The answer? "Bailout" Honda, Toyota and BMW.

Uh Huh that's right. Instead of spending $25,000,000,000 bailing out the big mediocre three why not invest in Toyota, Honda and/or BMW! All three have BIG plants in the US employing thousands of Americans for gosh sake! (BMW has a thriving plant 90 miles from me in Greenville SC).

So here's why...

1. First it's a better investment -- these companies are already winning in the marketplace
   1a. they would better know how to put the capital to work
2. The investment would impact American workers/economy more immediately & longer term 
   2a. It would help foreign companies -- so what! they own a LARGE piece of America anyway (get over it)
3. How would it work?
   3a. Make the investment contingent on adding capacity or fast track building of new plants in the US -- better to have successful companies building on success versus failed ones retooling in the hopes of success.
4. Why would it work?
   4a. If the medium three went under there would be a supply (capable/motivated workforce) and demand (replace GM, Chrysler, Ford car volume) opportunity of epic proportions.

That's it. Bold yes. Simple yes. Smart yes.  Congress has asked the car-makers for a business plan geesssh can you imagine reading that? versus asking BMW or Honda what would they would do with $20 billion?

**Oh and one more thing take the VOLT project, choose a joint venture partner Honda, Ford or BMW put a/the Steve Jobs in charge and give him** 12 months to get it to market...well you get the idea! (**yeah I know...but he didn't know anything about the music or phone biz either.)

Comments

[Steve Yakoban]

Kudos to you Michael! You will NEVER hear such an "outrageous" concept such as this in the mainstream media.

Yeah, foreign interests own a ton of real estate in NYC, they produce most of the consumer electronics, high end appliances etc. That's largely because they have had the foresight and skill to seek out opportunities in US markets. I agree with you that with logical restrictions, successful foreign auto companies can make products Americans will buy and employ many US workers. I mean, within an 8 mile radius of me in NJ, there are three huge tracts of open land where Ford and GM plants stood for over 50 years (one is a golf course now). If the US companies knew what they were doing, that wouldn't be so!

[Claudia Zayec]

This all sounds rational until you look at what the Big Three actually are to the nation.

They are not just a "car company". Henry Ford is responsible for creating the middle class being the first manufacturer to develop a model were laborers would be able to afford a car and home. Ford and GM also play a huge part to national security. Do you know that GM had manufactured more air planes for World War II than any air plane company in history. Lets not forget 9/11 were GM and Ford donated millions of dollars and GM provided the whole fleet for the rescue teams. Toyota did nothing more than make a PR statement on the regret of 9/11. I am sure they would step up to a crisis in our future (not!!).

Also, these companies continue to sell millions of vehicles and still are leaders in market share and it is ridiculous when you and media try to paint a picture that no one is buying their cars.
The biggest issues have been their submission to continuing to offer rich benefit packages creating legacy costs that could not be sustained in this global economy yet they were still evolving and surviving until through the governments the financial crisis brought them to their knees as well as the foreign manufacturers who are by the way be subsidized through their countries governments.

It is disappointing to continuously read such ignorance when there is so much at stake here!

[Paul]

Dude, the bailed out companies will have all the money. You're just trying to do the right thing here. Where do you think government contracts will go? Which cars will be part of a rebate program ? Which cars will keep a parts store open in Barney Frank's home town ? Which union will be saved by Obama ?
Yeah, it's that bad. Sadly, half of my fellow countrymen were stupid enough to vote for Obama.

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I agree with you that with logical restrictions, successful foreign auto companies can make products Americans will buy and employ many US workers

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