Bailout Watch 477: Sacrificial Lamb, Anyone?
Ousted GM CEO Rick Wagoner is being posthumously hoisted onto a cross by Michigan’s Governor Granholm and the Detroit News, which is running a piece today entitled “GM Workers Upset That Wagoner Became Sacrificial Lamb.” Huh? Better him than them, right? “Here we got past all the bad media, all that fury during congressional hearings, and now they want him to resign,” says UAW Local 599 (Flint) Chair, Terry Everman. “It’s really a setback, because you don’t know what new direction GM will take.” And it’s not just the uncertainty that has workers in a kerfuffle over the Wagoner pink slip. “It just didn’t seem appropriate for the administration, rather than the board, to dictate,” says OnStar Manager, Bryan Bateman. “I think Rick was a sacrificial lamb in all this. I think he took one for the company.” Except that Red Ink Rick should have been dumped years ago, and the irresponsible board members that kept him around have been canned by Obama as well. Oh, yeah, and GM turned its fate over to the feds the second it took public bailout money. But, hey, one man’s sacrificial lamb is another man’s tasty entrée. To (you guessed it) more government intervention on behalf of the General. Of course.
But the best indication that it will take more than Wagoner’s head on a platter to turn around Detroit’s insular self-importance comes courtesy of the DetN‘s apologist advocacy group du jour. “Fighting Against International Restrictions; Industry and Manufacturing Advocacy Group for public Education,” or “Fair Image” runs a website that puports to tell “The Truth About American Manufacturing And Trade Policy.” And the site’s editor is the perfect foil for the DetN‘s brand of soft propaganda. “Washington just denied that government trade and energy policy had anything to do with the mess we are in, and replaced it with the head of Rick Wagoner,” says FI’s Chris Vitale. “It re-enforces this public image that it’s all the companies’ and workers’ fault. But the (federal government) just washed their hands of any responsibility for its unfair trade policies that created this environment.” Just think: instead of firing Rick Wagoner we could have just come up with a suite of protectionist policies to further insulate GM from foreign competition. Because loaning money to the General just isn’t enough.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
More by Edward Niedermeyer
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- Formula m How many Hyundai and Kia’s do not have the original engine block it left the factory with 10yrs prior?
- 1995 SC I will say that year 29 has been a little spendy on my car (Motor Mounts, Injectors and a Supercharger Service since it had to come off for the injectors, ABS Pump and the tool to cycle the valves to bleed the system, Front Calipers, rear pinion seal, transmission service with a new pan that has a drain, a gaggle of capacitors to fix the ride control module and a replacement amplifier for the stereo. Still needs an exhaust manifold gasket. The front end got serviced in year 28. On the plus side blank cassettes are increasingly easy to find so I have a solid collection of 90 minute playlists.
- MaintenanceCosts My own experiences with, well, maintenance costs:Chevy Bolt, ownership from new to 4.5 years, ~$400*Toyota Highlander Hybrid, ownership from 3.5 to 8 years, ~$2400BMW 335i Convertible, ownership from 11.5 to 13 years, ~$1200Acura Legend, ownership from 20 to 29 years, ~$11,500***Includes a new 12V battery and a set of wiper blades. In fairness, bigger bills for coolant and tire replacement are coming in year 5.**Includes replacement of all rubber parts, rebuild of entire suspension and steering system, and conversion of car to OEM 16" wheel set, among other things
- Jeff Tesla should not be allowed to call its system Full Self-Driving. Very dangerous and misleading.
- Slavuta America, the evil totalitarian police state
Comments
Join the conversation
Can tell me how many Asian transplants build compact cars in the US? (The answer is one, the newly opened Honda Civic plant in Indiana.) first Japanese auto plant in America ....in 1982 when the first Honda Accord came off the line. And wasn't that considered a compact car at the time??The Marysville Motorcycle Plant began operation in 1979, and isn't that the ultimate compact??? I respect the opinion, but must ask about the facts