[John1960]

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm used to be a big fan of New York Times columnist Tom Friedman, citing his 2005 homage to globalization, “The World is Flat,” at every opportunity.

No more. Now she seems more inclined to think Friedman’s just flat wrong.

Granholm bristles at N.Y. Times columnist's stance on automakers | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

[Cliffie]

Wow, that's hard to interpret. Either she's fighting tooth and nail for the Big Three, or she wants to look like she is. Considering her campaigns to bring Honda and Toyota into the state I'd say either is possible.

[MittenDweller82]

Unfortunately her yelling won't do much to change the outcome of GM/Chrysler's future, Friedman is correct, they will have to file bankruptcy. Understandably she wants to represent the automotive state as best as she can, however it is simply fiscally impossible for GM to come out of this profitable again. Many analysts have said GM and Chrysler would have to be cut more than 50% of their operations in order to survive. I think regardless of what both do, a government forced bankruptcy and merger is in order. I hate to be a pessimism, globalization is something that neither of the 3 realized would become so real, nor did they attempt to understand its affects.

[MGD]

Originally Posted by MittenDweller82

Unfortunately her yelling won't do much to change the outcome of GM/Chrysler's future, Friedman is correct, they will have to file bankruptcy. Understandably she wants to represent the automotive state as best as she can, however it is simply fiscally impossible for GM to come out of this profitable again. Many analysts have said GM and Chrysler would have to be cut more than 50% of their operations in order to survive. I think regardless of what both do, a government forced bankruptcy and merger is in order. I hate to be a pessimism, globalization is something that neither of the 3 realized would become so real, nor did they attempt to understand its affects.

When globalization destroys the local economies of other (usually smaller and less capitalized) countries, the engineers of the system say that is the natural selection, they weren't competitive enough, and that they should suck up the lossand learn to compete on a world scale.

Now it happens to one of the "big dogs" that their local economy is killed in mortal combat by this globalization trend...and the government of said big dog actually ponders subsidies to bail them out...on what grounds?

I feel for michigan but the U.S. has to realize it can't dish medicine and not be able to take it. Ford going under would seem as ironic as Superman becoming a paraplegic...however, I have recognized for YEARS now that retail stores and automobiles...there are WAY TOO MANY COMPANIES, MAKES, AND MODELS OUT THERE...they needed to merge and fold plenty of these redundancies LONG TIME AGO.

Next thing they need to do is stop belching out a new YEAR'S model every year. Sometimes they try so hard to tweak something they ruin it. It is simply not necessary to cater to everyone's vanity and wanting to show off that they can afford next year's model while the neighbour is still in a 2002 model of the same darn contour, integra,m3, whatever. Come out with a new model every 4 years and don't have 20 versions of the same class of vehicle out there!

I can't tell when last I saw a Saab...and Ford F150 is very popular...but how many versions of a pickup truck does one country really need? Seriously! Ford, Dodge, etc. etc...and ford alone has 150, 250, 350, x-cab...

Pigs get fat...hogs get slaughtered. We are now in the slaughterhouse portion of the economic cycle...

[jetgraphics]

http://www.city-data.com/forum/6960665-post1.html

It's more dire that we realize.
If one takes a sober, and frank analysis of the situation, it is a blessing for GM and the American automobile industry to disappear. The age of cheap and plentiful oil ended for America in 1970s. That fact has not changed the mindset of the addicted masses, and the politicians are loathe to really lead the nation to the detox center.
Before petroleum's rise, there were boats and railroads.
After petroleum's demise, there will be boats and electric railroads.

I hope it doesn't require the sudden elimination of imported oil (about 70% of America's consumption) to initiate the massive change required for 21st century America.

But the clock is ticking.

And, no, we can't "drill our way out of the mess"

In 2007 consumption rates
1 million barrels of oil = one hour U.S. consumption
1 billion barrels of oil = one month U.S. consumption
1 trillion barrels of oil = one human lifetime ...

The ANWR field in Alaska, for example, has about 20 billion barrels, or 20 months of supply for the U.S.

Unless there is some dramatic technological breakthrough the only viable option for mass transit in the U.S.A. is electric powered rail - streetcars, interurbans, subways, funiculars, and all other forms.
America once built 500 electric streetcar systems in less than 20 years (1890 - 1910). Streetcar / Trolley tracks reached 34,404 miles by 1907. The interurban electric railways for the entire country totaled approximately 18,000 miles by 1917. Most cities and towns of 25,000 or more got a non-oil electrical transportation system. The U.S.A. did this with a population of less than one-third of today's, approximately 3% of today's GNP, and relatively primitive technology. It was reported that one could travel from Maine to the Rockies without ever leaving the electric powered rail network (not mainline railroads - steam powered).