what’s to be done with the car companies
By Tom Teicholz at 17 November, 2008, 4:29 pm
Should we bail out GM, Ford, Chrysler and if so, how and on what terms? Or should be darwinian and let the chips fall where they may. I;ve been hearing arguments on all sides for days now. One argument against says maybe it’s not a bad thing if the car companies fail; maybe all the people working on cars should be put to work building solar panels — maybe that’s better for all concerned.
I don;t know — I mean really, I have no idea.
But it seems like it would be a mistake to let the car industry disappear. But a bail out with no strings attached just seems to reward the industry that did everything wrong and only did so to what they thought was their benefit.
I think we need to use the crisis in the auto industry as an opportunity — an opportunity to reform corporate health care and benefits, and opportunity to reform the auto workers union, as an opportunity to create car companies that succeed.
Tom Friedman floated the idea of President Obama turning to Steve Jobs and asking him to run General Motors for a year in order to help the country. And just the idea of that of bringing Apple-like innovation to the car companies is an inspiring bracing idea.
Most people don’t mention that GM is the most successful car company in Europe and In China, and there is every reason to believe they can be rethought to be successful in the US –
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