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  • lockie1
  • 1 Comment

  Nov 23 11:12 AM
  When I don't make a sale, I don't eat, makes me work harder. These days kids get passed on up a grade even when they don't earn the right, so this could well be an extension of the general public's acceptance of getting a pass even when you fail. Let's go back to higher standards and start by removing these failed leaders right away, and then when kids don't earn the right to pass, they need to get out the way of those who work harder.

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  • Dirtt
  • 27 Comments

  Nov 23 11:18 AM
  Well yes.
  
  Leaving out the UAW "leadership" in this discussion is a mistake. Why is it so un-American to verbally slam the unions? Union workers getting paid $31 per hour to play crossword puzzles at so called 'job banks' is a revelation too sick to stomach.
  
  We need America to make cars like we need unemployed inner city janitors to buy and get cash out of a house - another brainchild of Congressional "leadership."...
  
  And it is the same "leadership" that is empowered to "fix" the economy. WTF. If we don't FIX the LEADERSHIP inside the beltway by 2010 then the part of America that is drowning in her own greed will pull the rest of us down under by our toes.
  
  Polygraphs For Politicians Act of 2009. Anyone else willing to sign that into law?

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  • Jeff21
  • 1 Comment

  Nov 23 11:26 AM
  Dear Joe,
  
  The economic environment in which the Big Three finds itself today has nothing to do with the one Cisco Systems was in 2002. The situation is so much different in terms of so many aspects. Your analysis is very poor.
  For sure, since that was my first visit, I can guarantee you that I won't lose any more of my time on this site.
  Good luck.
  
  Jeff

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  • Jags
  • 1 Comment

  Nov 23 12:32 PM
  Infact in these difficult times, across the board all executive management of companies in dire straits should follow john chambers path. But unfortunately the solution being proposed is job cuts, salary freeze for the hard working employees especially at the bottom of the organisation [salary hike for many of whom will cost less than the amount spent by executives on dinners to work out the way forward strategies]. Few of the possible org's that need to consider this way forward is GM, and Nortel.

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  • TB3
  • 13 Comments

  Nov 23 12:54 PM
  Another absolutely inane article from the Seeking Alpha group of "analysts". The only inteligent thing in the article was his admission that he "don't know much about the auto industry". Come to think of it, even that was wrong. He doesn't know ANYTHING about the auto industry. Way to go Seeking Alpha.

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  • ANDY K
  • 2 Comments

  Nov 23 05:08 PM
  If workinfg cheap for GM is THE criteria according to Mr Panettieri, then I;ll take it fo $0.75 (75 cents).
  Joe- You're an idiot - - Chrysler brought in a guy from Home Depot and you see how well he's doing. Yeah, Rick's not the greatest, but you can't switch to some unknown in the middle of this crisis and hope he doesn't blow it up totally.
  By the way, why doesn''t Chris Dodd take the GM job for a $1.00?. Better, yet, why doesn't he reduce his present salary to $1.00 since the government is in worse shape financially than GM?

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  • Sboogie
  • 1 Comment

  Nov 23 08:24 PM
  Actually his analysis is quite right! For those of you that know Cisco, Chambers, and what they do and did in the Tech sector, its really quite amazing. Its all about Innovation and change. They do it everyday and continue to stay two steps ahead of the curve. Read or view "Dealing w/ Darwin" by Geoffrey A. Moore, to better understand how Cisco does what it does. It's a machine, a well oiled, open marketing machine. To say that it has nothing to do with the "Auto Makers" is limited vision, and looking at it in a very narrow way. There day's we must look to be creative and look to change and listen to our clients. For Example: Toyota started the "Alternative car quest" almost nine years ago now... GM, just getting into the game. A more of a reactive stands. They really need a good shake up and I for one am for change and in a big way. Chapter 11 NOT 7 may be the way to go and new leadership?
  
  

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  • DownUnder
  • 1 Comment

  Nov 24 02:08 AM
  
  
  Totally missing the point. The point isn't about the comparability of the tech and auto industries 8 years apart. It's about ethics and leadership. The car makers are a disgrace, at a human level. This isn't about business. it's about earning the moral right to exercise the kind of influence they do and to get paid the absurd amounts they claim. Basically a corporate version of the robber baron.
  Jeff clearly didn't understand the deeper point being made. His absence from this site is unlikely to be noticed or missed.
  On Nov 23 11:26 AM Jeff21 wrote:
  
  > Dear Joe,
  >
  > The economic environment in which the Big Three finds itself today
  > has nothing to do with the one Cisco Systems was in 2002. The situation
  > is so much different in terms of so many aspects. Your analysis is
  > very poor.
  > For sure, since that was my first visit, I can guarantee you that
  > I won't lose any more of my time on this site.
  > Good luck.
  >
  > Jeff

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  • Blackfoot
  • 1 Comment

  Nov 28 10:51 AM
  > Jeff clearly didn't understand the deeper point being made. His
  > absence from this site is unlikely to be noticed or missed.
  
  Agreed

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  • Bones Soup
  • 1 Comment

  Dec 02 06:35 PM
  The fact of the matter is that the US companies have been making fuel efficient cars for quite some time now. Were they late in doing so? Yes, they were, but the fact is that GM makes more models now that achieve 30 MPG than Toyota, Nissan, and Honda combined!
  The problem is the public doesn't understand this and the US companies have done a very poor job in communicating this fact. They have also focused on trucks and SUVs because they were far more profitable and there was substantial demand from the American consumer. The bottom line is that the US companies could not be profitable just selling smaller, energy efficient automobiles because of the legacy costs they must bear. There is approximately an $1,800 per car premium in cost due to the union contracts and healthcare costs for retirees. The "jobsbank" is a perfect example of how it has come that the US companies cannot compete with transplant manufacturers.
  
  The ironic thing is that the majority of the foreign companies who now manufacture in the US do so as a result of taxpayer funded sweetheart deals in the southern US where there is little if no union activity. Hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks and local support from South Carolina, Alabama, and other southern states that has created an incredibly unlevel playing field. You are absolutely incorrect in saying the US companies have "dragged their heels". You also mention "real consequences" for the management of the US companies, but that would require going back to the management during the 1980's when many of the ridiculous giveways in the union contracts occurred. Every 3 years the UAW was successful in winning additional concessions and benefits that no company could endure over the long haul.
  
  In summation, I agree with you that significant restructuring should occur in order for the US companies to qualify for the loans they are asking for. Step one would be to eliminate the jobsbank which pays workers to NOT work. The 2nd thing would be to drastically reduce the healthcare cost burden for retirees. Then the hourly wage gap between UAW workers and every other auto company workers needs to be drastically reduced. Only then can we view the loans from the federal government as being a sound investment. The fact is that GM and Ford now build vehicles that exceed ALL of the import manufacturers in initial quality and the styling and technology is on a par with the imports as well. It would be nice to see you and other Senators take a leadership role in helping the US companies re-engineer their businesses for long term survival and success.
  

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