Obama warns auto companies.

[Andy]

But Obama is warning auto companies that "the American people's patience is running out." He says the automakers should "seize on this opportunity" to come up with a plan to make their companies sustainable.

I had to laugh at this. People have asked why I think Obama is an idiot. My favorite answer is the whole national energy policy of "inflate your tires". But there are dozens of other ones, and here's just yet another example of idiocy that is Obama.

Here we have three major auto manufactures which are facing bankruptcy, and Obama's action is to... basically... threaten them! Why yes! Why didn't I come up with this before! We should just THREATEN them into profitability! It's oh so clear now! We can just intimidate them back into the budgetary black!

"Oh, so you are going broke are you? So you're running out cash huh? Well I'm warning you, darn it!! You had better seize the opportunity... or else!!!"

or else... what?

"Well... um... or else you'll go bankrupt... yeah..."

Oh yes, I can see it will be a fun 4 years of unending stupidity. He's not even in office, and I already have a list of Bailout-Barack Overspend-Obama quotes.

 

[GenSeneca]

The real kicker.... Washington needs to be given the same ultimatum: Make government sustainable or else. Of course... everyone seems to be fine with government being completely irresponsible and totally unaccountable.... so long as they can blame it on the other party and/or get a check from uncle Sam... while he's handing out the cash.

 

[Mare Tranquillity]

The real kicker.... Washington needs to be given the same ultimatum: Make government sustainable or else. Of course... everyone seems to be fine with government being completely irresponsible and totally unaccountable.... so long as they can blame it on the other party and/or get a check from uncle Sam... while he's handing out the cash.

Well, I gotta tell ya', my bailout check has not arrived yet. I'm with John Hightower, "If God wanted us to vote, He would have given us candidates."

 

[Andy]

The real kicker.... Washington needs to be given the same ultimatum: Make government sustainable or else. Of course... everyone seems to be fine with government being completely irresponsible and totally unaccountable.... so long as they can blame it on the other party and/or get a check from uncle Sam... while he's handing out the cash.

I was going to say, those people who have no invested interest in America, because they live and exist off of the public dole, have no interest in having a fiscally responsible government. Far from it. As long as they get whatever they want, whether it be food stamps, public housing, welfare, unemployment, Medicare and Medicaid, or even Health Care and energy subsidies, the rest of the nation can crash. Show me the money, is the motto of too many Americans.

But we might have a big lesson coming up pretty soon. With our government so broke that they are simply printing out the cash, soon inflation will wipe out all those government programs. Perhaps we'll be burning money to heat our homes because it's cheaper than Gas, like Germany after WW1

This German women is burning her money, because it's cheaper to burn the cash, than it is to buy wood with it.

 

[Pandora]

​

I had to laugh at this. People have asked why I think Obama is an idiot. My favorite answer is the whole national energy policy of "inflate your tires". But there are dozens of other ones, and here's just yet another example of idiocy that is Obama.

Here we have three major auto manufactures which are facing bankruptcy, and Obama's action is to... basically... threaten them! Why yes! Why didn't I come up with this before! We should just THREATEN them into profitability! It's oh so clear now! We can just intimidate them back into the budgetary black!

"Oh, so you are going broke are you? So you're running out cash huh? Well I'm warning you, darn it!! You had better seize the opportunity... or else!!!"

or else... what?

"Well... um... or else you'll go bankrupt... yeah..."

Oh yes, I can see it will be a fun 4 years of unending stupidity. He's not even in office, and I already have a list of Bailout-Barack Overspend-Obama quotes.

I saw an ad on TV the other day, though Obamas name never came up his energy policy did

the ad was telling us to lower our thermostats and inflate our tires and turn the lights out when we leave a room so we can save 33 % on energy

it was basicly his talking points with out his mug

 

[Mr. Shaman]

I had to laugh at this. People have asked why I think Obama is an idiot. My favorite answer is the whole national energy policy of "inflate your tires".

Lemme guess.....you're (either) too-young, to drive....or, you're mechanically-ignorant, right?

Here's an analogy, for you: Try pushing a wheelbarrow...with some serious-weight, in it, with a flat-tire. Then, pump-up that tire, 'til it's hard-as-a-rock. Guess which scenerio offers the least resistance....if you can.

But there are dozens of other ones, and here's just yet another example of idiocy that is Obama.

Here we have three major auto manufactures which are facing bankruptcy, and Obama's action is to... basically... threaten them! Why yes! Why didn't I come up with this before! We should just THREATEN them into profitability! It's oh so clear now! We can just intimidate them back into the budgetary black!

"Oh, so you are going broke are you? So you're running out cash huh? Well I'm warning you, darn it!! You had better seize the opportunity... or else!!!"

Yeah.....ya' wouldn't catch "conservatives" insisting on any (such) accountability from their buds in the banking-industry!!

"The Treasury's said its objective was to stabilise the financial system and increase the flow of funds for lending.

But the GAO report says that the Treasury "has no policies or procedures in place for ensuring the institutions... are using the capital investments in a manner that helps meet the purposes of the act."​

As usual, the Bush Bank-Bailout was monitored as accurately as the contractor-payments, in Iraq!!​

 

[Mr. Shaman]

I was going to say, those people who have no invested interest in America, because they live and exist off of the public dole, have no interest in having a fiscally responsible government. Far from it. As long as they get whatever they want, whether it be food stamps, public housing, welfare, unemployment, Medicare and Medicaid, or even Health Care and energy subsidies, the rest of the nation can crash. Show me the money, is the motto of too many Americans.

Yeah....especially for those folks who could have financially-supported BUSHCO's War-For-Oil.....but, preferred their cash be spent on multiple vacation-homes.

"On the very day that Bush launched the Saddam takeout attempt, Republican members of Congress quietly indicated that work would progress without interruption on the administration's $1. 3 trillion tax-cut. In short, the Republican ideology that is so avidly espoused by the Bush team--lessen the tax burden of the rich and starve government down to size--is cruising along through totally untroubled waters."​

 

[Mr. Shaman]

I saw an ad on TV the other day, though Obamas name never came up his energy policy did

the ad was telling us to lower our thermostats and inflate our tires and turn the lights out when we leave a room so we can save 33 % on energy

it was basicly his talking points with out his mug

Gee.....making ourselves less-dependent on Middle East oil, through shared-sacrifice; whatta tragedy.

It made so-much-more sense fighting-terrorism by buying-more-STUFF, right? ​

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Show me the money, is the motto of too many Americans.

Especially the ones getting The Bail-Out!!!!!!!!!!!!!​

"It's something any bank would demand to know before handing out a loan: Where's the money going?

But after receiving billions in aid from U.S. taxpayers, the nation's largest banks say they can't track exactly how they're spending the money or they simply refuse to discuss it."​

It's different, for the banks.....right? ​

 

[PLC1]

OMG! Obama, the same nut who thinks that properly inflating tires can save gasoline (everyone knows that running tires half flat is a super idea, you know) has warned the auto industry that they have to come up with a plan to make their companies sustainable, or the government won't keep bailing them out. Darned liberals, anyway, where do they get this stuff? Every true conservative knows that the government has an unlimited supply of money to keep bailing out unprofitable businesses.

On the other hand, Genseca's observation:

Washington needs to be given the same ultimatum: Make government sustainable or else.

is right on target.

Maybe, just maybe, there is a connection here: If the auto industry has to become self sustaining, then government subsidies to them would be one less drain on the taxpayer dollars.

Perhaps, the same could be said for agribusiness and pharmaceuticals, but, then, that's another story.

Both the industry and the government need to get their fiscal houses in order. I see no indication that the government is likely to do so any time in the near future, as fiscal conservatives, you know, the real conservatives who believe in limited government and fiscal responsibility, are about as abundant in Washington as the ivory billed woodpecker. We had none of them running in '08, so the continued policy of deficit spending that became so popular during the so called "conservative" administration we just suffered through, is not likely to be a part of the "change" we've heard so much about.

 

[Andy]

Lemme guess.....you're (either) too-young, to drive....or, you're mechanically-ignorant, right?

Here's an analogy, for you: Try pushing a wheelbarrow...with some serious-weight, in it, with a flat-tire. Then, pump-up that tire, 'til it's hard-as-a-rock. Guess which scenerio offers the least resistance....if you can.

Here's a hint Shaman. If you can find it in the back of your cars owners manual.... psst... it's not a national energy policy. If it's done at jiffy lube for $15 bucks automatically... psst... it's not a national energy policy! If it can be founds on a hundred different web sites, magazines, news papers, for the past 50 years... duh... it's not a national energy policy!!

A good president doesn't come up with national policies by reading gas savings tips found everywhere. I can read the back of my cars owners manual myself, thank you very much. Perhaps liberals can not, and that is why Obama is amazing to them.

Yeah.....ya' wouldn't catch "conservatives" insisting on any (such) accountability from their buds in the banking-industry!!

So to you, "insisting on accountability" is to threaten a near bankrupt company with... going bankrupt? Oh yeah, how scary. I'm sure the CEOs are shaking all over with fright. Before they were only going bankrupt. Now they might... what? Go bankrupt even more? Oh yes, another brilliant Obama policy.

As usual, the Bush Bank-Bailout was monitored as accurately as the contractor-payments, in Iraq!!​

It was written by your democrats, passed by your democrats, championed by your democrats, and supported by Bailout Barack.

Obama said the $700 billion bailout bill passed by the U.S. Congress had helped stem the financial crisis, even though the $300 billion already spent may not have had visibly positive effects.

"I think ... part of the way to think about it is things could be worse. I mean, we could have seen a lot more bank failures over the last several months," he said.

What a joke... things could have been worse! Yeah, CEO bankers not running off with our tax money would have been horribly worse.

Is it tough to be an Obama supporter when he keeps supporting the things you keep complaining about?

Oh by the way, I never supported Bush on the bailout ever. I was against it from the start, and remain so now. So the reverse is not true for me.

 

[pocketfullofshells]

​

I had to laugh at this. People have asked why I think Obama is an idiot. My favorite answer is the whole national energy policy of "inflate your tires". But there are dozens of other ones, and here's just yet another example of idiocy that is Obama.

Here we have three major auto manufactures which are facing bankruptcy, and Obama's action is to... basically... threaten them! Why yes! Why didn't I come up with this before! We should just THREATEN them into profitability! It's oh so clear now! We can just intimidate them back into the budgetary black!

"Oh, so you are going broke are you? So you're running out cash huh? Well I'm warning you, darn it!! You had better seize the opportunity... or else!!!"

or else... what?

"Well... um... or else you'll go bankrupt... yeah..."

Oh yes, I can see it will be a fun 4 years of unending stupidity. He's not even in office, and I already have a list of Bailout-Barack Overspend-Obama quotes.

while you call him a idiot for this "threat" that you know has weight to is ,as well as they do, that the threat is they get no help at all from teh goverment if they dont have a plan....When they first came to DC, they in fact had no plan and where ripped buy both sides for it. So I fail to see how how him making a clear point to them to have a better plan when they ask for money is so bad,

also when you call him dumb on the issue, you should try not making errors like saying that 3 companies are going to go under, only may GM and Chrysler...Ford is only asking that some money be set aside in case the need comes up , but said they don't believe they will need it.

 

[Andy]

while you call him a idiot for this "threat" that you know has weight to is ,as well as they do, that the threat is they get no help at all from teh goverment if they dont have a plan....

Read the quote. He didn't require they have a plan. Further, if there was no bailout at all, wouldn't they still need a plan to survive? No, this is just Obama stupidity.

Whether the bailout existed or not, wouldn't change the fact they face bankruptcy. Further, if the bailout does happen, they will still face bankruptcy.

Bear Stearns received a bail out, and yet they still went bankrupt. Oh.... but Obama didn't threaten them! If he had threatened them with bankruptcy, maybe they wouldn't have gone bankrupt! Do you not see the stupidity of this argument?

When they first came to DC, they in fact had no plan and where ripped buy both sides for it. So I fail to see how how him making a clear point to them to have a better plan when they ask for money is so bad,

Did you read their "plan"? It's the same as going bankrupt, only instead of going to court, we are going to pay them tax money to do what would happen in court.

As part of its plan, GM envisions cutting a deal with creditors to reduce in half the amount of money it owes to bank lenders, bondholders and a new benefit plan set up to provide health care to retirees, in return for an unspecified ownership stake in the company. The automaker would effectively shed the Saab, Hummer, Pontiac and Saturn nameplates and reduce its network of dealers by 27 percent.

It would close an additional 9 assembly plants, shave an additional 25,000 jobs and negotiate reductions in pay and benefits to bring them in line with those at nonunionized plants. Shareholders would agree to go without dividends until the government loan is repaid and give ownership stakes to the government if things turn out as planned.

Let's review. They plan to: Drop four nameplates, close nine plants, cut 25K jobs, negotiate reductions in pay and benefits, cut deals with creditors to reduce by half the amount of debt owed, and suspend dividend payments.

What would you look at that... it's a bankruptcy plan! This is exactly what GM would do if they filed for bankruptcy, only we get to PAY THEM with our tax money to do it.

Better idea: Let them go bankrupt, and stop our government from blowing our tax money.

also when you call him dumb on the issue, you should try not making errors like saying that 3 companies are going to go under, only may GM and Chrysler...Ford is only asking that some money be set aside in case the need comes up , but said they don't believe they will need it.

To me, if they think they might need nine billion dollars... then they are not exactly doing great, yes or no? Yes, Ford is doing the best of the three, true.

I guess to me, giving Ford anything from the public dole, is too much, even if it's a line of nine billion in credit they 'might' use later. I'm against all corporate welfare.

 

[PLC1]

Better idea: Let them go bankrupt, and stop our government from blowing our tax money.

Yes, absolutely, that's a better idea.

Here's a worse idea: Let them have the bailout money with no strings attached, so that they can carry on business as usual for a while until they need another government hand... I mean bailout.

You can take Obama and the Congressional Democrats to task for handing out tax money, you know, kind of like the Bush administration is doing, but I really don't understand why you would object to requiring the industry to have a plan to become profitable or forfeit further government money.

 

[GenSeneca]

Here's a worse idea: Let them have the bailout money with no strings attached, so that they can carry on business as usual for a while until they need another government hand... I mean bailout.

You remember the big deal that was made about how AIG needed to come up with a sustainable business plan for profitability before they got taxpayer money? No? Oh that's right... no such plan was required...

How about the banks... Surely with $700 billion dollars on the line, they were required to submit a plan for... oh that's right... they weren't required to do so either.

In both of those industries, no such plan was required because the government was nationalizing the industry, with taxpayer money, and taking over. Government created the "Plan" for sustainability and profitability for those industries leaving them no choice in the matter. Government asking for the auto industry to submit a "Plan" is nothing but smoke and mirrors... the "Car Czar" position will ensure that the industry is properly nationalized and under the complete control of bureaucrats in Washington.

Oh but this isn't socialism...