A letter to Michael Moore

[DainBramaged]

Dear Mr. Moore:

Let me start by stating upfront that I'm a lifelong Michigander and a contract employee of General Motors. I should also add that, unlike many at GM, I have long been a fan of your work, the work of a man I had considered to be about truth, and truth-telling, even when it hurts, and hurts so bad it's funny in a pathetic sort of way.
On "Larry King Live" last week, you didn't tell the truth, and it left me flabbergasted. In your defense, I think you did it out of ignorance, not malice. But it was an untruth nonetheless, and one that will have very damaging ramifications for Detroit and for the nation.

When is the last time you were in a showroom of new GM products? Or Ford or Chrysler for that matter? I'd guess years, if not decades. And yet, you felt comfortable going on CNN and disparaging the current roster of cars and trucks from GM, calling them "crap," "the wrong vehicles," and implying that they're the same old garbage that no one wants to buy!

It was hugely irresponsible and couldn't have come at a worse time for our home state.

Yes, many of the products of the past were in fact garbage. I was a journalist for AutoWeek magazine through most of the '90s, and I drove every car and truck from every manufacturer on the planet, and the GM products were, with the exception of the Corvette, largely lousy.

However, Mr. Moore, this is 2008. Have you been in a new Chevrolet Malibu? It's better than anything Toyota or Honda has, gets better mileage, won North American Car of the Year, and is built by the UAW in America. Have you seen the Buick Enclave? Gotta be the best-looking crossover on the market, is selling like crazy, even though "no one" wants GM products, and is built by the UAW in Lansing. Have you driven a Cadillac CTS-V? Even the highly discriminating German press says it's the best-performing luxury sports sedan on the global market today. It's built by the UAW in Lansing.

The point is, whether you care to admit it or not, right now GM's product house is IN ORDER. It has the best lineup of cars and trucks, top to bottom, it has ever had. Honest to God. The influential automotive press, across the country and around the world, has realized it, and it is only a matter of time until the public does as well. The newest models had been selling well, and the restructuring already under way had been taking hold, and Wall Street had noticed. The stock price was $43 just a year ago. That's a sure sign that Wall Street approved of the changes in progress.

Then the credit market collapsed, and GM could get no financing to continue business, and most of its customers could get no loans to buy vehicles. And that is where things stand now.

Is the weak balance sheet at GM as compared to Toyota and others the fault of past mismanagement, poor products and legacy burdens, and at least partially self-inflicted? You betcha, as the governor of Alaska might say. Absolutely. The company, with an assist from the federal government (national health care, anyone?), bears some of the blame for putting itself in this precarious position. Is it to blame for the catastrophic events of THIS year? No. Wall Street is, and it's getting $700 billion in handouts, no questions asked. Wall Street executives flew down there in their own jets to get it and no one batted an eye.

Now the auto industry is in D.C., with its collective hand out, asking for a pittance by comparison -- $25 billion, in LOANS, not bailout money -- and getting hammered left and right and criticized on national TV because of it.

Your irresponsible comments will only fuel the fires of hatred that burn for the Big 3 and for Detroit. And since we all know that politicians don't put cream in their coffee without first consulting the polls, we know how this is going to go down. America doesn't want to lend money to the auto industry, so Congress won't. And we'll all go down in flames here in Michigan. The UAW you claim to support so strongly will be SOL. Downtown Detroit, which has worked so hard at coming back, will be a literal ghost town, instead of the after-5 p.m. ghost town it largely is now. Restaurants, salons, shops, everything in southeast Michigan will close, and the ripple effect will begin, and spread across America, and it will be horrific. I don't see how to avoid it, if we don't get this bridge loan.

But I know what I'd like to see, and that is for you to go on TV or write a blog or say something somewhere that indicates you've seen GM's new vehicles. Test drive a Cadillac CTS and tell the UAW workers in Lansing what you think of the vehicle they work so hard to build. It may be the last one they get a chance to make.

It's that bad. And for the life of me, I can't figure out why the rest of America is so indifferent to the fate of our home state. Drop dead, they are telling us. Do you have any idea why? This isn't about helping the three CEOs you saw sitting on the witness bench on Capitol Hill; this is about keeping this region -- and ultimately this nation --from economic apocalypse.

I apologize for the long letter. This is fairly important stuff. The city and state I love are on the brink of becoming a wasteland. America can help us, but doesn't want to and doesn't care. Any idea how that feels?

Sincerely,

John

John Cortez is a former reporter for AutoWeek, a sister publication of Automotive News. He now is vice president of executive communications for Hass MS&L Public Relations, which does contract work for General Motors.

http://www.autonews.com/article/20081124/ANA03/811240278

[glowing]

1. I think Moore did his bit because he wants some of theses companies to

begin producing mass transit. AND I'm assuming that all of them or at least one of them will switch to the transportation needs of the future. In the meantime, we must build the track to allow for the train. I'm also assuming "in town" transit like buses and trolly systems will also be in demand. I'm assuming the buses and trolly systems will be required to be "greener". However the systems need to be built in order for these companies to switch over. Also, it would be nice if the "American" car companies supported the entire car as "American". As it is now, some of the parts are coming from other countries. That in turn put people out of a job.

The car companies must realize that they are in the transportation business. This means providing services to move people around. Our govt officials have been lobbied into making Americans commute by car. Most families have 2 cars, and if they have kids over 16 a car for each of them. I understand keeping people in vehicles is good for the oil business, roads/ bridges business, parts business, insurance business, tax business (% on transaction + fees for registration, etc.. In SC, a car was deemed property, and property tax has to be paid every year on the car). With so many hands in the till on car ownership, its no wonder mass transit systems have been stymied for so many years. We're 20yrs behind the rest of the world.

In order to unwind ourselves from the car as means of mass transit, we must first fund roads/ bridges by another means than taxing gas. Second, get the greedy ins. companies away from the table. 2nd provide grants and incentives for states to "go green". AND provide a way for American car companies to create the products of mass transit.. like the trains, trollies, buses, etc. AND make city planning more user friendly for walkers, bikers, and public transportation. It would help cut down on the number of deaths per year by car. It would cut down on drunk driving if people had alternative means of getting home at the end of the night. It would cut down on the cost of insurance for a family unit (savings people desperately need) and cut down on the costs of a family vehicle costs. It would also lead consumers to make a better decision about the quality of that family car. The comforts, the mpg or electric or whatever, the safety, the size. This would probably mean more people are willing to pay a little bit more for their family vehicle because they would only have 1 for the family trips.. Or perhaps we would look more like Europeans, buying a box for a trip into the country?

[DainBramaged]

2. Michael Moore did more harm than good with his statements, and if anyone thinks GM would

give his thoughts a second of consideration, my eyes just turned blue.

[MindPilot]

3. Umm aren't they already in the transportation industry?

All the big three have subsidiaries that build trucks, busses, construction equipment, locomotives, stationary engines, marine power plants, etc, etc. Or have they all sold all of that stuff off?

[glowing]

5. Yes, but there hasn't been a lot of incentive for states to go green or provide

mass transit. They make a lot of money in the process of getting more people buying cars. As of now, I don't see enough high-speed trains along the east coast... which is really needed.

AND in a depression/ recession whatever you want to call it, who's buying? Some are, but less are willing to go in on a 5yr loan when they are unsure financially. I've got 3 yrs left on one vehicle and hopefully 2months on anoher (I'm hoping to pay it off after I get my taxes back). Theoretically, I would take the paid off one and sell or trade in for a newer vehicle. Its a 2001 ford mustang. Not the most efficient and not the newest car. But we won't. Not now. We'll take the extra money from the payment and begin paying off credit cards and trying to create a savings that allows us a little peace of mind. Many are prioritizing their lives. My family has been more into giving than rampant consumerism. This year it feels wrong to just trade back and forth junk. People got things they need, and donations to charities in people's names. We've really re-evaluated the idea of need and want. While I don't want to see the people in stores without jobs or big empty malls sitting un-used, its just not sustainable. Creating things, community involvement, time with family and friends, and the beauty of simplicity seem to be a direction many are actively pursuing.

[MindPilot]

4. Just curious DB, What do you do for GM?

Absolutely no snark intended...that is a genuinely sincere question.
thanks!