I’ll offer a counterpoint… What if the private company has a monopoly, what if they sell water or food or gas/oil/energy? I guess you could decide not to buy from them. I wonder what would happen?
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Only thing is, that without government intervention a true monopoly can not develop. Monopolies are granted by governments.

“I don’t understand what GM is thinking… the numbers don’t add up at all!!”

________________________

Ever play poker?

If GM can cry “the sky is falling” enough, they may get what Paulson was able to get.

If three years ago GM had announced, “I want a bail out now”, we would have looked at them like they were nuts. But, now things have changed. The government wallet (tax coffer) has been opened by Paulson pushing his do-or-die talk to Congress.

GM asking for $25 billion (which we gave to them) and then $25 billion more doesn’t seem to be so hard to imagine.

Come on GM, just make the efficient cars and claim your first $25 billion. This is our current offer and I hope our final offer. The sooner the Volt is available, the sooner your first $25 billion is available.

This goes for you too Ford. Where’s that sleek EREV? You can do it.

I emailed my representative and asked for all bail outs to stop.

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

=D~

Didn’t offer me BBQ or drinks.
I guess I should stop being an as$…..

nah p

HERE HERE!

I second that motion!

@Sam Y 108
The health of an individual is one thing. True it’s their decision. If YOU want to help every Obese person, it’s America you have that choice. But what we are talking about is a Business. Just like every other business. Will you go help fund Circuit City, Linens’an Things or Mervyns because they can’t sell their product?
GM is a business that can’t sell the inventory of their vehicles they built and continue to build. They could not “Evolve” in time eventhough it was obvious where the market was going. Just like the Donosaurs. Oh, and by the way, no matter what the price of whatever automobile is on the market, if it costs more than the American car, they artificially inflate the american car for a higher return.

“For national defense issue, do you really want ALL the autos made by other countries”

Well. there always Ford or Chrysler. So what I am really hearing is, if a foregin made vehicle is more superior and less expensive we should still buy American and spnd your money? No wonder the Govt pays up the yinyang on parts!

I have been saying today and some yesterday that I was sitting on the fence (with the attendant splinters) when it came to a decision of bailing out GM or them going Chapter 11. Well, I now believe C11 would be the best path as long as the government guaranteed financing with a low interest loan. It would give GM the best opportunity to strip away the dead, dragging down parts of its structure. That would include the union problems GM must face.

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Welcome to the fold. We have some burgers on the BBQ and drinks are at the bar, make yourself at home.

I wanted to add my 2 cents worth =)

First, let me say that when I keep hearing that GM should be left to fail, I am shocked. It’s like you are saying to an overweight person with bad eating habits who has a cancer as a result, “Too bad! You made yourself this way, so I can’t help you.” People, we all agree that they should be re-structured, but if we don’t help them NOW, to use the above analogy, we’ll be letting the patient die of cancer and losing the benefit that person could bring us PERMANENTLY. You don’t treat the overweight problem (i.e. re-structuring) first, you gotta cure the cancer first, i.e. save them by bail-out though we don’t like it!!!

For national defense issue, do you really want ALL the autos made by other countries, and please don’t tell me that American/Canadian workers are producing Toyota, Honda, etc. vehicles in factories located in North America. I am of Asian ethnicity and grew up until early Jr. High in Asia so I know how Asian minds work. I don’t know how many times I have to pound non-Asian folks this cocept: though the factory might be in NA, and the workers might be North Americans, ultimately the revenue generated by those sales are going overseas to benefit the foreign company/country. I’m not a war-monger, but what happens when a war or some crisis breaks out and we have to fight one of the auto-producing country; they shut down the factory, all the workers are laid off, and most importantly all the R&D knowledge is not accessible to us. The R&D will benefit the other country not us. We might be able to take-over and use their factory to produce some stuff in crazy hypothetical situations like wars and other crisis, but it would be of limited benefit to us.

If we have our own NA auto-companies, we not only benefit (somewhat) from revenue not being shipped overseas, but also R&D knowledge which would be crucial in crisis. We simply cannot let any of our NA automakers to fail! We have to bail them out, and using appropriate conditions attached to the said bail-out, force them to become lean and efficient.

Let me know what you think.

It is a plan. There are several “plans” being discussed. Yours may work out ok, if structured correctly.