I think it would make greater sense for GM and Ford to simply get

[KlatooBNikto]

out of the automotive business and sell their assets to the Chinese or Koreans or the Japanese so the jobs of the people can be preserved before it is too late.The managements of both companies have proven that they do not have the savvy to cut the mustard in the changed automotive world of today. Continuing the travesty of their business will prolong the spiral of disaster that awaits these companies.It is far more important to preserve the jobs of the people than to let the big wigs rip the companies off further with their bloated salaries and stock options.

[madrchsod]

1. gm and ford own parts of just about

all the other car companies in the world. the big problem is the american consumer- we demanded suv`s,big trucks,huge cars to haul our asses around. these companies built what "we" demanded and they complied. didn`t matter to the usa consumer, they still bought what ever gm and ford built. i don`t feel sorry for them at all or the suv owners who are going to be stuck with huge repair bills on the crap they bought or the realization that that thing they paid for is worth 10 cents on the dollar when they try to unload suv`s,etc,because of 3 dollar gas.
gm and ford build some really good cars-in other countries.

[TwilightZone]

2. "so the jobs of the people can be preserved"

I wouldn't hold your breath. Many of those jobs would be eliminated in an attempt to improve efficiency, and good luck enforcing union rules on wages and benefits if the ownership moves out of the country.

[Deja Q]

3. All the mfg jobs are in Mexico or elsewhere anyway.

[TwilightZone]

4. Uh, no.

A great deal of Ford's manufacturing is still performed in Detroit, Chicago, and other US cities. Tens of thousands of jobs, in fact.

In addition, many of their suppliers - who also employ thousands of people - are located in the US.

Edit: typo

[KlatooBNikto]

5. If you look at Honda and Toyota, many of their manufacturing actvity

is concentrated in this country.In that sense they are more American than GM and Ford.

[TwilightZone]

6. More accurately, some of their production for US vehicles is here.

Production of vehicles for most of the rest of the world, however, is in Japan.

In addition, even those vehicles built by Honda & Toyota in the US are often comprised of parts supplied by Japanese or other foreign suppliers.

Sorry, but they certainly are not "more American" than GM or Ford. In any sense.

[indepat]

7. Worked for GM during most of the '60 when stock was in the $50-range:

if it has split only once as I seem recall, that $50 would have grown to the mid-$50s in only 35+ years, but of course GM has usually paid good dividends, so not all has been lost for the small shareholder.

[CoffeeAnnan]

8. Those kinds of gains are going to be hard to come by in the future.

According to NYT, there is now a worldwide glut of 36 million cars and it is going to get worse as China and India enter the market.I can visualize the day when $10,000 autos from these countries are sold at Wal-Mart.

[indepat]

9. Addennum: just reviewed the GM chart back to 1970 when GM traded higher

during that year than today's price. I recall hearing an official say "get them out on the street and we'll fix 'em later." Maybe that mindset and strategy were not well received in the long run.

[hickman1937]

10. I'm a ford worker leased to Visteon. the writing is on the wall.

Wall street will not stand for parts workers making a living wage when there is so much cheap labor out there. These jobs are going, along with my loyalty to any car co. Companies move their manufacturing to slave wage markets, who can't afford to buy the product, and dump the product into established markets(USA). I'm starting to look into mass transit activism.

[CoffeeAnnan]

11. Depending on your age, it can be a good or bad move.If you are young,

good.If you are well past your 50's, bad.

[hickman1937]

12. I'm 50. Why do I need to be young to start pushing for

a return to mass transit?:shrug: