Comments about ‘Reid gives Big 3 little hope’

Giving these guys money is like giving a band-aid to a long-time smoker who's gotten lung cancer. The only thing that will help him is to stop his harmful habits, and a bit of chemo. And chemo's not pleasant. For years, American car companies have made poor quality vehicles with bad gas mileage. These vehicles don't sell well abroad, so the market is very limited. And smarter, more efficient companies have taken over. No company should be so big that they are too big to die. Even the largest of the dinosaurs went extinct.

The United Auto Workers union, scrambling to preserve jobs and benefits, agreed at an emergency meeting in Detroit to allow the companies to delay payments to a (multibillion-dollar), union-run health care trust and to scale back a job bank in which laid-off workers are paid most of their wages.***********
Harry Reid knows the UAW has lots of money in the health care trust fund. The big 3 car companies need to borrow from the UAW like the government borrows from social security. The UAW controls the car manufactures anyway, let them pay their bills.

I have purchased nine new cars from the big three in the last twenty years, at least one from each company. Always the car I purchased was superior to the foreign competition. Lower purchase cost, lower maintenance cost, mileage, better warranty, better resale, etc. I have enjoyed every one of them. I am very disappointed to hear elected officials and the media berate American industry.

The problem is the big three are carrying retirees and the import companies manufacturing in the US have not been here thirty years, so they are not. The industry is not asking for handouts like the banks, just loans they will pay back with interest. Losing all of these jobs and retiree benefits at this time will kill our weak economy.

I hope Washington wakes up before it is too late.

The States have given great amounts of taxpayer money to the overseas companies. How would you like to compete under these conditions?

Beware of those who suddenly ask for a handout when the time seems right and who claim it is so urgent that it must be done in the next 30 days. Where were they 6 or 12 months ago when it was obvious things were going south? They are simply trying to prey on the panic people are feeling and the apparent willingness of congress to try and bail everyone out of a problem, without changing the practices that got them in trouble in the first place. The Unions run these companies and have been running them into the ground for many years. We will survive if they go bankrupt. It might actually be beneficial. DON'T BAIL THEM OUT!!!!

cars coast to much and the people at the top need to learn to live like all the other people and the unions need to go away and no one should have their health paid for all their life and that goes to the kids in washington d.c.

From what I understand, one of these "Big 3" is attempting to open a new plant in Russia and that their bailout money will go to fund that project. That will not save American jobs. I'm fine with helping them if the money is allocated to specific uses that will help our country. I have nothing against Russia but I don't think it's taxpayers responsibility to shore up their ecconomy.

I don't have any suggestions about how this should all take place but having Congress criticize the "Big 3" is a big hypocritical. Yes, these companies have made some major mistakes and if the decision to not bail them out is made, that's fine with me too. But I'd love to see someone audit Congress and unveil some of their perks ie multimillion dollar properties that they are permited to rent for practically nothing (I saw this on a tv special. I'm assuming this is correct. Any corrections would be appreciated), taxpayer funded parties, etc. The Big 3 need to be raked over the coals. I agree. But so does Congress. The old saying "It's like the pot calling the kettle black" comes to mind.

The unions are the real problem here and they must be brought under control. The very concept of how unions control some parts of this nation is disturbing and adds so much to the exhorbitant price we pay for many things. The auto industry is a prime example. This is nothing but corruption!

This isn't about berating companies. It's about companies who meet consumer demand. If you look at Consumer Reports, U.S. cars aren't as reliable. That reflects my own experience. My Ford was OK. My Mercury was horrible. My Subaru is a dream.
U.S. companies have been loath to try new technologies. Now consumers want something besides big SUVs. G.M. blew it by shelving the EV1. Want proof? Watch "Who Killed the Electric Car." Then you'll understand exactly why the companies are hurting. If you get so presumptuous as to decide you know better than the consumer, you will eventually find your business in ruins.
Bailing out these companies would be a waste of money. Let them learn to adapt to new consumer needs.

Personally, american made vehicles are a much better car to buy than imports. Especially at this time because all imports are facing the same downfall. Then with import vehicles you will never get the maintenace and parts needed in a timely manner. If you don't mind waiting 2 months for parts to be shipped I guess you have more time and money than most do. As for bailing out any company why is it necessary? What happened to all the profits they made during the last 10 years? Have they squandered their profits in lavish CEO's pay and parties? Why weren't they investing in their solvency and assets instead of paying outlandish premiums to stock holders? No planning ahead and saving, instead they operated on floating debt and iresponsible leadership, just like our political leaders. Corporate america does not merit any bailouts, even if it means bankruptcy that they created by poor management of profits. When they fall so will we all and depression looms even more as more compaies will also fall. Americans must prepare for the worst yet to come before we can recover. Our debt is what killed the economy and to add more is suicide.

Bancruptcy! Sounds bad but it is the answere to the problem here, The court can make sure the cos are run efficiently, and guarantee that Bailout money is repaid to the tax payers first.

Apparently the automakers are not corrupt enough. Maybe they need to go and sit down with the big banks and Wall Street to get a few pointers on real corruption.

But, lets get real there is way more money greasing the pockets of our public officials coming from the banks and Wall Street. The automakers need to get on board with what real corruption is, and then they will be more than willing to give you billions.

The comments of "Wake Up" and "Buy American" defy credulity. What American-made car can begin to compare with the Japanese brands in terms of quality, maintenance problems, resale, etc.? None. And the reason is clear: too much of the cost of American-made cars goes to the comparatively astronomical labor-related costs of the U.S. companies. Until the "Big Three" (hard to really think of them that way) bring their labor costs into rough equivalence with the companies who makes cars Americans actually want, they should get no money from the public coffers.

The Big 3 have created this problem all my themselves. The executives have lived high on the hog for too long and now they want to be bailed out. If they would make quality cars that last more, Americans would buy them. You don't hear Toyota, Honda, Mercedes or BMW VW or other makers asking for a bail out. The Big 3 have stuffed their pockets with money for too long. They need to try living like normal, hard working people that we are. There are always consequences for careless choices and they have made several. There is no sorrow for them...they have created this financial fiasco by themselves. Maybe the execs should take a huge cut in their outrageous salary packages and I betcha it would make a tremendous difference. They are too high and mighty and deserve to be humbled. The unfortunate thing is that hard working employees will have to suffer for the greed of the executives. I hope they make the Big 3 execs stew and sweat for awhile or this will be repeated once again.

Let them file for Chapter 11 so they can reorganize without union interference or threat. That's the way it works.

I am a consumer. I vote with my dollars. I haven't bought a car manufactured by the Big Three for many years because I have a message I'm trying to send them about efficiency and about reliability. Now, if congress takes my tax dollars and nullifies my vote, the Big Three will never get my message. I'm for free enterprise, and I believe in negative consequences for bad decisions.

Congress, Please don't take away my vote!

If people could only see how deeply the economy will suffer if the Big 3 are not helped. I know it sounds like we are trying to put a bandaid on a booboo but we said the same thing about the banking industry and look where we are now. The economy affects all of us from houseing and energy to food and our "things". We are in this together and if one falls it is a domino affect. The old poem from a seventeenth century poet and clergyman still rings clear and true, No Man Is An Island-No Man Stands Alone. The United States is really an example of those words. United We Stand, Divided We Fall. We can't let any part of our precious country fail and lose or we all will lose. Yes we all need to tighten our belts but helping is the right way. Don't condemn Detroit and other places with real people to a catastrophy beacuse it will come back to bite us all.

under the protection of the courts. It has come out much stronger and leaner. The same can happen with the US auto industry if they really want to come out ahead.

Harry Reid is an absolute idiot! Unions are a big part of the problem with the Big 3, another part sadly is the CONSUMER who demands these large vehicles that can't get the gas mileage the public SUDDENLY demands. The third one to blame is the Government for not putting more stringent demands on the gas mileage that cars get, and fourthly it is the car companies themselves. Example, Dodge came out with a highbrid Durango, but killed it after 1 year, they didn't even give it a chance! The other thing is a $40,000 car purchase and you have only 5 or 6 years to pay it off? What middle class family can actually afford a brand new car? Granted there are plenty of $15-20,000 cars out there, but that is $20,000 your talking about! Why buy new when you can buy a used car that is 1-3 years old for half the price? Personally I have owned 5 brand new vehicles, but compared to the used vehicles I have purchased and been able to afford, they Don't COMPARE! I'll buy a 3 year old Expedtion, Durango, Escalade, Navagator, or sedan any time over a brand new car!

I find it ironic that the big Three automakers are working feverishly with their unions to sell a skeptical congress on the need for a $34 billion aid plan. Why didnt they work feverishly years ago when this all began? They knew then what sort of crisis this would cause but their own self-interest figured the taxpayers would bail them. The remarks of Chryslers Jim Press, are pathetic. And the United Auto Workers union, scrambling to preserve their multi-billion dollar benefits and yet scale back is also pathetic. Congress needs to put the responsibility where it belongs ---back on the automakers and the unions. The unions alone could provide the $34 billion the automakers are crying for. I find it outrageous that Congress and the Administration are even considering a bailout. Individuals or groups, whoever they might be, never learn to accept responsibility for themselves or their actions when they are bailed; its only when it gets personal.

have become a cancer in the economy and it needs to be fixed. Their wages and benefits are outrageous and the Detroit Autos are junk!