Government Cars.

J

JAMESBJOHNSON

Guest
The car makers are in trouble and want the government to bail them out. It's suggested that the government buy a controlling interest in the car companies. So, what kinds of cars might a government bureaucracy build for Americans?

My guess is something a lot like the 1950s CHECKER. Something tough enough to survive collision with a meteor and anemic enough to emit less pollution than a hummingbird fart. A Cadillac body married to a MoPed power-train. When the carbon timer cuts off the engine, you pedal for a spell.
 
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the ripple effect is ginormous...

As long as they pay back a loan. But to do that they're gonna have to build cars people actually want to buy.

I was responding when you edited. I'd be all for a Checker for my kids, who are newish drivers. My insurance would go down and I could use the money to stimulate the economy. No Yugos, though.
 
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JOMAR?

That aint gonna happen. YOU KNOW Al Gore will run Detroit, and THAT means a car with enough stamina to make Ralph Nader gush, and an engine as powerful as hummingbird testicles. The ALLIGATOR MOUTH-HUMMINGBIRD ASS MARRIAGE.
 
Ha!

JOMAR?

That aint gonna happen. YOU KNOW Al Gore will run Detroit, and THAT means a car with enough stamina to make Ralph Nader gush, and an engine as powerful as hummingbird testicles. The ALLIGATOR MOUTH-HUMMINGBIRD ASS MARRIAGE.

Nah, they'll have to get the horsepower right or Americans won't buy them. Then where would we be?
 
JOMAR

Choice, as in wearing or not wearing seatbelts or school assignments or first class mail or the other million things government controls?

Trust me, you'll get a CHECKER with foot-pedals and like it.

If the new OBAMA-NATION CAR COMPANY loses money, the tax payer will bail it out but get no wheels for their money.
 
JOMAR

Choice, as in wearing or not wearing seatbelts or school assignments or first class mail or the other million things government controls?

Trust me, you'll get a CHECKER with foot-pedals and like it.

Cars like the Fred Flintstone had would save energy AND make for healthier citizens. It's a win-win.
 
"A camel is a horse put together by a committee."

The government is a committee.
 
My last government-provided car was a Mazda 626. :)

I had a 626 stick shift. It was my favorite car ever.

I knew a girl who only bought checkers. We were in a band and used to load all our equipment inside with everyone on top of it and that thing was like a tank. About as fast too. I think it had a turning radius of half a block.
 
why give the auto industry a loan? what's gonna change? still the same bad managment and a union that is the way. let them fold

As long as they pay back a loan. But to do that they're gonna have to build cars people actually want to buy.

I was responding when you edited. I'd be all for a Checker for my kids, who are newish drivers. My insurance would go down and I could use the money to stimulate the economy. No Yugos, though.
 
why give the auto industry a loan? what's gonna change? still the same bad managment and a union that is the way. let them fold

Exactly! GM will fold but someone else will build cars, and likely the same cars. GM management, shareholders, and union members need a clear YOU STEPPED ON YOUR DICK message.
 
why give the auto industry a loan? what's gonna change? still the same bad managment and a union that is the way. let them fold

A loan with strings attached. The US auto industry accounts for one out of ten jobs in this country. I'm not sure their collapse wouldn't be catastrophic for the overall economy at this point in time. If it weren't for that, I agree, let them fold.
 
JOMAR?

Are you thinking no one will build cars for the market if GM goes bust? The suppliers will serve whoever replaces GM. The autoworkers will build cars somewhere else...probably not in Michigan, though.

So, who gets hurt? The management? Yep. Shareholders? Yep. The Autoworker Union? Yep. American taxpayers? Nope.
 
JOMAR?

Are you thinking no one will build cars for the market if GM goes bust? The suppliers will serve whoever replaces GM. The autoworkers will build cars somewhere else...probably not in Michigan, though.

So, who gets hurt? The management? Yep. Shareholders? Yep. The Autoworker Union? Yep. American taxpayers? Nope.

If just GM goes bust the economy might be able to absorb it, but who knows if all three do. Of course cars will get built, it's a buyers market but demand is way, way down. If a loan is set up and managed right, taxpayers won't get hurt.

Just to be clear, if it hadn't been for the recent economic meltdown, I'd be all for letting the chips fall where they may. And I'm certainly not against shaking things up at the big 3 anyway, they haven't built a car I really want since I was in high school.
 
JOMAR?

Lets say they get the bailout. Who's gonna buy their cars if no one is buying now? Do they all sit on their ass for a few years waiting for Santa Claus?

I've said since the beginning that Bush should give the money to taxpayers to spend, rather than give the money to assshats to sit on.
 
JOMAR?

Lets say they get the bailout. Who's gonna buy their cars if no one is buying now? Do they all sit on their ass for a few years waiting for Santa Claus?

I've said since the beginning that Bush should give the money to taxpayers to spend, rather than give the money to assshats to sit on.

Hopefully, they'd retool, think longterm and start making cars that people actually want to buy. Their boards ought to be looking for new company leadership and nix the golden parachutes.

If Bush gives taxpayers money to spend, some will, but most will use it to pay off debt.
 
JOMAR

How is using government cash to pay off debt a problem? The debt is what brung us to this ball. Reducing the debt solves a few serious problems.
 
JOMAR

How is using government cash to pay off debt a problem? The debt is what brung us to this ball. Reducing the debt solves a few serious problems.

Not a problem at all. Just that the money wouldn't be used to buy a lot of stuff and stimulate the economy that way, which is the intention of the cash to the taxpayer. People would pay off debt and still be cautious with spending.
 
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