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GM-Volt.com Letter to the US Government
Yesterday we took a poll on whether GM-Volt.com readers supported a GM bailout. Of 1035 respondents, 72% indicated they supported it.
Below is my letter to the US Government endorsing a rapid institution of the aid package.
Please initial below as a comment to this post if you are a US citizen and agree with the letter. You should also print the letter and fax it to your Senators and Representatives.
11/14/2008
Dear President Bush, Members of Congress, and Secretary Paulson:
The US automakers are on the brink of collapse. Partly from past failures and the forces of free market competition, they had been left in a difficult but quite possibly solvable financial situation.
The destructive and overwhelming force of illiquidity stemming from massive mortgage defaults, however, has rapidly crushed any chance of a self-induced recovery.
General Motors’ upcoming Chevy Volt represents the future of this country. The ability to drive without gasoline and on US-produced electricity will usher in a fantastic new era of petroleum independence and a vast enterprise of related green technologies, including the critical field of advanced battery production.
As unpalatable as the notion of corporate federal bailouts are for you, me, and many Americans, there appears to be no alternative.
Allowing the US automotive industry to die on the vine in the coming weeks will weaken our country severely, wreak terrible suffering on millions of Americans, and result in the loss of hundreds of billions of dollars of revenue. So too may it imperil our chances for an energy independent future.
I am a public advocate of electrification of the automobile and founder of the grassroots site GM-Volt.com. On my site there are over 45,000 Americans and other citizens of the world who are on a demonstrative waiting list for this electric car. We are the tip of the iceberg. There will be millions of such cars built and sold over the coming decades. This technological leadership should and must be driven by a US company.
We endorse that without delay the Government grant the immediate release of adequate loans, in addition to the low cost retooling loans already signed into law, for direct aid of the three US automakers, GM, Chrysler, and Ford.
Yours truly,
Lyle J. Dennis, MD
Founder, GM-Volt.com
And the Undersigned Citizens
November 14th, 2008 at 6:46 am
Lyle always makes good on taking initiative. Way to go, let’s hope this helps!
Even in Southern Illinois, I am represented by articulate, involved public servants. They and all congresspeople I’ve met will each be getting a copy of this letter!
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November 14th, 2008 at 6:51 am
Lyle you’ve got the support of all. Keep going. The Internal Medicine community supports you too. Bruce
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Not only will you be credited with bringing the volt to fruition but possibly also saving the big 3. I can only imagine how your patients feel about you.
Although I must say that a large portion of the 73% wanted conditions put on that bailout.
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:20 am
RB
In paragraph 2, “self-induced” might be changed to “self-financed”
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:23 am
jpk
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Great Letter!
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Please help get GM back on it’s feet. I want my Chevy Volt! cam
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:27 am
If you build it we will buy it.
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:27 am
GM is lying about the prospect of Volt, they should be let go and restructure using chapter 11.
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:28 am
America must move toward electrification of transportation, both people and freight. We must at the same time grow our manufacturing job market (not allow further collapse). We as a country cannot allow our automobile and supporting industries to fail. There are no reasonable alternatives. National security and our economy are intimately linked to both.
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:29 am
FJG Save GM and Ford and Chrysler
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:34 am
The funds must be used for Volt development electrification of transportation ONLY!
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Please, save the Electric Car for the second and last time !
Some help from the government is rushing to save the company.
To support the banks is good, So too, is to save hundreds of thousands of jobs is equally. A bit of will at the end of a mandate would correct a few mistakes in the past…
Thank you !
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:39 am
E. S.
I AGREE WITH THIS LETTER
I AM A CITIZEN OF THE U S A
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:45 am
Volt is the real hope for the company – if the Volt is stopped – company should go into Chapter 11. Currently the company is only afloat now due to booming market in China. Spinoff the Volt and see if it can stand. Keep Malibu and Camero and make them PHEV. “I am a public advocate of electrification of the automobile and founder of the grassroots site GM-Volt.com.” PHEVs that look nice — sell IF they are reasonably priced.
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:50 am
R.C.
I agree with this statement.
I have always been a US citizen.
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:53 am
ags
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:55 am
JOK. Painful – yes. Necessary – yes.
We have already lost four of the largest financial institutions in this country. Let’s not lose our auto manufacturers as well.
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:56 am
Traditionally I am also against government interventions / bailouts in the free market, but I also agree that it is unavoidable right now. As a country, we need to force Detroit to make cars that will allow us to be free of fossil fuels, and the Chevy Volt is at the forefront of this effort. IT IS A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE perhaps unlike any we have ever faced.
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:56 am
I support bailout loans
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:57 am
Let’s hope that Congress realizes how important it is that the Volt actually be produced. it would be the leading edge of Obama’s “green economy” – the retooling of the American industrial base to provide 5 million new jobs. I’m really worried that the Bush administration just doesn’t care… will the Repubs be upset if the “green revolution” fails? Has “W” even ever heard of the Volt? I think not…
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Agreed – but the industry needs some fundamental change……GAD
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:58 am
RGS
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:59 am
This car could be more effective on the war on terror then any of our bombs.
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November 14th, 2008 at 7:59 am
pb
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:01 am
Let’s all bailout the auto industry. The same industry that can’t compete because it continues to build inferior cars. Then in 5 years we can see it go under. What’s the point other than prolonging the inevitable. Besides, how many of us can afford the Volt at 40K? Let’s get some people in there that can actually turn the industry around.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:02 am
As a US citizen I fully concur with the above letter. – PAT (aka nasaman)
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:03 am
MJK
Go Volt!!
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Yes I want to give my full support to the Chevy Volt. It is important to give full support to US automakers. I came to this country and all my cars had been made in the USA. This will continue for the rest of my life…
Thank you
Al Vazquez
FAMA Magazine
Director.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Yes I like to help GM keep the Chevy Volt and all the good cars they have plan for the future.. This is a 100 year old company and it will be a 200 year old company.. please give the help now…
Ileana Muniz
FAMA
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:09 am
What happened to “bancrupcy is not an option”. They dont need govt welfare..get the genious to solve the problem and stick to his word!
If he doesnt stick to his word on the bankrupcy issue, what makes you think he will stick to his word on the “volt”.
Buy a tesla…better car, better performance, and AVAILABLE. Funny how a couple of guys in california can START an entire car company from scratch and bring a product online faster than GM can. ,
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:11 am
CGM
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:12 am
Welcome the Union of the American Socialists Republics. Bush tells the world that capitalism isn’t the cause of our current economic difficulty while promoting the nationalization of business in America. Oh Brave New World and Double Speak. We can’t have it both ways. Our highly paid, futuristic, and responsible management class needs cleansing. I’d like to have a Volt, but it may need to be built by Toyota.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:12 am
JAN — As a U.S. citizen I agree with the above letter.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:13 am
TLK
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:15 am
We cannot let the American Auto Industry fail. I am an American.
Edward Ellyatt
Edward Ellyatt, Sr
Roberta Ellyatt
Mary Louise Ellyatt
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:15 am
I agree, I am and always have been a proud American Citizen
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:16 am
The survival of the Volt – and the lower-cost vehicles that should inevitably result – should be the basis of ANY bailout by the Feds. The future is not in Hummers, massive SUVs and 10mpg trucks. There’s a reason GM is in trouble. The Volt is the key to its survival.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:17 am
MTR
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:18 am
BPB
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:20 am
DDB, nice work Lyle. Off to my Congressmen.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:21 am
The turn in the market is effecting all companies, not just the big ones. Bailout plans at this point appear to be required, however, i feel that they need to strict loans for specific endeavors that will keep companies afloat in the future. Such as, Chevy and the Volt. It needs to be understood that the bailout is not free cash, it is a loan from the government… from the tax paying citizens of this country, and it needs to be paid back. Bailouts with allocations for executives and frivolous spending will only bury us further.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:23 am
MAC
I endorse this message, and I am an American citizen.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:27 am
M.A.G.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:27 am
PBO
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:28 am
DKK
I endorse this message, and I am an American Citizen
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:29 am
James Rose
I agree
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:29 am
I endorse this message and I am an American Citizen.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:30 am
The Government caused a lot of this with all of the regulations now I see it only fit they help to bail them out I am all for electric cars and other mode transportation so much so I build my own I could not wait
Please help America become strong again !
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:30 am
No to the bailout. Let capitalism do its job. There are other American-made electric vehicles in the works (Aptera)…..
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:31 am
The US auto industry,”although I believe has been poorly mananged for many years” must be saved.The economic ramifications of failure are to severe for our economy at this time to endure.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:31 am
I have a Honda Civie Hybrid and I have bought Japanese cars for years to get what I wanted but wasn’t provided by American cars. I want to buy an American car!
Just when there is a car I want (Volt), the rug is getting pulled out from under us. Let’s help out our auto industry which seems to finally be taking the right course.
JA – American citizen
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:31 am
TMZ – We need to recreate the strong American automobile company. The Volt is the pinnacle of American engineering.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Hehe I’m not a US citizen, but gently suggest that if you really want off oil, then the CAFE standards should be raised to the point where ONLY Volt type vehicles can be offered for sale.
It also has the advantage of resetting the playing field and increasing the possibility of a return on taxpayer dollars, or at least getting some of them back.
Lyle, when you first started this site, bet you never thought you would be championing GM’s very survival. Funny how life works out.
Finally, Lyle, How about pushing for a ride in a mule now? We can then have another Volt related thread. We really need a pick-me-up right about now.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:33 am
RIH
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:35 am
JES, As much as changes need to be made in the auto industry of this country, I endorse this message and support whatever means available to help save the million plus jobs at stake
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:36 am
I AM A AMERICAN TOO…. When GM bought the Hummer from Chrysler I totally thought it was a STUPID move. Whoever thought it was a GREAT move… FIRE THEM..NOW. Energy is the big concern for me, we are the most wasteful nation on earth and the Hummer is a PIG. I have never owned anything but GM, I drive a Bonneville bought new in 2003. 108000 miles with no problems, great mileage (some trips over 34 MPG) driving habits are important:-) I do support keeping GM alive with a LOAN.. But they need a real shake up in upper management if I ran my businesses like they do I would have closed my doors long ago on STUPIDITY… And NO BONUSES for running GM into the red… FIRE THEM.. LONG LIVE THE VOLT..BUT BUILD IT HERE… SORRY I AM VERY UNHAPPY WITH THIS MESS… Bill
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:37 am
Bail out is at the expense of the American people. Bail out dosnt mean print money for free and give it to them. Although it is a shame and terrible for any US jobs to be lost, this bail out is just a band aid for a mortal bleeding wound. Using our tax payer money to pay for the many years of mistakes, poor quality, bad design, and lack of market needs or awareness in my opinion is not the answer.
Again GM prices the Volt car for too much money. They also dont specify what the MPG is when the batteries are exausted. To get only 40 miles on batteries is not enough, when other companies have batteries to drive longer.
Maybe the auto business doesnt work with unions that demand too much for workers that are not as productive as they can be. I am an American and ashamed that Japan makes more sense, and a more reliable product for a better price, consistantly.
Maybe the US auto industry is due to learn a lesson? When we make mistakes in our jobs or our own businesses do we get bailed out from the tax payers? US auto makers don’t need money they need a complete re-tooling at their own expense even if US workers are laid off. A lesson must be learned here for once and for all.
Sorry to say this since I know the effects of the jobs lost and proud to be American too.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:37 am
I agree with most of Lyle’s 3rd paragraph:
“[Electric transportation] represents the future of this country. The ability to drive without gasoline and on US-produced electricity will usher in a fantastic new era of petroleum independence and a vast enterprise of related green technologies, including the critical field of advanced battery production.”
However, I’ve replaced the low range, high cost Volt with “electric transportation” in general. In that regard:
http://www.aptera.com/
Has the Volt beat in every way, in my opinion.
If American industries can’t make goods Americans want to buy (GM, other auto makers) they should go bankrupt and be replaced, thats what makes America great. Government handouts to industries basically pay the industries without them having to make sales. It’s theft from the taxpayers. “Buy our goods, or we’ll take your tax dollars.” Is that how it works now? That’s not the America I love. With all these bailouts, I should just learn Chinese and be socialist, at the least, they aren’t lying about what they are.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:38 am
This is an excellent letter. But addressed as it is, it won’t do much good. Every person who reads this should cut and paste it into a word document and then send a copy to his or her own US Senators and Representative, as well as to Secretary Paulson, President Bush and President-elect Obama. One letter won’t make a difference. Thousands will!
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:38 am
The Volt is important,,, it is the first mass produced unlimited range electric,, not just another incremental improvement. I support a bridge loan if the UAW (GM employees) also take part by reducing their cash burn rate for the duration of the loan. That is standard in these situations and I’m very suprised it’s not on the table.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:38 am
I urge Congress to save and protect (I know: It’s a dirty word) the U.S. Auto Industry. Protect the Volt! “Free” trade has broken us. Now is the time to go back to policies that worked for the United States of America and stop pandering to reckless profiteers, the anti-American champions of white-knuckle globalization. They are leading us down the primrose path to manufacturing impotence and disaster!
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:40 am
RWD
Haymarket, VA
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:41 am
I have always respected Lyle for what he is doing but never so much as I do now. It is a hard situation but I think in the end, this is for the best. I’m no big union fan, but regardless, they are Americans. As such, I’d rather see a bailout to help Americans than worry about if they are union or not. Better a rate cut than no job at all. GM-Volt.com has spoken…I hope the politicians are listening…
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Agree. DRS
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:41 am
DSC
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:45 am
JMC
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:45 am
I do not.
In todays New York Times, David Brooks writes “If ever the market has rendered a just verdict, it is the one rendered on G.M. and Chrysler.”
Somewhere in GM’s bloated corporate suites, are some people capable of gutting the company, and saving the spirit of GM. They will never get the chance if you bail out the failures on the board and in the executive suites.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:46 am
As a US citizen, I support this letter with the stipulation that takers of this bailout be required to offer a viable plug in electric vehicle which is affordable to the masses. NO PLUG, NO SALE!!!
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Agreed.
My grandfather retired from Oldsmobile and though I would hate to see his benefits cut, it may be necessary to allow GM to continue to operate.
CPA
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:47 am
They need support
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:48 am
WLZ
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:48 am
RMJ Save the Volt
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:49 am
I am a US citizen and an Army veteran. We as a nation need this type of new technology to regain our foothold in the world economy. We need the VOLT! NOW!
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:49 am
I would only sign this, if the dollars were restricted to alternate energy powered vehicals. This letter give the power to use the money to the car manufactures who have fallen behind in technology on their own regard. They will just do the same if the money is not restricted for specific use.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:50 am
The article on page A13 of The Wall Street Journal(11/14/08) show an easily doable fit in to our national electric grid system. Savings from reduced imports of foreign oil, and reduction in carbon footprint as a result of 78% of commuters that drive less than 40 mile to and from work every day, would be a marked economic boost for this country.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Well written letter. I support the Chevy Volt and hope the government will, too. I am a U.S. citizen.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:52 am
I would change from “the automotive industry is on the brink of collapse” to “GM, Ford and Chrysler” or “American automakers are on the brink of collapse”.
The truth is that mainly foreign auto makers are doing alright and expanding business here actually.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Gotta do whatcha gotta do….thanks Lyle
I’m cutting, pasting and mailing…
I am CJM … and I am a US citizen… and I approve this message.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Lets save the Volt and not let it be the next EV1! What a mistake that would be. We need the Volt NOW! Fuel prices WILL soar again and we have got to get off of foreign oil. Build the Volt AND drill in the U.S. Use our coastline, I’m in total favor of it and I’m a citizen and a US army vet. Thank you.
(in NC)
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:54 am
Probably should have demanded that GM resume production of the EV1 as part of any bailout, or at least the S-10 Electric in this letter.
http://oilfreenow.blogspot,com
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:54 am
I agree and I am a citizen of the United States of America. We mustn’t allow the move to EV’s and plug-ins to fail this time or we will see more oil induced economic downturns in the future.
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Please don’t let there be a sequel of “who killed the electric car?” with the title “Why did the US government kill the electric car?”
JBC
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November 14th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Dear President Bush, Members of Congress, and Secretary Paulson:
I agree 100% with Lyle J. Dennis that your administration does its best to prevent the bankruptcy of GM, on its last days in Washington before the new administration assumes its position.
I also agree 100% with Secretary Paulson that any federal aid must be accompanied by a plan to put the ailing companies on a path toward long-term viability. I feel GM has that plan in their development and production intent for the Volt and E-Flex technology.
Here are a few conditions that should be considered until loan is repaid.
1. No “cash or stock” bonus or incentives pay for anyone working for GM.
2. No increase in Executive or Management headcount.
3. No salary increases.
4. Salary Cap. No salary over $100k/year for any Executive i.e. President, CEO, CFO, and VP’s.
5. Salary Cap. No salary over $65k/year for any Management and non-Management positions.
6. 80% of the loan is directly used to get the Volt, E-Flex & alternative fuel technology for sale in show rooms.
7. Discontinue production on the 10 least desirable vehicle models and replace with Volt, E-Flex & alternative fuel technology vehicles.
The Government is in the unique position to help these great companies get back in the black for the sake of the countries prosperity.
Thanks,
Nelson from the State of New Jersey
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Being a Belgian citizen, I cannot sign the letter but I thank the USA for having welcomed me a long time ago as a student, and I sincerely wish that the crisis will be overcome in one way or another so that the economic stress for the US people could be reduced.
I also consider myself as a world citizen and know that individual actions may have important impacts on the wellness and the life of the citizens of other nations.
So if I may symbolically show my approval of Lyle’s letter, I do it now.
NPNS, JC
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Part of an article that I agree with, and very timely for today’s subject.:
The real challenge is to think of U.S. automaker woes as an opportunity instead of as a disaster. The auto industry occupies a critical position, not just in the U.S. economy, but also in the struggle to cope with climate change and the energy crisis. The government has immense leverage right now to force the Big Three to make progress on multiple fronts and should not be afraid to use it.
Barack Obama has spoken many times of his ambitious plans to steer the U.S. toward a future where Americans are driving fuel-efficient cars that run on renewable energy. If the government is going to bail out the auto industry, it should do so only with the explicit requirement that the Big Three accelerate down that road as fast as they can. A Manhattan Project-scale plan to move the U.S. into an energy-sustainable future should start with a restructuring of the automotive industry. It’s time to think big.
Democrats should be crafting a plan that provides an economic stimulus and restructures the automotive industry in support of cutting back on fossil fuel production and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a big job, but in two months something could likely be concocted that would be ready to go on Jan. 21.
It’s time to seize the day.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/1276746,CST-EDT-open13b.article
LJGTVWOTR
No Plug, No Sale.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:02 am
RAH
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Excellent letter!
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:03 am
If the automakers fail many other things will follow suit including a much needed car like the Volt.
But rather then giving the automakers carte blanche and just handing them the money like Paulson did with the banks why not give them a few stipulations as only the government can do as representives of the people?
To start let’s require the automakers to spend a large percent on alternative energy cars like the Volt. And also require them to increase their budgets for high tech energy storage and solar electricity to be used in our vehicles.
And require a change in management and the board of directors! Force them to fire at least 60% of management and directors. You’ll see how fast things change for the better when we the people get involved.
This is OUR money WE will be handing the automakers, let’s get SOME voice in how they spend it!
Concerned Citizen,
Tony S.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:03 am
Lets me realistic. GM is not worth saving. I don’t think the government should interfere, but if they REALLY want to own an auto company, the government should buy Toyota, not GM.
Don’t kid yourself, if the volt is worth saving, then someone will buy it and bring it to market. But the fact is that Toyota and Honda are probably already building a better “volt” as we speak. GM is a lost cause.
If you still love GM, take hope in this – they will go bankrupt, and then come out of bankruptcy a much leaner and meaner company, more suited to compete for the future.
Stop trying to force your fellow citizens to bail out this or any other company. Let the free market work.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:04 am
We need to support U.S. manufacturing. Congress must act to save the automotive industry. No single industry is more important to our economy than automotive.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:05 am
I vote yes. MDR
#1800 and waiting in Fort Lauderdale, Fl
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:05 am
I have owned and operated vehicles manufactured by the three vehicle companies in th US. I have also owned and operated vehicles manufactured by companies outside the US. My current evaluation is that the US manufacturers are now producing vehicles that compare favorably with non US manufacturers. I currently own three US made vehicles and one non US made vehicle. I have placed my hope for my next vehicle on the Chevy Volt. The US MUST remain competitive in the world market, and by all means the Chevy Volt should not be lost to this severe economic downturn.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Great letter Lyle. Let’s keep the Volt alive!
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:08 am
I would rather see us bail out GM than AIG! I vote YES. HH Texas
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:08 am
We cannot let the Big Three auto makers go under, but as a condition for the financial aid, the Big THree should be prepared to conduct tough negotiations with unions to stabilize the industry.
SMV, American citizen
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Agreed.
DBK
Tolland, CT
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:08 am
I am an 18 year old student who worries for the future of not only the auto industry and GM but for the future of America and what we will be if our government is unwilling to help us move forward. I am further worried when the government allows for money to be spent paying bank guru salaries but is unwilling to support the research into the alternative fuel technology in the transportation industry and the much smaller salaries made by the autoworker. My wish is for the government to put in the money for the auto industry like they did for the banking industry.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:09 am
If you build it the money will come…
Your business model is broken and your reckless designs are for the oil companies are bad for our planet and you want me (US) to invest (bailout)? Try this on for size…failure is an option which GM has refused to acknowledge over the last 20yrs. I say no to the bailout GM should experience the pain of failure which hopefully will result in leaning experience and a new beginning. Oh and as for the Volt…Please, spare me the funnies…the Volt is yet another sad attempt at trying to save a bad marriage between your Co. and the consumer. If you were serious about your addiction to oil you would have poured your heart and $ soul $ into your recovery (new innovations) and offer products to the masses (available to all demographics).
Good-bye GM it hasn’t been real and that’s your problem.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:10 am
i agree completely with lyle’s letter and the big3 need govt. help. save the volt= save the future!
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:10 am
PMB
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:11 am
I want a Volt and I think a bailout might be needed, but it won’t last unless some restructuring happens soon. Yes, the auto industry is in dire straights. Yes, the outo industry is a big part of the health and strength of our economy. Yes, I view the Volt as a hugely important step toward mass production of cleaner, more energy efficient, transportation. A vibrant auto industry is good for the US and less use of oil overall means less dependance on foreign oil (good for lots of reasons). All that said, I still would want to see some sort of restructuring of GM if they get bailout money. The economy may be pushing them over the edge, but the rest of the story is that they are on the edge because they need to retool both the salaried and hourly workforce costs to survive long term.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:11 am
Sorry Lyle, I can NOT support socialist redistribution and central planning over the Constitution.
When federal bureaucrats override market forces and choose winners and losers, we ALL lose!
Why? REAL free market competition reduces costs and spurs innovation. Central planning kills competition which destroys innovation and increases costs for everyone. It was central planning through the CRA (and fiat currency) that caused this problem and you think MORE is the answer??? Doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result is INSAINITY. Look at what it did to the Soviets!
If GM (or any other corporation) is so poorly run that they face bankruptcy, then just throwing MORE money at it will only encourage malfeasance. You need only look to the financial bailout for proof as they are keeping the money for themselves. GM need to be bankrupted and liquidated so room is made in the market for better run companies with products that the market WANTS to buy.
Sometimes even lions become old and weak. When this happens, they need to die and feed the next generation. The circle of life happens in business too. It’s only natural.
Artificial life like what you propose always leads to destruction and pain.
Did you ever see the movie Frankenstein’s Monster? That abomination was GM (or any other company) under federal central planning.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Jake West
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:14 am
/Signed
I hope this does get to the right people we need this to transpire.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Costa Rica here saying “We are in the deal too!” You have my full support and a handful’s too down here in Costa Rica, Central America. We want electricity to drive us to work!!
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:20 am
maybe an electric Hummer……… if I was a dumb ass and made overpriced gas guzzlers I would thow myself on the sword…………
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Adam Brooks
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Electric cars will be our future. At least GM is ahead of the pack on this and should be bailed out.
We need GM, the volt and more of these electric and Hybrid cars.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Thanks for writing this letter, Lyle. I concur with it.—JES
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:22 am
We cannot allow the US auto industry to collapse
DWR
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Help GM with a loan and continuing access to low cost financing. Require GM to pay back all funds within 2 years and during that time require GM to make low cost loans to consumers.
GM is worth more support than other companines who do not have an electric car in production.
Dr. Jordan
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:23 am
I think it may be to late to try and save much of our way of life. We are out of money. The government is going to print a bunch more to get things going again. If you want to see where all of our money has gone take a look at CBS news this morning. We even built them an indoor ski resort. We have traded our souls for oil.
The Volt may help but not at $45,000. JMHO GM has let this go on long enough so that they can now make the big bucks. They dug the hole now let them get out of it.
Take Care
Arch
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:24 am
If the Japanese auto industry were in financial distress, would it’s government help? I think we all know the answer to this question. This answer is no different for the US.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:25 am
You have my full support.
LS
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Keep the dream alive! -JJJ
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:26 am
mdm
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Sorry. No more governmant bail outs. Enough is enough! I, too, want to see GM succeed with the Chevy Volt, but in a capitalist, free market. The American people, and that includes “Corporate America”, need to stop sucking at the teat of government once and for all!
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Chevrolet and all of GM have been building cars for years that I have not been interested in buying! The VOLT is the first exception to this trend (other than the Corvette). Why have you been sooooo slow to make this new electric car technology available? Your bad choices over many years are what has made you vulnerable to this economic downturn! I can not support socialist redistribution and the federal government getting into the automotive industry!
Sorry Lyle!
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:29 am
GM is guilty of corporate arrogance. All the GM workers should be rescued but GM should be thrown on the ash heap of history. They ignored their customers, scoffed at building quality into their cars and committed the cardinal sin of capitalism, operating without public consent of their owners, the stockholders.
Why should a company be given billions of dollars of taxpayer’s money for flunking their final in Capitalism 101?
The mills of the gods grind slowly but they grind exceedingly fine.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:30 am
As one who grew up in Northern Ohio, I have witnessed the demise of the US Auto Industry and it’s affect on the working class. If the government can bail out the banks it can certainly help GM through these difficult times. Ken.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:32 am
You are all assuming one thing here: That funds that are part of a bailout of GM will be put toward the Volt.
Don’t count on it.
If GM gets this bailout, it would have to be mandated as a condition of the bailout for the Volt to continue. Otherwise, Chevy will use it’s money in other areas which are currently far more profitable. The Volt is still a couple of years away and may offer little profit for GM in the short-term.
I DO NOT support this bailout UNLESS Volt development and production is MANDATED by its terms.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:33 am
In short – yes. But, I don’t thinks that simply throwing money at the car makers is going to truely help them in the long run. On the other hand, helping them to develop and promote cars like the Volt will help everyone.
Tom Tribble
Merrimac, Ma.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:34 am
As much as I would love to have a electric car in my driveway like the volt, the fact is GM and the other American car companys have a labor and executive work force that is way over paid and this means the company can not compete with other car companys like Toyota. the facts are here; http://www.npr.org/news/specials/gmvstoyota/
Average Labor Cost per U.S. Hourly Worker
GM vs Toyota
$73.73 / $48.00
Health Care Costs per Vehicle in 2004
GM vs Toyota
$1525.00 / $201.00
Profitability per Vehicle
GM vs Toyota
Loses $2,331 per vehicle / Makes $1,488 per vehicle
Quite simply we cannot compete with all the labor and executive salary overhead so there is no choice but to let the free market work and let the bloated companys fail. The same will happen to the rest of Americas companys if the unions are alowed in! And yes I am a prowd American citizen too.
Rick G.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:35 am
This is what I was trying to say…thanks Tim! The loss would be painful but necessary for new and improved growth.
“Sorry Lyle, I can NOT support socialist redistribution and central planning over the Constitution.
When federal bureaucrats override market forces and choose winners and losers, we ALL lose!
Why? REAL free market competition reduces costs and spurs innovation. Central planning kills competition which destroys innovation and increases costs for everyone. It was central planning through the CRA (and fiat currency) that caused this problem and you think MORE is the answer??? Doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result is INSAINITY. Look at what it did to the Soviets!
If GM (or any other corporation) is so poorly run that they face bankruptcy, then just throwing MORE money at it will only encourage malfeasance. You need only look to the financial bailout for proof as they are keeping the money for themselves. GM need to be bankrupted and liquidated so room is made in the market for better run companies with products that the market WANTS to buy.
Sometimes even lions become old and weak. When this happens, they need to die and feed the next generation. The circle of life happens in business too. It’s only natural.
Artificial life like what you propose always leads to destruction and pain.
Did you ever see the movie Frankenstein’s Monster? That abomination was GM (or any other company) under federal central planning.”
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:36 am
whoa… I like the volt, but TOTALLY DISAGREE with taking handouts from the government to make it happen. That is disgusting. If you can’t make it on your own, too bad, but someone else will.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:38 am
I work for a major US steel maker and although the amount of steel in every car is continually shrinking, this country’s economy is very dependent on the auto industry. The big three need to reshape their companies for survival and the US government needs to step in and provide finacial support. We did it for Chrysler years ago. Let’s get on with it!
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Over the last 30 years, I have bought many GM products. The last ones have had 0 defects. I wanted an EV1, but they gave up?? We cannot lose the Volt, or the new hybrids. Cheap oil once again threatens the emergence of the new economy, the oil shock cycle repeats itself. When will we learn that cheap oil is just as dangerous as expensive oil. My friends loose jobs as GM plants close in Ontairo due to high gas prices, and now we see investments in clean energy being stalled because they cannot compete with cheap oil. We all know that as soon as demand rebounds, oil will once again become expensive, and unless we develop new energy solutions, we will once again fall prey to it. How ironic that the Volt is threatened by the same fuel that killed other GM products like the Hummer and the Camaro. An I am not even talking about climate change. So, yes they should bail out Detroit,(with the condition that the Volt and other hybrid projects are fasttracked) and they should throw up a heavy tarrif on imported oil to fund the bailout. This would be a more politically acceptable solution than a gas tax, as it would be directed at the “offshore” oil sheiks and their friends at Exxon rather than the consumer at the pump, but would increase the competitiveness of the volt and other clean technoligies. It would also favor the continued development of local oil supply. Thx
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:41 am
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,24652946-643,00.html
Take Care
Arch
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:41 am
I agree with writer #57.
I would support assistance to the “Big 3″ ONLY if it is coupled with a directive to STOP building big, wasteful vehicles. Yes, those do provide a wider profit margin, but at horrible consequences. If we let the government bail them out, it just rewards their stupidity, and corporate greed.
Maybe spin off the Volt, retaining none of the GM management. Let the other companies step up to the plate or disappear.
The foreign (VW, Toyota, etc.) are no better, by the way. The Tundra, etc. are energy pigs.
Ted in Washington
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:43 am
TJK
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:43 am
I’m all for the Volt 100%, but govt handouts wont save GM in the long run. It will only delay what must be done for a 2 or three years. GM needs to restructure, renegotiate its contracts with the UAW and scrape off a lot of dead weight if they can pass the test of time. This talk of a bailout is only clouding the issue and costing GM precious time that could be spent fixing its broken company.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:43 am
If we let this vehicle die because of the economic crisis I fear the progression of our country becoming a self supportive leader in the world will stop. Not only do we need to keep our own producers alive in our own country we need to let them take the lead in the next generation of vehicles to bring the US consumer back to buying US produced goods thus refueling our own economy. If we need to raise taxes to fix many of our problems then tax foreign companies and let our own florish.
KEEP THE US FUTURE ALIVE WITH THE VOLT!!!
You have my support. JG
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:44 am
The problems with the auto industry have been due to a managment that worshiped built in obsolence. I’d like to see the government buy the auto companies and use them to develope the job and products needed to turn this economy around.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:45 am
You didnt include conditions that GM should have if given the bailout……. so far 75 percent of us voted that way…… Im guessing your on of the 20 percent that voted for just yes……
@125, the constuition is already gone, just read the patriot act that is going to be put into law in 2009…… anyways, what is so bad about socailist countries?
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:46 am
I’m conflicted here. SInce I think the market is a more efficient problem-solver, and any bail-out will not solve the underlying issues behind GM’s losses, bankruptcy protection is far better than bail-out. However, the Volt is an issue of National Security as anything reducing our dependence on petroleum becomes a national imperative. Therefore, I say Yes to Bail-out with Union and Executive give-backs.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:46 am
It is an urgency of national defense that the American manufacturing capacity be preserved. That means, shipyards, steel mills, refineries, electronics, the works. Letting the Big 3 sink would be a fatal step in the wrong direction. Or is the plan to ask China to sell us some tanks when we’re going to have a war?
PS: The Volt is the most sensible response to the looming “Axis of Oil”. Don’t drop this ball, guys.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Your leaders at GM have been greedy fools not seeing the future.
The volt shoud have been out when the toyto prius came out several years ago.. chevy would be on top of the market now. But NO the gready leaders of the company were busy sucking off money from the company and building big gas sucking hogs that they are stuck with now .. and what will they have out for sale in 09 and 2010?? mpr of the same thing. Yes the volt is a good thing and I would love to have one.so why dont they get it going and get it out this year. ? I know we here in the USA can make cars that will get over the 55mpg that the toyta get. I have one now and love it. and if chevy will get off their bohunkus and get the thing in production and stop crying about what fools they have been and begging for handouts. they will be back top of the market.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:47 am
While generally opposing bail-outs, the Volt and GM in general are too important to let die. While you’re at it bring Japan to the bargaining table to bring about truly fair trade. Open their markets to our products or we won’t open our markets to their products. It’s about time we started treating others as they have treated us. Imagine the indignation if we stopped them from unloading (dumping) their vehicles on our shores.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:48 am
RHL
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:49 am
MLG
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Bail out the auto makers with the stipulation that they switch their fleets to plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. Do this and the Volt will be the first in a long line of successful cars.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Be sure to have some oversight!
Bring in some new management who won’t run the company into the ground
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:52 am
WLZ A prayer to God would help.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:53 am
A very cool car is not reason enough for the Government to step in and ‘bail out’ GM. GM made it’s bed, it can lie in it.
In other words.. they put their money in $50k+ Hummers / Escalades / etc and now they can’t give ‘em away.
Sucks to be you, GM.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:53 am
I agree. We desperately need this car. I stand behind you 100% and will forward this letter to whoever necessary.
ABC
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:54 am
The only way to become free from terrorist is to stop paying them for their oil! Volt is freedom!
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:55 am
I’m Brad, American cititzen, and I approve Lyle’s message.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Get rid of the unions and their problems will be solved!
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:56 am
From a Canadian newspaper:
With all three Detroit-based automakers in dire straits and seeking a Washington bailout, the moment finally has arrived for a radical reinvention of America’s domestically owned auto industry. Which means letting the Detroit Three reorganize under bankruptcy protection, from which several smaller, more nimble and competitive firms would emerge, no longer prisoner to Detroit’s hidebound, century-old decision-making traditions.
To bail out Detroit is not to rescue the U.S. auto industry, despite how the CEOs of General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC continue to misrepresent the federal bailout they seek.
For more than two decades, there have been two U.S. auto sectors. There is the familiar Detroit Three (no longer the Big Three), which are corporate cripples after decades of mismanagement.
And there are the much healthier U.S. operations of Asian and European automakers that employ millions of Americans turning out Hondas, Toyotas and BMWs, sooner or later to be joined by Chinese and Indian makers. The foreign-based firms already operate 16 vehicle assembly plants and dozens of parts plants from Alabama to Ohio to Ontario.
Led by GM, Detroit is again a holdout against progress, arguing for the continuation of a failed status quo, just as it resisted everything from today’s life-saving three-point seatbelts to fuel-efficiency standards to the devastating (to Detroit) recent shift in consumer demand to small cars from gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles and heavy trucks.
Detroit arguably stands alone in chronically failing to “get it” since its laudable introduction of enclosed passenger cabins and automatic transmissions before most of today’s motorists were born.
One way or another, Detroit has been cosseted by taxpayers and motorists since the ill-fated Chrysler bailout of 1979; followed by the Reagan-era “voluntary” quotas imposed on imports, which did not deter American consumers from paying the resulting higher prices for better-built Hondas and Toyotas; followed by repeated abeyance or postponements of fuel-efficiency standards the feds sought to impose on Detroit.
The ill-fated 1979 Chrysler bailout, which secured that company’s viability for just two decades, signalled the larger GM and Ford that they also were “too big to fail” and needn’t abandon their complacent ways. The import quotas inspired first the Asian rivals and later the Europeans to leapfrog that barrier by making in America most of the vehicles they sell in America. And granting Detroit leave from onerous fuel-efficiency standards enabled the foreign-based competition to gain a competitive advantage by complying with or exceeding the U.S. mandates.
Detroit’s sense of exceptionalism has not diminished.
Rick Wagoner, GM’s chief executive, was on Capitol Hill last Thursday making a pitch for taxpayer assistance in financing its proposed merger with Chrysler – this after Detroit had secured in September $25 billion (U.S.) in federal funds to finance development of fuel-efficient vehicles.
Yes, you read that correctly. Developing products necessary to ensure their future, as foreign-based firms have long since done with their own money, is something Detroit has to be paid public money to do.
At a moment when Washington is trying to come up with the scratch to keep imperilled homeowners from losing their homes, the Detroit makers further propose that the additional bailout funds they seek – a rumoured $10 billion in GM’s case – be carved out of the $700 billion bank bailout fund that U.S. lawmakers rightly criticize for failing to provide for homeowners as well as Wall Street banks and brokerages.
As if chutzpah weren’t enough – GM’s finance arm, GMAC LLC, which has lost $9.1 billion in the past two years as a mortgage-lending enabler in the historic collapse of the U.S. housing market – Detroit is also stooping to coercion.
GM has lost an almost incomprehensible $70 billion (U.S.) since the end of 2004, while the U.S. economy was still healthy, and yesterday reported a $2.5-billion third-quarter loss.
Barack Obama backer Roger Altman, the former Clinton-era Treasury official forced to quit under an ethical cloud, and now a top adviser to GM in its merger talks with Chrysler, warned the Obama economic team publicly last week that the collapse of any of the Detroit Three “would be a difficult way for a new administration” to take office.
Reading from the same scare-tactics script, John Snow, a mediocre if generously compensated CEO of U.S. rail giant CSX before becoming George W. Bush’s second, invisible, Treasury secretary, and now chair of Chrysler owner Cerberus Capital Management LP, told CNBC that Washington must ensure “that a vital industry like autos, which is such a big part of the overall economy, doesn’t lead us into a deeper and harsher downturn.”
Any bailout of GM, enabling it to purchase Chrysler, would be a bailout of the short-sighted dealmakers at private-equity firm Cerberus in their exquisitely ill-timed bet on Chrysler in buying the firm from Daimler AG last year, only to see Chrysler’s fortunes further plummet after the deal.
Detroit has been a significant destroyer of jobs and shareholder value for the past decade, and sporadically in decades past, as well. Worse, its sclerotic decision-making has helped hold America back from technological leadership in one of the world’s major industries.
As the cockpit of capitalism, banking is an essential service whose seize-up this September required a bailout by global governments. The auto sector is not as important, and the Detroit Three no longer account for more than a fraction of that sector.
And the latest straw GM is grasping at, a combination with Chrysler, proves again how lacking in smarts is the existing troika of Detroit CEOs. A GM already burdened with too many brands (eight) merged with Chrysler’s three brands would require a years-long shedding of jobs and closing of excess plant capacity in search of the “synergies” that former Chrysler owner Daimler found so elusive in its sorry nine-year-long ownership of the firm.
If an Obama who last week pledged to make aid to Detroit a top priority is serious about change, he will rule out a Detroit bailout. Or he and Congress will effectively nationalize Detroit, deploying a team of experts to preside over the dismantling of these firms that for generations have lacked the managerial acuity of founders William Durant and Alfred Sloan of GM, Henry Ford and Walter P. Chrysler.
David Olive, Toronto Star
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Build the Volt. This auto would vault GM forward financially AND technologically.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:57 am
I support the GM Volt
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:57 am
TAS
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Ok but the current board needs to go.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:57 am
DHH
I have generated all of my home energy by solar panels for 7 years and am ready to go 100% off oil when I can purchase the Volt.
Do not let foreign automakers take over the industry.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:57 am
JS. I approve of this message.
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November 14th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Whoooooaa now, I want to save the Volt, not the pathetic GM management.
Can’t sign.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Lyle,
Thank you for taking the time to compose this letter for us.
I am a US citizen and endorse your letter.
WSR
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:02 am
I agree with 130! Very basic. Save the volt and adopt the AMERICAN ENEGY POLICY of T Boone Pickens. Then change in our pockets wont be PENNIES! We will lead the way agin for the world to see America as that bright SHINEY NATION THAT WE ARE! Our Grandchildren will agin have a future! THIS IS A BIG DEAL!
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Please add my name to the petition, a U.S. citizen. I support the U.S. government investment in the survival of our auto industry, the backbone of this nation’s economy, with the use of everything at its disposal (such as loans, tax credits, and an energy-wise development grant). The Tesla is an expensive protype, currently priced at $150K, in limited production, and proving viability of a mass-produced Volt. Only GM can use its experience, facilities, and labor force together to bring the cost to an affordable price range with dependable reliability for its consumers. GM has been working to solve the fuel and pollution crises for decades and is on the verge of a major production breakthrough for this new millenia with the Volt. If Washington and consumers can make up their minds about which fuel-type vehicle it wants mass produced, and Government keeps energy policy consistent long enough, GM can deliver. Retooling a plant for production is no small matter and cannot be done on a whim or in rapid revolutions without major cost repercusions. When considering the purchase of a foreign-owned manufactured vehicle, one should remember that their workers aren’t exclusively American, aren’t paid American benefits, and those spent dollars don’t significantly feed back into our economy. GM functions well within its very broad parameters and should be supported by all Americans in every way possible.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:03 am
As painful as it is, we must support our automobile manufacturers and help them move the industry to alternative energy vehicle’s. We can not let foreign nations take over our auto industry.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:04 am
I didn’t see a link to sign this letter, so I guess I agree to sign with this comment.
Yes, I AGREE
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:06 am
We need to stop relying on oil.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Lyle Dennis, MD
You wrote a very articulate argument for the GM volt. I do not think this translates into a similar argument to support a dying industry.
If we can decode the genome and put a man on the moon, we have the genius to develop fossil fuel independent modes of transportation.
I submit that we support a government bailout specifically targeted for such technologies. The gasoline automobile is an extinct species that should have been off the road years ago.
If one of the “big3″ can’t do it, I propose a government issued vehicle made in the USA by the USA with profits for the USA, not some auto executive. Call it “US Volt”.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:09 am
I support government help for the auto industry.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Yes, I agree that the auto industry should be granted the assistance.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Yes, I agree that the auto industry should be granted the assistance.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Help GM, so they can make the Volt more affordable, so people who really need these type of cars can afford them. The average person can’t afford a $30,000 car. We need it in the low $20s or even lower.
We need more gas saving cars under $20,000!!!
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:13 am
AB
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Those that are against this loan to the auto companies see it as a very good time to force the auto workers to take less pay. One has only to look at the increase in pay for middle class during the last 20 years to see where this is going. There has been none. Our only hope is the fact that we, the middle class, outnumber the elitists whose incomes have zoomed upward since 1980. So at the polls remember those that voted against assisting our auto companies.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:14 am
All of you who agree with the bailout are drinking the poison coolaid of communism!!!!
Forgive them Father for they know not what they do!!!!
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Make the bailout happen and contingent on intelligent fuel efficient car design and manufacture, commitment to alternative fuel vehicles, and save the VOLT !
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:15 am
If ever there was a moment to step in and help, now is the time. How about allowing people to charge their Volt at night for a reduced rate and give a boost to the utility companies that have excess capacity at night anyways. Everyone can use a little help now and then.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Let’s get the auto ndustry the help it needs to stay in business, but let’s also make sure that any government assistance forces them to built the eco-friendly fleet that will help make us energy independent.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:16 am
MAH
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:17 am
150:
No offense, but excuse me if I take a reporter’s grasp of the situation with a huge grain of salt when he believes GMAC is still GM’s finance arm.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:18 am
I support government help for the auto industry.
Lyle, thank you for taking the time to compose this letter.
I am a US citizen and endorse your letter.
DMR
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:19 am
NO!
If GM files chpt 13 restructuring bankruptcy…it does not mean the end of the Volt….but it does allow GM (an Ford, Chrysler) to get the monkey called the UAW off their back. A federal bailout will simply allow the ’status quo’ to continue. GM management needs to be free of the shackles they have had around their ankle for so many years now. Here is the opportunity to free themselves of it.
What we should be doing, is encouraging GM to continue the Volt program in lieu of the falling oil prices. They should not be lulled into complacency and return to a ‘cheap oil’ mentaility. It has burned us ALL 3 times now since the 70’s..and there is NOTHING pointing that this won’t happen again. Oil producing nations got a taste of some serious cash flow from $100-$140 barrel oil…and they aren’t going to sit by and watch that disappear.
Save the VOLT and you secure GM’s future. You don’t need a bailout to do that.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:20 am
I’m onboard, but with major conditions!!!!
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Not only am I ready to buy an all electric automobile, I plan to purchase solar panels to charge it.
JB
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:20 am
I love the idea of the Volt and hope to be one of the first owners – but I can not support a bail-out of a company that can not figure out how to make themselves profitable. There really is no excuse. Running a business profitably is not that hard to do – regardless of what is happening with banking. If GM can not figure out how to do it then they deserve to go under. Another company (that is healthy) will step in and purchase all their assets and take the company over. Yes some employees will loose their jobs but the healthier company will need workers too to keep production going (and they will). In the long run allowing a poorly run company to go out of business is the best thing. This way companies that are well run and are profitable will rise to the top and we are not rewarding bad behavior.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:22 am
JMZ
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Communism, Socialism, Facism, Dictatorship …… They are all forms of government. In some way or shape each one of those governments have been present in our government since its creation. Our goal needs to be to keep them all in check. At this time just like in 1929 there needs to be a drift towards government assistance. Once we are out of the problems we can drift away in another direction.
I’m not for the bailouts but do agree there needs to be some government intervention.
#171, your method is purely to scare people, If you can’t strengthen the economy of the free world then its more likely extremes of other goverments (communism, facism, etc) will start spreading.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:22 am
RP
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:23 am
ECS
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Although I’m a big Volt enthusiast, over the past few weeks I’ve become more opposed to bailout programs of this nature. I think the problems in the auto industry (and the country in general) won’t be fixed by low interest loans at the expense of taxpayers. The hurt that these companies are feeling is part of what drives us to take action to prevent things like this from happening again. It’s time to restructure, reassess what impact Unions have had the American auto industry, downsize/cosolidate where necessary, redesign the whole processes of how people buy cars, eliminate the haggle/negotiate process that allows dealers to take advantage of buyers, etc. There’s plenty out there to fix before we just start handing over money for them to continue bad practices. Here’s the crux of the situation . . . the mortgage crisis began by giving loans to home buyers that couldn’t afford to pay them back. Does it make sense now that we should give loans to struggling businesses that afterwards may still go bankrupt anyway? I’m afraid to say that this would only put our country in a deeper and bigger mess.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:24 am
I think if a bailout is awarded during this economic crisis, it should be to the auto industry. The Volt will help pull the U.S. from oil dependency and also help positively impact the environment. Aside from all the politics, its a no brainer if you ask me.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Save the Volt…America wants this car
cdh
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:24 am
I support government help for the auto industry.
Especially if it is going to independicize us from foriegn oil.
I support this as long as it is going to the funding for the manufacturing of the cars and not a 7 million dollar vacation for the CEO
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:25 am
CAS
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Signed, Jaime Hood. Please save the Volt!
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:26 am
MOR
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:28 am
I support government action to keep the volt project alive and on target at GM.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Sorry Doc, but I can’t line up behind the wording in your memo. I DO agree that some assistance should be set up to help the automakers through this temporary problem, but there has to be concrete requirements on both the companies and the UAW to come to agreement on a solid future.
I personally believe that Chapter 11 provides that avenue without the doom and gloom most predict. I would have them go that route, and then, once a good plan is in place, would use the credit line to assist them execute that recovery plan.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Is GM going to become a one car automotive company? Most of what I read here is build the Volt and all will be OK!! They were just given $25 billion and are going after more. What has GM done different than they did last year, 5 years ago or 10 years age? Not much as far as the energy problem. I have owned 4 GM vehicles since 1996 and still have 2. I can buy the Toyota Priius for $24,195.00 and get 48mpg city and 45mpg hiway. I have wondered for a long time why the US auto industry with their great engineers havent done this years ago. I am retired and watch what I buy, but I still can’t see buying a car that can’t be upgraded. The battery pack is always the excuse for not putting the Volt into production. Put a high mpg Volt out and make some money. Then when you get the battery problem worked out produce an upgraded vehicle. Bailing out the American Auto Industry has a lot of pluses but until upper managemnet looks around and changes years of Same Old Style of running a business why would anthing change. The down trend in sales has been coming on for quite a while but fuel inefficient vehicles seem to have been like the Muscle Cars of the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s. Wake up and look around GM,Ford & Chrysler. The VW Bug was the first hint of things to come. I vote no until the auto industry shows that they can produce vehicles to meet todays needs. I don’t think the Volt alone is the answer.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:31 am
JEL
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:31 am
I am all for saving these companies, but I am also not opposed to letting these companies go to Chapter 11. The leadership at GM has been there a long time, and I believe they are partly to blame for the mess they are in now, and should see some turnover. I do not believe that GM filing chapter 11 will keep the Volt from being produced, it’ll just clean house of the less than effective leaders that haven’t been living up to their jobs or paychecks…
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Some industries become so integral and essential to the functioning of our society, that they may require greater regulation, and in this case tax-payer assistance in order to sustain for the common good. However, as in post #84 – any “bailout” plan, should come with measurable and enforceable restrictions and requirements as part of it. We should not just cut a check…our tax dollars should not be used for paying giant salaries to Lutz and the other senior people there…as much as I respect them and their personal success – if we (taxpayers) are going to feel some pain (by sending them our dollars) then they need to feel a little pain as well. Not just a twist of numbers by corporate accounting function, but actual sacrifice….they are already multi-millionaires…they don’t need to take millions more from taxpayers in salaries, bonuses, and golden parachutes. And the workers unions should not be hammering them for more benefits, days off, sick days, pay raises, free hams at Christmas, new desks, etc…..if we’re going to save their ass, then everybody needs to chip in and help. The use of the money should be closely monitored, and only used for absolutely essential operations and getting the Volt (and other alt-energy cars) into production. Yes, we need to help them survive…but they need to tighten their budget belt all the way, and also have a plan on how they are going to get “back in the black” in the near future. We can’t just keep on bailing them out, anytime they run low on cash…
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:32 am
I support plugged-in electric vehicles development.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:33 am
TSK: GM is pioneering Americas energy independence with the Volt. I urge you to provide government support in this time when the corporation is suffering from the effects of weakness in the credit markets.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Electric is the answer.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Lyle,
I am a US citizen and I agree with this letter.
Thanks so much for doing this. The Volt is a major game changer. The 700B$ for the bail out is very high. However, that’s about how much we send abroad EACH YEAR for foreign oil.
An American company building the Volt is extremely important to the future of the US.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:35 am
PLEASE READ!
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/WEEKEND-READ-Saving-Detroit-LD6AN?OpenDocument&src=sph
Take Care
Arch
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:35 am
With the price of a barrel of oil plummeting, it would be all to easy to forget about energy efficient and electric vehicles (it has happened before). The US auto industry has the potential to make the most efficient vehicles ever put on the road. Lets “bail them out” with strings attached that they must continue deploying more efficient and electric vehicles. I know we want ours!
Signed,
Bill LaBine
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:35 am
LS
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Lyle,
I fully concur with your letter to the President, Congress and Secretary Paulson. I fully support the government assitance for a loan to the auto industry. This industry is vital to the enhancement of our country’s auto technoloy, and the effort GM is undertaking to develop an electric car is admirable.
A US citizen,
Eli
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:36 am
For decades GM and the other big 3 have been in bed with big oil and produced nothing but gas guzzlers. They have made their bed, now they need to lay in it. I’d say “NO BAILOUT” except that King Paulsen has bailed out all his wall street pals with taxpayer money when they should have gone down the tubes for their greedy actions.
So now we are left with a bigger problem than allowing the big 3 to die because they refused to make fuel efficient cars. Let them die and 2.5million workers lose their jobs. Bail them out and reward irresponsible behavior.
I think the Chevy Volt is critical to removing our dependance on foreign oil and leading the world in ‘green’ technology, however I don’t agree with the principal of bailouts.
One solution would be for GM to splinter the Volt program into it’s own company (like Hummer) and for the taxpayers to INVEST in this company as voting stockholders. This would be a fair and responsible action.
We all know this is not what will happen. King Paulsen will spend more money bailing out the big 3 because he has the $ and there’s no oversight.
So GM/Ford/Dodge, just go cry to King Paulsen and he’ll give you more $. After all, what’s another hundred billion to him? He’s out of office in 60 days and won’t have to worry about the repercussions. You all will OWE him favors.
I say save the Volt, but do it responsibly. NO TO BAILOUTS!
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:37 am
We can’t allow any of our Big 3 auto manufacturers to go under. We’ve relied too long on the products provided from overseas companies and it has come back to bite us in the rear. The Volt should give us the ability to take back a part of the American pride in manufacturing and at the same time help to reduce our dependence on foreign energy. Allowing any of the Big 3 to falter would be bad for the consumer because fewer American products will require fewer American jobs and more of our financial assets will be funneled overseas to make up for the reduced competition here. I fully support the government’s move to save the auto industry but it should ultimately be paid back by these companies and not allow the tax payer to suffer the consequences in the long run.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:37 am
The technology in the volt is the right way to go. As much distaste as I have for this loan, please support the loan package to GM.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:37 am
I only buy GM vehicles. I am patiently waiting for my Volt. The talking heads want us glued to their info-tainment. Let’s keep the pressure on our government. It is time for our nation to be open minded, creative and on task. Best wishes!
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:37 am
As much as I want to see the Volt become a reality, I don’t share your support for a bail out of the big 3. Should GM faulter, it is their doing. For the past decade when the Japanese automakers have made progress, GM and Ford have used their money to fight progress by fighting legislation that would force all automakers to build more efficient cars. If we bail them out now, we would be forgiving them for refusing to build more fuel efficient vehicles. I cannot support that.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:38 am
RW
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:39 am
The US Big 3 have been generous to labor. The auto companies mangements for whatever reasons did not or could not change to compete with the imports after the oil shock of the 1970’s and they went in the direction of big SUV’s. Even when times were good the Big 3 did not make profits in line with the foreign auto companies and now with the terible auto market they are bleeding to death.
The government should step:
1. Make loans and grants to the auto industry.
2. Make a corporation income tax holiday for the auto industry for at least 5 years.
3. Renegotiate all labor contracts on behalf of the unions and the manufacturers to a fair and reasonable basis as exists in the non domestic manufacturing plants.
4. After the above 3 steps demand that the foreign producers in US give same benefits to their workers.
5. Imported autos should be subject to a normalization tax that goes into affect after 5 years based on comparison of US environmental and labor culture to the import country enviorment and labor culture with the tax bringing the import system up to or down to US basis.
Henry
4.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:40 am
DH
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Lyle, I concur.
Thank you for getting this started.
=D~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~NPNS Voltarian
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:41 am
I am an American citizen & fully agree with the content of this letter.
JV, Georgetown, TX
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:43 am
D.J.L.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:43 am
DS. I am a US citizen and I support the GM govt loans. Come on, congress is giving 700b to a bunch of crooked bankers. GM actually makes something and pays their workers good wages. My 2006 buick has been a great car.
Dave
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:44 am
KMH
I am an american citizen, and I approve this message!
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Don’t let this die as the japanese car makers are sure to bring their’s out first if the Volt goes away!
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:45 am
JLC
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:45 am
i think the auto industry needs all the help it can muster to change the way we move. a national/government mandate is exactly what’s needed. additionally, the government involvement would be essential in making the concept cars truly affordable. 25k to 30kis not really affordable. we need to be plugin/hybrid now. not tomorrow.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Good job Lyle! Keep up the advocacy to get the Volt built. While I am a big believer in free market theory, the big three have ignored the country’s need to break free of imported oil for far too long. The hopeful success of the Volt should lead to improvements in every other vehicle. (I long for the day when I can get the pickup truck that runs clean too.) That being said, I hope any aid is tied directly to furthering the goal of energy independence. I encourage Congress to act swiftly and with clear direction. (They should follow it up with infrastructure improvements making it economically feasible for mass distribution of alternative fuels.)
Keep up the good work.
-RSJ
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:46 am
We need to save the BIG 3 automakers! They are the backbone of our economy and our country! As for the volt, it is the flagship of future transportation…Save the VOLT! Save our JOBS.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:46 am
I support this initiative.
Sean O’Reilly
President & CEO
Auriga Distribution Group
Redbrazil.com
Riverinthesky.com
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:46 am
ALO
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:46 am
SGF.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Yes I support this! GM needs the money to revamp its business and survive
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:48 am
I am 100% opposed to the letter and any bailout of GM, Ford or CrapCo. Any “aid” that is given will be an open-ended commitment to the automakers that lasts years, if not decades. It will treat symptoms, not problems, and is an ineffective means of dealing with their problems.
Chapter 11 is the most effective means of assisting the automakers, even though they’ll fight it tooth and nail. If they had the foresight (which they don’t) to use it, they could streamline their dealer network, get out from under onerous health care, pension and wage rate commitments, close unprofitable divisions and get rid of some incompetent management, starting with Rick Wagoner.
If Detroit gets one dime of bailout money, I’ll never buy another car from any of the recipients.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:48 am
You know my family has really been hit hard the last few years with rising prices. We’ve barely been able to keep our head above water and it’s looking bleak. What about a bail out for me? If a private corp. cannot stay in business because it cannot afford to, then let the market decide……let’em go under. If I cannot keep up on all my payments then I’m in the dark, in the cold, no cable, and eventually no house. Government has NO business meddling in the affairs of private business!
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:49 am
The people deserve an affordable, reliable, green car. Let’s not let this effort die.
MHK
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:50 am
We Reap What We Sow (6:7-9)
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:50 am
RJB
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:50 am
I support saving GM and the Chevrolet Volt. This car represents the future of the automotive industry in the United States.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:50 am
I endorse this message and I am an American Citizen.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:51 am
Finally someone who makes some sense… SEE BELOW…
I would only add one thing. Bring back the same results you had with THE EV1. It got 150 MILES on a single CHARGE and that was 10 YEARS AGO. Part of the Bail out should be to hold the car to those standards… ENOUGH with the oil dependence!!!
SAVE THE reall electric car the EVolt1
Dear President Bush, Members of Congress, and Secretary Paulson:
I agree 100% with Lyle J. Dennis that your administration does its best to prevent the bankruptcy of GM, on its last days in Washington before the new administration assumes its position.
I also agree 100% with Secretary Paulson that any federal aid must be accompanied by a plan to put the ailing companies on a path toward long-term viability. I feel GM has that plan in their development and production intent for the Volt and E-Flex technology.
Here are a few conditions that should be considered until loan is repaid.
1. No “cash or stock” bonus or incentives pay for anyone working for GM.
2. No increase in Executive or Management headcount.
3. No salary increases.
4. Salary Cap. No salary over $100k/year for any Executive i.e. President, CEO, CFO, and VP’s.
5. Salary Cap. No salary over $65k/year for any Management and non-Management positions.
6. 80% of the loan is directly used to get the Volt, E-Flex & alternative fuel technology for sale in show rooms.
7. Discontinue production on the 10 least desirable vehicle models and replace with Volt, E-Flex & alternative fuel technology vehicles.
The Government is in the unique position to help these great companies get back in the black for the sake of the countries prosperity.
Thanks,
Nelson from the State of New Jersey
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:51 am
You people just don’t get it. GM does know it but will not tell you.
New car sales are down 7 million. Yes, 7 million less cars sold this year.
People are not buying new cars. People are keeping their older cars for longer periods. People cannot afford new cars. With little equity or no equity in their homes; banks will not finance new car loans.
GM has to RESTRUCTURE. Every car company has to restructure. If it means Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to fix their problems. So be it.
GM has to trim the fat. Sell the dealerships that are not profitable, kill half of their production of cars because PEOPLE ARE NOT BUYING. Trim the salaries like all companies do that are losing money. Re-negotiate every employment contract. All this can be done under bankruptcy protection. This doesn’t mean the death of GM. It means FIXING GM. It means GM will become smaller, leaner, stronger and eventually profitable again in quick order. Bailing out GM will just prolong a slow death because I will say again… People are not buying new cars! GM will continue to burn through 7 billion or more a quarter and all the bailout money will be gone within 1 year.
Every American is expected to watch their own finances. People have to learn to live with less money. GM should be expected to do the same. This didn’t happen over night. GM has seen the numbers for the last couple of years.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:52 am
jb
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Bail-out is not the solution. GM has a team of failed management team leading the company to the dead end. Adding another team of rarely successful government bureaucrats in doing business will result in nothing. I think GM should split up and let the dead business units fail and sell off the asset, then fund the hopeful operation, Volt included, if they truly believe it. If they are half ass about Volt, it is not going to be a good car either. Moreover, Energy department is quietly supplying 25B (yes, B for Billion!!!) to the auto industry already. (It is not part of 700 billion bail-out passed in the Finance department.) I am certain Volt can tap very much into that fund.
No, I do not support the bailout of a dinosaur company and waste resource to put it on life support for a limited time. When it is aged, it is destined to die. It is just matter of time. The bailout money will just be used to extend management salary payout. This is not the first time we face this situation.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:52 am
PK
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:52 am
I absolutely agree. Everyone that lives in this country owes GM and the other auto companies money when they post losses. Of course that doesn’t work the other way around… but no matter. Because they need it, we taxpayers should give it. That’s a great model for legislating income redistribution, eh?
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Please save the Chevy Volt and not let our auto industry go in default. If you let Toyota, Honda lead the way in alternative fuel autos you will put the US in a national security risk position. Do want our military to rely on Toyota for auto parts? Would you like HUMMER PARTS MADE IN CHINA!!!? We are not Americans if we let other countries buy our country away from us. I am proud to be an American and US Army Veteran and it would be awfully nice if I could work for an American company in my own country!!!
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:53 am
I’m not a bailout fan. I was especially miffed at the bank bailouts. Now we all (US Taxpayer) own a bunch of banks with no assets.Nice.
If we are going to buy anything, let’s cherry pick what we want. Buy profitable businesses. Buy parts you like. Buy Jeep from Chrystler. Buy up the Volt tech. Buy a truck company.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:53 am
I just returned from a trip to Italy where I noticed their cars were powered with small super high efficient clean diesels engines with almost double the fuel mileage of the Prius some of these cars were made by the big 3 in US. They allready know how to make them so let then fail if they refuse to sell them here.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:53 am
We have a conundrum. On one hand GM has consistently ignored emerging trends to focus on profits, shareholders and executives. On the other hand, they are making a valiant attempt to (finally) be environmentally responsible (albeit 2 years from now….) Fuel prices will soar, this car is needed in some shape or form…. but is the proper management in place to make it happen, bailout or not?
I strongly support the Volt, but I’m having a harder time supporting the subsidizing of an industry that turns a blind eye to the world until it wants money from us. Temper your arrogance, cut your management salaries and bonuses and maybe I’ll feel differently.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:53 am
I support this message.
JH
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:53 am
LET GM DIE- YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE! I’LL BUY ANOTHER TOYOTA – YOU HAVE LET ME DOWN!
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:53 am
As a citizen of the United States of America, I fully support this letter. The Chevy Volt is the most sensible project to come out of Detroit in a long time and should be supported by us all.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:54 am
I wish it was a level playing field for our industries but it isn’t.
While I do not support Government bailouts I support our need to maintain our industrial base more.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:54 am
MRL
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:54 am
I endorse the message and I am proud to be an American!
JAB.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:55 am
SW!!
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:55 am
AJB
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Great letter! Our economy cannot afford for the big three auto manufacturers to go under. Let’s hope and pray that the government will find a way to support this industry until it can get back on its own “two feet”. – VE
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:56 am
As a citizen of the United States, I fully support this letter. The Chevy Volt is the most imaginative project to come out of Detroit in a very long time and deserves more recognition than it has received.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:56 am
I support this letter to our nation’s leaders. GM, as well as Ford and Chrysler, need the money help keep the U.S.A.’s automotive industries afloat..
CJS
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:56 am
We need the volt.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:57 am
I think they need a bailout and that bailout is “Bankruptcy” go visit there and reorganize and take the time to fix what is wrong with your company.
I am buying a Toyota or Honda there cars have a better track record than GM and Ford. Although they are not without their faults.
1) Big deal an electric car wow not new idea.
2) Stop pandering to the unions, you pay them will let them fund their own retirement it called SS.
3) Health care your on your own.
4) The unions must go they are a destructive means to control the companies profits.
5) You make shitty cars.
6) Your dealers are a bunch of rippoffs the whole lot of them.
7) How many people were maimed and killed using your product.
10) If you don’t reorganize you are just prolonging the obvious death of GM.
And by the way make sure when you do this take a big pay cut.
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:57 am
cml
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November 14th, 2008 at 10:59 am