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Stacy Keibler shows off the Cadillac STS at GM's GM Ten event. Photo credit: Autoblog
It’s been said that “So goes GM, so goes the world.”
So if GM goes belly up, what does that mean for the rest of us? Well, for one, let’s not put the cart before the horse. GM isn’t finished. In fact, they may well pull it out. But let’s focus less on GM and more the importance that they hold. Most specifically, the importance that American manufacturing as a whole has to the very success of America – to any first world, superpower nation.
You simply can’t have world power without manufacturing. Worldwide, there is a litany of third-world nations whose economic base is derived from agriculture and service industries. While vital, these sectors on their own do not provide sufficient infrastructure and capital development to propel these nations to widespread prosperity. Service isn’t easily exported, as its factors of production are personnel intensive. Agriculture doesn’t provide high profit margins on a unit basis, so it requires great volume.
America is blessed with all three of these sectors. We grow enough food to feed ourselves and even export to parts of the world. We employ people across the country in customer relations and hospitality. And we build things. Without our manufacturing economy, we’d lose out on the jobs that service those products, whether by actively working on them or providing customer assistance after the sale. We’d also be stuck having to import these expensive items, thereby worsening our already unfavorable trade balance.
During World War II, General Motors helped build tanks for the Allies. Without our automakers, who would step up to tackle such a vital challenge? Is it possible to make the argument that the vitality of our American automakers is actually a matter of national security? I think it is. Moreover, though, the American auto industry is one of our most storied, iconic, identifiable, and grand industries. They are the pinnacle of manufacturing, and once set the world standard.
Somewhat ironically, they still set the standard. American vehicle quality is excellent at present, with a few vehicles that are exceptions. Even though news coverage of GM is not currently full of bright spots, they continue to prove that they take quality seriously. What I’d like to see is a return of the import customers to the Big Three. There’s no question that the cars built here are competitive. In some cases, they’re better than the competition. Americans have the power to play a key part in revitalizing our auto companies. Now’s the time to buy an American car. And by keeping our most chief manufacturing sector alive and well, we all win.
For more info: www.gm.com
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