The car companies made bad deals with the unions. The car companies are and have been poorly managed. We the people should not pay for their mistakes. There is a new wave of Car Company being run well in the U.S.A. The new breed of companie deserves to be supported and nourished by us. The new companies, in turn, will support our automobile needs of the future. The inflexible mismanaged companies/unions will dissolve in their own style. The strong will survive no matter how we interfere; the questions is how much will it cost and how long will we pay. The old line company can't stand on its own anymore.
A good pruning will encourage strong new growth.
Paul Eckerson - 15 years ago
Detroit is were it is because it did not finance it's cost in real time. It postponed payments of the fringe benefits it promised it's labor.. plan and simple. Just like our government is doing. That have to change their ways as we will have to as well. Robbing our children and grand children will end when they finally start voting and take control of thier future.
Colleen - 15 years ago
My vote: save Detroit's auto companies, save jobs while promoting alt-energy vehicles, and increasing mass transit.
Properly investing in the US automotive industry would not only benefit what's historically known as the big three in Detroit, it would keep Americans employed through the thousands of state-side parts suppliers that have quietly struggled alongside the big three. Countless companies have closed their doors and even US-based Toyota-parts manufacturers are laying people off. Detroit's unemployment recently reached 10% but the impact is felt nationwide. Also, if the big three moved more jobs back from China, Mexico, etc., they would have more jobs to offer nationally. If they keep their foreign plants, well, they'll be contributing to the weak global market.
All automotive companies need to develop with more fuel-efficient vehicles--obviously. I say the oil industry should contribute to that research and funding. It's parallel in some ways to the funding tobacco/cigarette king Phillip Morris pays out in support of smoking-prevention campaigns; PM got caught targeting kids in its advertising and smoking kills while the oil industry drives our nation, no pun intended, thus destroys our environment in myriad ways.
Unfortunately, as someone else pointed out above, the US has become a driving community, save for some cities with thriving biking underworlds (NYC, Portland, Minneapolis, SFran, Seattle, and others) or almost seamless, but still energy-using, mass transport (NYC, Chicago, Boston and, in my opinion, only a handful others). So many of our cities don't support walking, biking, or trains. We are not Europe with a similar infrastructure, I wish the US had been built similarly with its train system, but we're far too big. We can adopt some of their principles and increase spending to encourage use of intercity biking and develop mass transit.
Once the auto companies are up and running in the black, and making fuel-efficient cars, enforce bailout payback via mass transit research and funding.
Again, my vote: save Detroit's auto companies, save jobs while promoting alt-energy vehicles, and increasing mass transit.
Sean - 15 years ago
Cars have fueled the economic and sociological impacts that we face today, they are not the only source but they certainly played their part. We need non-conventional hybrid vehicles- Air compression coupled with electric, and hydrogen systems are the real answer. The big problem with electric is the battery, but by using small wireless transmission power stations located on the roads, we can move past the battery problem. cars are an American way of life (drive through eateries are a good example), but we can take our dependence and turn it into a world changing solution.
Ashley - 15 years ago
I think the idea of having only mass transit is great, but the people living outside the cities are are left in a difficult situation. Not everyone lives in a metropolis that can support a system of mass transit.
The "cars are so over" choice is best for many countries, but the US has too many roads and highways already built, so quicker results can be had by changing the cars. Perhaps the best choice would be to move closer to work first so a car would not be needed.
Electric vehicles are an improvement, but I don't want to see any more coal power plants built. Vehicles that produce their own power, with no fuel or recharging required, will truly reduce our power usage and carbon output, and we are producing more than commonly thought, with more added every year.
See a growing list of these vehicles at http://www.selfpoweredelectricvehicles.com/
The car companies made bad deals with the unions. The car companies are and have been poorly managed. We the people should not pay for their mistakes. There is a new wave of Car Company being run well in the U.S.A. The new breed of companie deserves to be supported and nourished by us. The new companies, in turn, will support our automobile needs of the future. The inflexible mismanaged companies/unions will dissolve in their own style. The strong will survive no matter how we interfere; the questions is how much will it cost and how long will we pay. The old line company can't stand on its own anymore.
A good pruning will encourage strong new growth.
Detroit is were it is because it did not finance it's cost in real time. It postponed payments of the fringe benefits it promised it's labor.. plan and simple. Just like our government is doing. That have to change their ways as we will have to as well. Robbing our children and grand children will end when they finally start voting and take control of thier future.
My vote: save Detroit's auto companies, save jobs while promoting alt-energy vehicles, and increasing mass transit.
Properly investing in the US automotive industry would not only benefit what's historically known as the big three in Detroit, it would keep Americans employed through the thousands of state-side parts suppliers that have quietly struggled alongside the big three. Countless companies have closed their doors and even US-based Toyota-parts manufacturers are laying people off. Detroit's unemployment recently reached 10% but the impact is felt nationwide. Also, if the big three moved more jobs back from China, Mexico, etc., they would have more jobs to offer nationally. If they keep their foreign plants, well, they'll be contributing to the weak global market.
All automotive companies need to develop with more fuel-efficient vehicles--obviously. I say the oil industry should contribute to that research and funding. It's parallel in some ways to the funding tobacco/cigarette king Phillip Morris pays out in support of smoking-prevention campaigns; PM got caught targeting kids in its advertising and smoking kills while the oil industry drives our nation, no pun intended, thus destroys our environment in myriad ways.
Unfortunately, as someone else pointed out above, the US has become a driving community, save for some cities with thriving biking underworlds (NYC, Portland, Minneapolis, SFran, Seattle, and others) or almost seamless, but still energy-using, mass transport (NYC, Chicago, Boston and, in my opinion, only a handful others). So many of our cities don't support walking, biking, or trains. We are not Europe with a similar infrastructure, I wish the US had been built similarly with its train system, but we're far too big. We can adopt some of their principles and increase spending to encourage use of intercity biking and develop mass transit.
Once the auto companies are up and running in the black, and making fuel-efficient cars, enforce bailout payback via mass transit research and funding.
Again, my vote: save Detroit's auto companies, save jobs while promoting alt-energy vehicles, and increasing mass transit.
Cars have fueled the economic and sociological impacts that we face today, they are not the only source but they certainly played their part. We need non-conventional hybrid vehicles- Air compression coupled with electric, and hydrogen systems are the real answer. The big problem with electric is the battery, but by using small wireless transmission power stations located on the roads, we can move past the battery problem. cars are an American way of life (drive through eateries are a good example), but we can take our dependence and turn it into a world changing solution.
I think the idea of having only mass transit is great, but the people living outside the cities are are left in a difficult situation. Not everyone lives in a metropolis that can support a system of mass transit.
The "cars are so over" choice is best for many countries, but the US has too many roads and highways already built, so quicker results can be had by changing the cars. Perhaps the best choice would be to move closer to work first so a car would not be needed.
Electric vehicles are an improvement, but I don't want to see any more coal power plants built. Vehicles that produce their own power, with no fuel or recharging required, will truly reduce our power usage and carbon output, and we are producing more than commonly thought, with more added every year.
See a growing list of these vehicles at http://www.selfpoweredelectricvehicles.com/