices of new cars, all of which would be better in stimulating the economy.

JRTM2 of GA 5:21PM November 06, 2009

As a next door neighbor of an auto worker, I know they are grossly over paid and anyone would do their job for half what the current people get paid. Unless the workers wake up and do what is best for the country and not themselves, we should lose thousands of jobs due to the workers and NOT management. Still, expect them to put the blame anywhere but where it belongs. The stockholders lost everything, time for the workers to give up more.

Karen of IN 6:51AM November 06, 2009

I have serious reservations about Government Motors..

The problems lay squarely in the fact that US auto manufactures have gotten to big to be competitive. Their product development cycle is 5-10 years. Add to that the major cost factor of unionized labor and it is a disaster waiting for a place to happen.. In a year I will trade my GM truck for a Ford. I don't trust any company that gets me at check out then asks me to pay for their piss poor management and excessive union contracts via my tax dollars.. They don't deserve either as the result of this..

slim of NE 12:09PM November 05, 2009

No kidding, Mark! You are right on the money. With the claims that GM is making about their cars, heck, they can't even put the technology that Ford is putting in their cars for bragging about gas economy, while still living off their reputation from long ago. I will take the Ford for all of the tecnology that they strive to put into their vehicles such as collision avoiding, blindspot alerts, sync, communications, and overall safety into their lline of cars and trucks. And with the design attributes both inside and out, there is no choice but Ford unless you have a ton of money for the imports, which may not always be the best choice. I love American domestic brands, especially Ford and will always look here first.

McDaddy of TX 10:13AM November 05, 2009

ford had a turn to put GM and DODGE away in the truck war but over priced the F 150 and 250 wake up ford its time to think and do it right

Don G of AZ 8:07AM November 05, 2009

Comparing a Viper to a Corvette is a very unfair comparison indeed. Each have very different purposes. The Corvette is a much more refined automobile than even the newest generation Viper. It can definitely serve as a daily driver and return respectable fuel economy if driven reasonably. The Viper, on the other hand, is raw and uncompromising. The exhaust booms in the cockpit, whether in GTS Coupe or R/T 10 convertible trim. The power comes on in a rush, the ride is extremely harsh and track-tuned to say the leas. Fuel economy? Forget it.

To sum up, the Corvette would be akin to a scalpel when compared to a Viper, which is more like a sledgehammer. Both great fun, but vastly different.

Chuck B of FL 1:18AM November 05, 2009

I had planned to buy a Honda Accord, but ended up buying the new Chevy Malibu. What a mistake!! Chevy advertises the car gets up to 33 mpg, NOT TRUE. I'm lucky to get 18-19 mpg overall. The car has major problems---poor shifting transmission, huge blindspots, poor night time visibility---you can't see beyond 20 feet in front the car because of the design of the headlights. Throw in the sluggish handling and the fact that the front bumpers offer NO protection (one pickup truck backing into the front of the car 3 months ago left $650 worth of damage)! What you have left is one big mistake. I've been trying to trade the car in on an Accord, but alas, the Malibu also has a low resale value. Great going GM, maybe you should have gone under.

Mark Heyes of LA 1:11AM November 05, 2009

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Rick Newman

Rick Newman

The global economy is mysterious, even scary. Chief Business Correspondent Rick Newman connects the dots. In addition to his writing for U.S. News, Rick is the co-author of two books: Firefight: Inside the Battle to Save the Pentagon on 9/11, and Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail.


Read Rick's latest blog entries here.

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