GM’s Reincarnation Is Ford’s Death Sentence
June 3, 2009
How does it feel to own a car company? Yes, you and I own General Motors. But don’t expect an employee or owner’s discount. It doesn’t work that way.
The United Auto Workers union began the destruction of GM some years ago with outrageous demands the company could not meet and stay profitable. Now thousands of workers, parts suppliers and dealer employees have been laid off; and this after $50 billion and more to GM and Chrysler to save them. These companies should have been allowed to go bankrupt if they couldn’t sell their products. That’s capitalism. Instead, politicians threw billions down a rat hole and now government will effectively tell Detroit what kind of cars to make. People will not buy government-mandated cars in sufficient numbers and so we have the nationalization of a major portion of the automobile industry with all of the negatives and none of the positives.
Ford remains solvent, but who knows for how long with the government doling out goodies if you buy GM or Chrysler cars. This is creeping socialism, no matter how you define it, and a sorry day for America.
Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.
Originally published June 03, 2009.
