the big 3
every time i get on digg or myspace or even turn on the tv or radio i feel like all im hearing about is “the big 3.” when people say we shouldn’t bail them out, or they don’t contribute to society, or all of the blame should fall on the CEO’s, that just doesn’t make much sense to me. i feel like people don’t know all of the facts, myself included. here is what i do know. ford owns lincoln,mercury, jaguar, land rover, volvo, and percentages of mazda and aston martin. general motors owns general motors, saturn, buick, pontiac, cadillac, chevrolet, hummer, saab, suzuki, isuzu, and a slew of brands we have never heard of. chrysler owns chrysler, dodge, and jeep. holy shit thats a lot of different brands. we all know someone who drives one of those brands, if not ourselves. to say these companies aren’t producing quality products is ludicrous. to say they aren’t making advancements in fuel efficiency and green technology is as ridiculous. the first drivable hybrid electric plug-in was made by ford, and that’s just what they’ve done. the things ford is doing now are amazing. they have developed a hydrogen fuel cell racecar that has reached the landspeed record for other cars in its class. similar things can be said about the other companies as well. general motors is the leading producer of cars and trucks that run on biofuels, with 18 different models. chrysler has come up with a fuel efficient hemi hybrid engine to power the new dodge ram. they’re making steps, but with sales falling, these companies have done all they can to try and boost revenue. you can’t turn on the tv without seeing some car company claiming employee pricing, considerable price cuts, and of course our least favorite, saaaaaved by zeroooo. all in all, i’ve learned it boils down to a few select things, oil prices, the mortgage crisis, and all of the companies efforts to sell these vehicles at cheaper rates has boosted their sales, but not their income or technical merit. they were merely staying afloat. should we give them 25 billion dollars? why even ask that question. we aren’t voting on it are we? should we agree with giving them 25 billion dollars? again, if we disagree, are they going to rescind their offer? i think we all know the answer to that. am i saying not to have an opinion? to be a robot? absolutely not. if that were the case, i wouldn’t have invested the time finding facts and writing this. of course there are things these companies are going to have to do better, plans that need revision, and as far as most of the general public seems to think, jets that need stay grounded. we can’t just turn a blind eye though, we can’t just turn to foreign developers for our automotive reliance. i guess in the end for me it hinges on if this 25 billion dollars is a bailout, or an investment. if it is an investment i completely agree with it. if there is an adequate return, and 3 million americans keep working, well then they have my vote that will never matter.
3 years ago • Notes