GM bailout rant

[zenMachine]

GM has been failing for 30 years. Only this time the economic downturn has exposed all its warts for the world to see. GM's problem is systemic and deep rooted. It will take some time to work off the bad stuff. But time may not be on their side.

Chrysler was doomed by marrying Daimler. That's a different story altogether.

[malorn]

Originally Posted by jayman

Well, if its ok for a car company like GM, Ford, or Chrysler (Or whatever the hell they call themselves this week) to have vehicles built in cheap foreign markets, then it should be ok for Motorola to assemble their sucky cellphones in China, Taiwan, or wherever.

Does that make Motorola any *less* of an American company?

How about a Canadian company like Research In Motion? The various BlackBerry's are assembled overseas, their combination of product plus service offering (BlackBerry Enterprise Server, RIM hosting, etc) appears to work well

The whole thing needs to be changed so phones are made in the USA, an american company needs to produce the vast majority of its products for the USA in the USA.

[jayman]

So you would prohibit an American company from outsourcing anything. I think that's a good idea, it would expose the true cost of many components once they are 100% assembled here

[malorn]

Originally Posted by jayman

So you would prohibit an American company from outsourcing anything. I think that's a good idea, it would expose the true cost of many components once they are 100% assembled here

Yes I think every product should have a label on it with all content. Tax incentives etc should be used to bring those materials and jobs back "onshore".

[qbee42]

Originally Posted by jayman

So you would prohibit an American company from outsourcing anything. I think that's a good idea, it would expose the true cost of many components once they are 100% assembled here

Good point. We push many costs off onto society, such as slag left over from power plants and the like. In the case in point, we push many of these costs onto third world countries, where they eventually pay the price in ecological damage, polluted water and air, and the like. If these items were manufactured here, we would have to come to grips with the hidden costs.

Tom

[jayman]

Originally Posted by qbee42

If these items were manufactured here, we would have to come to grips with the hidden costs.

Precisely. It would also provide crucial tactical and strategic security to forbid oil imports. This would hurt Canada at first, but demand from China and India would probably make up for it

In the long run, it would be good to pump that domestic oil that breaks even at +$60 a barrel. I see no reason for the Canadian taxpayer to keep funding the Hibernia Management and Development Co - a Crown Corp legally exempt from audit and investigation - to guarantee Exxon-Mobil a maximum $30/barrel cost