Save the Big Three – yay or nay?

December 21, 8:12 PMAutomotive ExaminerKyle Busch

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The three auto manufacturers are big and over the years
it has been said, “As goes the big three auto makers, so
goes America!” We are suddenly asking ourselves, and
not just auto workers and auto management, will the
American economy really move into tougher times if
these pillars of American commerce and their surrounding
industries go down?

With the economy in such tough shape, can the US
government just stand still? On the other hand, will the
bailout money really make the three auto manufacturers
change their ways in a significant way? Rather than
meeting Toyota’s quality, the big three would need to
do something new that even Toyota is not doing. This
may in fact be difficult for three organizations that have
been embedded with basically the same way of doing
business for the better part of a century.

After all, it was GM who in the early1900s worked to
force “electrical” trolley cars off the streets of America
so that consumers would have no choice but to buy GM
gas powered cars. GM and the other two made great
profits for many years. The profits were so good in fact
that its union shop floor workers earned more than many
professionals with college degrees.

Save the big three and the multitude of workers connected
with it all! But what will the American driving public get?
The driving public needs to get something significantly
better out of it too! GM held up and eliminated electric
transportation. Now it and the other two need to embrace
it in a big way.

I spoke to a friend who said that the big three should be
allowed to fail. She suggested using the bailout money to
pay auto workers directly. Some of the money could be
paid to workers who come up with “workable” ideas and
methods to build a better car suited to our current and future
times. After all, the number of workers and their auto
experience is vast and some of these people must have ideas
that would actually solve the problem!

So why not spend the money with the goal of getting the US
auto problem fixed? Can we or our environment afford to
wait or even contemplate doing things the same old way?

What is your opinion on what should be done? After all,
this is an American problem that will affect us all! Thus,
every American should have a voice. What do you think?

Kyle Busch is the author of “Drive the Best for the Price…” He
welcomes your comments or car questions at his auto web site: www.DriveTheBestBook.com