Comments on: Send Me Your Questions!

By: Diane

Diane — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:03:31 +0000

I agree that the biggest reason the US automakers are a mess is because of the unions. The only people that are for the unions are the people in the unions. Everyone else thinks their day has come – and gone. However, the entire problem is not because of the unions. For one thing, nobody could foresee gas prices going up to over $4 per gallon (however; GM makes more cars that get 30mpg than Toyota and Honda combined). Before gas prices spiked, a Hummer dealership, just outside Flint, Michigan was selling between 120 -140 Hummers a month. In FLINT. They are the #1 dealership in the world… in FLINT! This past week, a couple was in that same dealership (which now is a Hummer and Cadillac dealership) and got turned down for credit. Their credit scores were 819 and 827. Their debt to income was low. The reason for the turn down? They had always paid cash for cars and didn’t have a history of making car payments. The couple still got the car – they paid cash… in FLINT! The banks and home lenders are the biggest culprits – they got us into this mess and now they’re getting bailed out. The automakers are suffering for many reasons but one of the reasons is because of the banks. We need to help the US automakers but a condition should be to get rid of the union. If we don’t help them our economy will take decades to recover. The people in this country who are in trouble are those that overextended themselves. Let’s face it, if you make $60,000/year you shouldn’t be buying a $400,000 house. You shouldn’t need a bank to tell you you can’t afford it.

By: Barney

Barney — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:58:51 +0000

Two words will describe the problems of the big bankers and insurance companies!! Incompetence and greed!! Why do we cheerfully give not one, but two or three bailouts to the white-collar crowd for their total mismanagement, while making so much fuss about helping out the automobile companies and their suppliers, which would throw many more people out of jobs. We should go after the executives who wrecked their companies while collecting huge salaries and bonus pay, instead of trashing the people who were actually working in the auto industries. One wonders if this is just another example of crony payoffs, which has become common in recent years.

By: otto

otto — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:28:34 +0000

One word will describe the Big 3’s problems!! Unions! Otto

By: otto

otto — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:26:38 +0000

One word will describe the problem! UNIONS!!!! Otto.

By: Andrew J Batz

Andrew J Batz — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:30:07 +0000

. Please tell the truth, Bill Clinton signed free trade with China in 1999 and the Big Three send all the US jobs over seas. That’s what started this whole mess, our Economy is gone now. Please check for yourself and you will see between Bill C, Barry Frank (Bad Mortgages) and the Big Three they have brought our Country to its knees. When I listen to the Congress and the reporters talk about how many jobs are connected to the automotive Industry and they get it wrong, that scares the hell out of me. These are the people we have in charge of our Country??????? They don’t understand what would happened if one of the Car companies fail. Can you say Depression?
Its not that they where not making cars we didn’t like, it’s not because of oil prices!!!! Please check the facts, I read the comments and see the same thing over and over. Before you can fix a problem you must understand what the problem is. We where sold out and it needs to be fixed now.

By: Stan Hamilton

Stan Hamilton — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:54:05 +0000

I wonder why you did not challenge Senator Shelby on his comment that he was not knowledgeable in the auto making business, yet he said all the US auto maker managers should be fired. If he is not knowledgeable, how does he know that?

Actually, what I think is he see’s big benefits for his state if the Big 3 fail in Detroit.

By: Kathy Campbell

Kathy Campbell — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:16:07 +0000

My Father and husband worked for the steel industry years ago. Both of which were out of work for a long period of time and ended up moving on. The steel industry was never bailed out and that industry ended up being just a fraction of what they were. No one stepped in to make sure my husband and father kept their jobs. How is the big 3 bailout different?

By: Glenn

Glenn — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:25:07 +0000

What will the hourly rates be for the next three years? In listening to the Big Three CEO’s they said they will be competitive once the new union contracts go into effect. I was glad to see the current costs, but I am even more interested in their future rates. It will also be interesting to see how much truth there is in the CEO’s words regarding this subject.

By: Chris L

Chris L — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:07:25 +0000

I was laid off on January 1, 2008, just when thing were starting to go south. Each month that passes, the situation has just gotten worse. My 401K plan has been depleated, my unemployment bebefits have run out, my credit card companies are raising my rates and I have been through my savings just to survive. Where is our bailout? The senate has a bill before them to extend unemployment benefits passed by the house already. Instead, we are spending time on committee announcements and the big three automakers. where do people such as myself go? Unfortunately I have 9 years until retirement. The job market is so overloaded with applicants that recruiters don’t even get back to you.

By: t mcgrane

t mcgrane — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:41:23 +0000

any suggestion where i can invest beside the US.