Then enter politics. He’s made for it. Running the govt. after running GM should be a piece of cake.

Think they use the same steering wheel on the Federal Ship Of Fools that they do on the SS GM ?

I was somewhat involved, many years ago. Just being exposed to how GM was “thinking” froze your brain, and left you with the conclusion that this was going to blow up big one day.

That day is here.

You’ve seen life through distorted eyes
You know you had to learn
The execution of your mind
You really had to turn
The race is run the book is read
The end begins to show
The truth is out, the lies are old
But you don’t want to know

Nobody will ever let you know
When you ask the reasons why
They just tell you that you’re on your own
Fill your head all full of lies

The people who have crippled you
You want to see them burn
The gates of life have closed on you
And now there’s just no return
Youre wishing that the hands of doom
Could take your mind away
And you don’t care if you don’t see again
The light of day

Nobody will ever let you know
When you ask the reasons why
They just tell you that you’re on your own
Fill your head all full of lies

Where can you run to
What more can you do
No more tomorrow
Life is killing you
Dreams turn to nightmares
Heaven turns to hell
Burned out confusion
Nothing more to tell

Everything around you
Whats it coming to
God knows as your dog knows
Bog blast all of you
Sabbath bloody sabbath
Nothing more to do
Living just for dying
Dying just for you

Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath
-Black Sabbath

Ricky, I hope you get totally sloshed drinking your fine Merlot this Thanksgiving. Oh the stories…OH THE STORIES around the dinner table!!!

Please remember to tell EVERYONE how “unfair” things have been to you.

“Why, I no longer get free car washes anymore…what’s this world coming to!!!”.

“Let them eat Stove Top and one of those pressed Turkey guts…I mean “loaves”!!!”.

Numb by U2

Any song about worthless pain and suffering by Linkin Park

To quote another combination of history and Hollywood (directed towards GM):
“Iceburg, right ahead!”

I mean, we’ve watched this unfold for 3+ years on this website…and we’ve watched it unfold in real life for MANY years beyond that.

But DAMN!!! This beast is REALLY DYING!!!

It’s like when you see your grandmother lying in an open casket…it FINALLY *HITS* you…SHE’S DEAD!!!

I thought I was going to laugh my ass off at this month’s (October’s) sales figures….but HOLY COW…45%!! It’s a complete bloodbath!!

…and a well-deserved one at that.

Congratulations Ricky, Momma’s proud of her little darling. You’re such an American Icon…right up there with Charlie Manson.

You’ve left quite a “legacy” for your children to look up to, bless your heart.

Highway To Hell by AC/DC

Low Budget by The Kinks

Nothing From Nothing by Billy Preston

Down In A Hole by Alice In Chains

Everything Must Go by Steely Dan

Either that or tomorrow, while everyone’s attention is “elsewhere”, they throw in the towel.

Only question that’ll remain will be “chapter 11 or 7″?

The last-ditch effort should have been, “What color Camry would you like? We’ll have it here in an hour.”

When I say shut down, I mean old fashioned lock the factory gates and let the UAW sue. The most they could get is 3 months pay, and there are a lot of other debtholders in front of them. UAW would have to settle for 5-6 billion, which is about what they would lose in two months now (given the sales drop)

Here’s another question: Do you think Obama will suspend the proposed CAFE rules? No way any american car company is investing in new models at this point – even with the 2010 bailout money.

DeanMTL :
November 3rd, 2008 at 5:47 pm

That 38 billion dollar loss was just an accounting trick, from what I heard.

When Arthur Anderson was performing accounting tricks for Enron, at least the tricks made Enron look good. Maybe GM needs better accountants.

“GM hybrids continue to build sales momentum and the company has broken through the 10-thousand vehicle sales mark. A total of 1,496 hybrid vehicles were delivered in the month. Hybrid sales included: 372 hybrid Chevrolet Tahoe, 193 GMC Yukon and 230 Cadillac Escalade 2-mode SUVs delivered.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if most of these were being driven around DC and various state capitols keeping a green image for our public servants. Probably one Tahoe Hybrid set aside for Bauer to use on 24.

Do I seem cynical?

You know things are just horrible when GM is running radio ads about how they will help buyers find financing with anyone other than GMAC. I heard one of their ads the other day and it left me dumbfounded.

What’s next, Malibu Hybrids on Priceline.com?

Any further in my cheek and I’d be pushing out teeth.

I’m pretty sure you said that tongue in cheek however they certainly lose money on every car produced. And because of their labor contracts lose even more money on every car not produced!

And when the Uncle Sam bails out GM and the Unions taxpayers will get to subsidize what they lose on every car not produced.

At least paying workers not to produce cars is easier on the environment. Perhaps that is the whole purpose of this exercise.

I think that you will like this graph (prepared by the Detroit Free Press):

GM under Wagoner

Rather ‘graphic’.

Under its UAW contract, GM must pay blue-collar workers whether they are producing anything or not. Labor is essentially a fixed cost. GM thus doesn’t really save any money by shutting down plants.

And shutting down production and selling down inventory is like waving the white flag that you are done and done. I don’t know about the cost structure at GM (profit per vehicle), I will say rental fleets get significant discounts over fleet pricing which is well under retail invoice.