Talk of the Town

By Carnivore

November 21, 2005 08:54 AM | Link to this

Don’t ask what the government should do, ask what the workers should do. It is certainly not the government’s job to assist workers who have 2-3 years to look for a new job.

Rezone the property as commercial office space with some retail. Tear down the plant and build 4-5 medium sized office towers.

By Dan Poirier

November 21, 2005 08:59 AM | Link to this

Court other Auto Companies, such as Honda,toyota,Nissan and othe Asian and European Car Makers, this is ready made location.

By Hunter

November 21, 2005 09:06 AM | Link to this

I don’t think the question was posed to worry about what the Goverment should do for the workers. The question was what should the Government do with the land - that is simple - Atlantic Station Phase 2: North End Perimter. It would be ideal to help revitalize the area.

By nowen

November 21, 2005 09:06 AM | Link to this

Buy the plant and give the plant to a start-up car company in exchange for equity. Not Ford or another existing company, but a more nimble competitor that can actually compete against a Toyota. In the worse case scenario, the company goes bust, Atlanta has some real estate to sell and has a ton of publicity for trying something interesting - much better than the recent ‘rebranding’.

By Gary

November 21, 2005 09:08 AM | Link to this

I agree with both comments. The government should not have to help the GM employees because they have 3 years to find a new job. Plus other automakers would love to have this site. Use it to attract one of them and maybe these employees will have a new job lined up with them.

By Matt

November 21, 2005 09:11 AM | Link to this

Atlantic Station 2 possibly?

Build a Work-Play-Live development. Townhomes, Shops, a town square. The closing of the plant can be a good thing in the long run! A new development that is well concieved, funded and executed can more than replace the lost jobs.
We also need to understand that GM may not sell the propertry but just shut it down until they need the capacity again.

By AtlanticStationlite

November 21, 2005 09:11 AM | Link to this

The Doraville plant site is prime property due to it’s proximity to the Doraville MARTA station. It is a prime opportunity to do another high-density Office, high-rise Residential and retail support around a transit station.

By Chip

November 21, 2005 09:13 AM | Link to this

Just as the workers have plenty of time to seek new employment, so do the owners have time to seek new business for the property. Please don’t let that huge complex stay empty like an old Walmart building. It is in a very visable location.With Delta and GM in trouble…which Atlanta company is next?? The loss of jobs and the loss of businesses is starting to make Atlanta itself look like it is in trouble!

By Clay

November 21, 2005 09:13 AM | Link to this

Buy American, Save American. All you Honda/Toyota/Nissan owners out there can be thanked for this. Just being built in the US does not count as the profits go back overseas. By the way, I drive a Saturn VUE and a Ford F-150 built by Americans in America. What about you?

By mike

November 21, 2005 09:24 AM | Link to this

i will buy american when the product rises to the level of Toyota and Honda.. until then … there is no need to buy a sub-standard product to save jobs

By Emmitt Kelly

November 21, 2005 09:35 AM | Link to this

I bought a ‘77 pontiac new..when I had problems “so what” even from the district manager. I bought Hondas,toyotas,nissans..and they are now built in america.. if you remember,chevys response to honda was the vega..this is a long history that is catching up with them..Delorean wrote “on a clear day you can see general motors” the word is arrogance.. My friend,a long time g.m. buyer threw up his hands with the front wheel drive cars with transmission failures. it would not have been as bad if they would have done the right thing and fixed the problems without making the customers so mad in the process..bottom line the whole thing is a shame

By Mike

November 21, 2005 09:40 AM | Link to this

The only obvious solution would be to attract another auto maker! If none are interested, than go after another major manufacturer in other industries! Do not let the counties have ownership of this property just to increase their tax base!

By Alex

November 21, 2005 09:43 AM | Link to this

The workers themselves should find new jobs. They’ve got 2-3 years to improve their skillsets. It’s not the government’s job to take care of them. GM will do what they wish with that property if it’s theirs. Otherwise, Atlantic Station 2 wouldn’t be a bad idea.

And Clay, how many non-union plants outside of the country are getting closed in this round? Buy “American”, save a foreigner’s job. Most “American” cars are less American than Toyota. Profits go to shareholders, both foreign and domestic, but jobs go to the local community. “American” car manufacturers did this to themselves. Don’t blame the rest of us who don’t believe in supporting bad business practices.

By Justin

November 21, 2005 09:46 AM | Link to this

To Clay: First of all, I’ll buy any d@mn car I want. It’s MY money. Second, GM has not made an attractive car in a decade that I even REMOTELY considered buying. Third, you can thank the UAW for jacking up wages and benefits to outrageous amounts for companies all across America. In the real world outside of communism, you are paid what you are WORTH. There is no way in he|| that a person is worth upwards of $50/hr in wages and benefits to put for freaking tires on a car going down the assembly line. But you can thank liberalism and a “living wage” as an example of why socialism always fails. Look at France.

By Bill

November 21, 2005 09:46 AM | Link to this

Let’s see how Atlantic Station I plays out before we start rallying around building another one.

Clay - I drive a Jeep - but don’t look down on those who do drive foreign cars. Buying from the low cost provider only serves our long-run interests by forcing us to be more competitive. And with a 2-3 year window to work with, let’s hope the displaced workers will land on their feet.

By Clay

November 21, 2005 09:48 AM | Link to this

Well, there you go. Folks like mike and Emmitt Kelly just show that no one cares that the Doraville plant is closing. GM stinks and they deserve to close, right? Who cares if my neighbor is losing his job? If the product he made didn’t stink, he’d still have his job, right?

By geechee

November 21, 2005 09:54 AM | Link to this

You are dreaming if you think another auto manufacturer would ever want that site.

By Tom

November 21, 2005 09:59 AM | Link to this

I sympathize with the employees who will be losing their jobs and the ripple effect on our local economy is worrisome, but…

Make no mistake, GM is one of the most poorly run companies in America and UAW helped to dig this grave by the concessions they’ve “won”.

Considering the amount of money that GM and Ford are losing, it doesn’t seem like there are any “profits” to stay in America if you do buy “American”.

By bill

November 21, 2005 10:00 AM | Link to this

What do you mean what should the government do with laid off workers, NOTHING. They have plenty of time to go find anthor job.

By janis

November 21, 2005 10:03 AM | Link to this

I purchased a 1990 Buick and drove it 10 years with absolutely no problems. I then purchased a 2000 LeSabre at which time I sold the 10 year old car with 130,000 miles on it. The 10 year old car is still going, making regular trips back and forth to Tennessee. My 2000 LeSabre, again, has given me no trouble and it has 85,000 miles on it. Maybe all you “American Autos are not as good as Toyota” just need to learn how to take care of a car. With regular maintenance, I have had two GM cars give me Great service.

By edge770

November 21, 2005 10:04 AM | Link to this

Like the idea for a auto startup, but do we need more John DeLoreans? I don’t know how antiquated the building is but I think it will have to stay heavy industrial due to the environmental issues and costs cleaning up the site. I am personally leaning toward a joint partnership with say Georgia Tech that would allow a incubator of engineering practices and solutions. See if a Georgia Tech engineer can build vehicles, build better pc’s and other innovations.

By Chris

November 21, 2005 10:27 AM | Link to this

Well, I think that to buy “American” cars is ridiculous since most of the money does not go to the autoworker, but the corporate executives. If Ford, GM or Daimler Chrysler could make a good car, I’d be happy to buy it. But since none of them are concerned with gas mileage, reliability, or style, I choose to support the companies that are actually investing in our communities, rather than destroying them.

By the way. I think “Dora’s Landing” (Atlantic Station II) could be a great idea to revitalize the area and use space responsibly).

By Steve

November 21, 2005 10:55 AM | Link to this

Clay - I believe that Toyota & Nissan have auto plants in the US to build their cars that are sold here. So Americans build those cars and those cars are sold by Americans in America. Besides, when I bought my Ford in 1996, almost 50% of the parts in the car were manufactured outside of the US. I don’t see where Buy American, Save American fits (when it comes to automobiles) anymore.

By Eric

November 21, 2005 11:00 AM | Link to this

I think the best solution is the Work-Live-Play environment like they did at Atlantic Station. To take an old steel mill and transform it into such a beautiful place would be exactly what you can do with an old auto factory.

This location is the best kept secret around the Perimeter. Easy access to Downtown, Dunwoody, Perimeter Center, Alpharetta, and MARTA Trains. Property values in the area haven’t skyrocketed yet and are prime for an entrepreneurial Developer to make a fortune. This can be a hub similar to the Galleria and Atlantic Station, but with a MARTA Train stop already within walking distance.

DeKalb County and Developers alike must be salivating at the potential for smart growth.

By Jack

November 21, 2005 11:03 AM | Link to this

If government wants to help, then stay out of the picture! This is an economic situation , and the best thing government can do is to do all possible to attract new business to the area. Might start with reducing crime, now that Atlanta is number 7 in the Country as ‘Most Dangerous Cities’! Maybe we should do an honest appraisal of what our future priorities should be, and then go out and make serious attempts at attracting foreign and domestic high tech businesses. While we are at it, why not get serious at enhancing our education system where we will have something to offer the kids of new busineses??

By Alex

November 21, 2005 11:03 AM | Link to this

Clay, we care about that plant closing because it has a ripple effect on our economy. The question is do you care about the decades of poor management including very poor decisions regarding concessions to the unions that caused this? Go out and find someone who pays attention to financial markets that didn’t see GM closing plant after plant to regain profitability, I dare you. This is cause and effect, and these workers will lose their jobs because of it. That’s how it goes when upper management refuses to pay attention to just about everything. If that’s wrong, then how do you explain what just happened? Oh, that’s right, it’s everyone else’s fault but GM.

As far as the environmental concerns, Atlantic Station was built on a non-friendly environment. If people want to live in that location, then developers will find a way to revamp the area.

By Brooks

November 21, 2005 11:04 AM | Link to this

This is another wake up call for Georgia. With Delta in trouble, little new job growth on the industry side, and now this with GM its bad news for state tax revenues. China is the country that we must recruit heavily. Chinese auto production is coming to the US and why not Georgia as a location. State leadership must get aggressive in economic development planning and use universities in the state to lead the charge.

By Eric

November 21, 2005 11:08 AM | Link to this

Every major unionized company will go bankrupt in the next ten years. Why? Becuase they cannot change thier operations and cost stucture to meet a changing world. In a business driven by the consumer and with resources available around the world, we had better fiwgure out how to compete or we’ll all be serving hamburgers to each other. Wake up! This plant closing while bad for the workers and the localized economy will make GM, the Doraville and the workers who change and adapt much better than they are today.

By Kristi Hill

November 21, 2005 11:12 AM | Link to this

The land should be the last thing to worry about what about the families??? We have kids to support and bills to pay.

By Eric

November 21, 2005 11:28 AM | Link to this

What we definitely do not want is Heavy Manufacturing at this location in the future. It is simply a waste of prime real estate to have that Assembly Line on all that acreage. Leave the Heavy Manufacturing to Rural America and rezone Doraville Assembly for Class-A Office Space. Learn from any mistakes made at Atlanta Station and incorporate the lessons learned into Dora’s Landing.

By Jeff

November 21, 2005 11:45 AM | Link to this

Americans are better than auto plant workers-we should be happy to send our menial labor tasks like this overseas while we perform the more white collar services that require college education and that truly merit higher wages (as opposed to auto plant workers whose wages are falsely inflated by unions).

By Nancy2

November 21, 2005 11:48 AM | Link to this

Back in the early ’90s, my husband was working for a pest control company that had the contract to do extermination for the Doraville plant. As he was initially taken around the plant by the manager in charge of working with the exterminators, my hubby was flabbergasted at the sight of plant workers completely asleep at their posts. The plant was running and yet he said he saw at least 4 people dead asleep. The manager saw them too and when he noticed my husband’s quizical look, his response was, “Don’t ask. We can say nothing.”

So when I see a blog that asks what the government, more aptly us, should do for the workers, I say, nothing, nada, nyet! Unions that have encouraged and supported laziness and lethargy among their workers for decades and the workers who have bought into that type of work ethic have no one to blame but themselves if they are ill prepared for a financial or job change. Reality can be a hard teacher, but no one assisted me the one time I was fired because I didn’t get along with my immediate supervisor and made the mistake of thinking that they’d choose me over my superior just because I was right. Learning from your mistakes and coping with the injustices of life are hard lessons to learn but I learned them and it’s the Doraville worker’s responsibility to learn it too. We are now paying a huge price for kow-towing to the welfare state advocates for our long term care of Katrina victims. Everyone has a sob story at some point in life but our responsibility to ourselves to fix our own lives outweighs and should always outweigh any responsbility the government has to help.

By Ken Shigley

November 21, 2005 11:50 AM | Link to this

The Doraville site does not fit the profile of newer auto manufacturing plants on large tracts away from urban congenstion, e.g., Mercedes between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, BMW between Greenville and Spartanburg, Saturn south of Nashville, etc. If Georgia is to attrack new auto manufacturing plants, it will be to sites that fit that profile.

The site, with access to 285 and MARTA rail, does fit a profile, as others have suggested, for redevelopment. Developers operating in the free market can better assess what mix of residential, office and retail would be most economically viable.

Coincidentally, I understand there is an announcement coming up about redevelopment of Lakewood, and of course Fort Mac is becoming available for redevelopment. It would be an interesting time to be a real estate developer in Atlanta.

By buck

November 21, 2005 11:51 AM | Link to this

The writing has been on the wall for some time. GM is a company on the decline and Doraville is one of their oldest plants. No surprise it’s on the chopping block. I doubt another car company will be attracted to the site. I don’t really know of any start-up auto manufacturers, and Japanse companies seem to like to build in pristine rural sites.

The good news is the site is in an awesome location for renewal. Adjacent to I285, next to MARTA rail, and on ATL’s north side. There will be no problem turning this into something great. Will that be better than 3000 manufacturing jobs? I don’t know, but it won’t be a complete loss.

By Dee

November 21, 2005 12:00 PM | Link to this

I am a General Motors “baby” and I will miss the plant. The workers there work hard for the wages they earn. Although my parents have retired I will miss the activities the plant had for the families.

There is nothing wrong with being loyal to your job. I remember when you couldn’t drive a foreign car onto the property! My mother bought a Saab and had to get permission to drive it to the union hall!

Do they make good money, yes. They also have many hazards that they work around on a daily basis. Do they work hard, yes. Just like every other person does on their job.

Luckily, many of the workers will retire and others will be re-assigned. I think they will be okay.

As for me. I will still park my foreign car on the street when i go to my parents house and my american car in the driveway.

By Tech fan in Nashville

November 21, 2005 12:03 PM | Link to this

I own a Ford and a Mazda (Mazda close enough to a Ford), and in my short time as a driver, I have always been pleased with the Ford product. However, here in Nashville there are a lot of folks who drive Nissan. Why? Because they are made here in Smyrna TN by people who live here, who own Nissan stock, and the Nissan North American head quarters will soon be moving to this area from LA. How much more American do you want it?

But most importantly, we live in a free market capitalistic society. People choose what they want based on several factors (In cars, design, quality, price…). If you don’t provide what people want, you lose. I don’t think most people would be paying several thousand dollars more for a comparable Toyota, Honda, or Nissan if a Ford or GM had the quality that people desire.

By Ken

November 21, 2005 12:04 PM | Link to this

Why are you speculating what the government should do with the GM location? The government does not own the land - GM does and will until someone pays a very premium price for it. Once sold, then you can worry what the new owner can/will do with it.

By UNION Stinks

November 21, 2005 12:20 PM | Link to this

Union is what just killed the GM. Who benefits the most? The Union executives who have done nothing are the ones that reap the harvest off of the workers. Do away w/ the union and US auto industry will be on the rebound.

By James Johnson(Keon)

November 21, 2005 12:36 PM | Link to this

This is funny. I see the blame game being passed…

I’m a originally from Kentucky which is a Union state. I live here in Georgia which isn’t a Union state. The problem isn’t ONLY with the Unions… They haver their place but the fault isn’t entirely theirs. The issue is our system. It’s gotten to a place where it’s not sustainable anymore and no one wants to talk about it because that’s too difficult.

How soon we forget our history. Union exist in this country because greedy industrialist didn’t think it a problem for people to work 80hrs a week and barely have enough money to live on. They didn’t think it a problem when people had to live and die in company controled towns. Granted the Unions have moved from their original purpose but if they didn’t come into existenc you and I probably wouldn’t be talking right now. Today we live at a time where everyone wants something for nothing. Myself included. However, it’s not sustainable. We’re fourtunate enough that we’re making in and have little left over. That’s not the case with other people. Why is Delta having problems? Because airlines like Airtran, SW Airlines are undercutting. Now granted the salaries at Delta may be considered excessive and their prices. However, how is airtran able to charge so low? I personally know that they don’t pay their employees well. I attempted to get a job with Airtran. I am college educated and I’m a Spanish bilingual speaker. I’m an indepent…not living with my parents. They OFFERED ME $8.00/HR…NON-NEGOGIBLE. Then they wanted me to be available to work anytime they wanted! Now how is someone supposed to live off of that in this economy? GMC wants to blame the union because they’ve made bad business descisions. Delta wants to blame it’s works because they allowed razor thin margin for years which prohibit them from competting.

IN actuality all three are responsible and all three have valid excuses. The owners, the workers and the consumers. However, no one seems to have an answer that that’s what we voters should be demanding.

This administration has done little to nothing for the common wellfair…of the Ameircan people.

By Eric

November 21, 2005 12:39 PM | Link to this

The government, though they don’t own the land, does provide incentive to business to build on it. They can sell bonds, provide tax relief, and other economics incentives that will make the land that much more valuable. Obviously GM will want to sell the land for the most they can get for it, but if a developer can realize numerous tax writeoffs, it will be that much more attractive…ask Wayne Mason and others developing the Atlanta beltline.

By PRadio

November 21, 2005 12:40 PM | Link to this

Atlantic Station north will never work for the same reason all the other “next Atlantic Station” (ironically, one of them near the old GM Lakewood plant!) will not work: people don’t want to live there. People wanted to live and shop downtown but there wasn’t an enticing place to live or shop. Atlantic Station gave them what they wanted. Success!

You can live in Doraville or Lakewood NOW in an existing house. If you want. And suffer the commute. Downtown doesn’t have that problem. Building NEW stuff in Doraville or Lakewood will not fix any existing problems the same way Atlantic Station did. But I guess it sounds good to say “we’re gonna build one just like that!!!” Yeah, but this is Atlanta. Talk is cheap. I believe it when it actually opens.

Anyway, this one is all GM’s fault: the Doravilla plant built minivans nobody wanted. The workers have known this for years. The plant was also among GM’s oldest plants. The writing has been the wall for years. Everybody knew it would take a miracle to keep Doraville open.

The Ford Hapeville plant is under the same gun: nobody wants the Taurus and there is no certain demand for the replacement car.

Pity about the Impala. They just introed a new version of that one. Also sad about the Ion. It only lasted a few years in the US market. It really should concern anyone working for Saturn that GM might be thinking of folding the remaining models back into the regular product line and dropping the Saturn brand along with a pile of jobs.

By richard

November 21, 2005 12:50 PM | Link to this

Atlanta is losing 221 million in payroll not counting all the support companies that the Doraville Plant kept in business. This is not good news for any city. Wake up Atlantans a third world economy awaits our grandchildren. With the race to the bottom as a total service economy.

By Eric

November 21, 2005 01:18 PM | Link to this

Hey PRadio…nobody wanted to live in Home Park either until Atlantic Station was announced. Only then did savvy real estate investors snap up all those shacks and start renovating.

The sad truth about Atlanta is that there are more white-collar, high tech, high paying jobs outside the perimeter than there are downtown. Rush Hour traffic is the worst if you’re coming down 75 or 85 and heading over to 400 to either go North to Alpharetta or work at Perimeter Center. Just look how light traffic is on 75S and 85S inside the perimeter in the mornings.

There’s already been talk in the past about developing light rail between Doraville MARTA and Cumberland/Galleria and now it only makes more sense to build Office and Residential on the now defunct GM Plant Property. Who knows, maybe GRTA “helped” GM make their decision for them…

By Jack

November 21, 2005 01:38 PM | Link to this

I read with interest comments regarding the closing of the GM Doraville plant and must say, was surprised to see the disdain (with a few exceptions) most people expressed towards GM and it’s employees. It seems that many Americans are almost rooting for GM’s (and Ford)demise. Having an economics degree, I find this attitude to be amazing. The domestic automobile industry still provides millions of jobs (even though GM & Ford have sent some operations offshore, they continue to signifciantly contribute more to our country’s GNP than any of the imports. This is because GM and Ford suppliers (and their suppliers and sub-suppliers) still are largely based in the U.S., not to mention services purchased. One person mentioned go to college and get an education and let the menial jobs go offshore. Well surprise! It’s not only blue-collar jobs that are going, as look at the amount of engineering and computer science work that’s being sourced to overseas locations. I fear for our country and pray that we wake up before it is too late.

By Jack

November 21, 2005 01:46 PM | Link to this

To all those who say government has no say in the property, well they are going to have say in the zoning/rezoning of the property.
As for turning this into more residential/retail, yeah, that is exactly what Atlanta needs. Its not as if we don’t already have enough empty retail all over the metro area.

The state should try and court other manufacturers, including high tech manufacturers to look at the property. I know GM owns it, but they are going to be hot to sell it quick. Having an outside investor at the ready will help.

With Delta going under, SA and Georgia-Pacific being bought out (with the eventual job relocations that entails), and now Doraville being shut down, its going to be a huge drag on the metro economy.

By Eric

November 21, 2005 02:45 PM | Link to this

Jack…all your Doom and Gloom being spewed in this forum is not going to fix anything. The US is no longer able to affordably manufacture items, leave that to other low-cost-countries and keep the white-collar service oriented industries here. You mention the engineering/computer science jobs also being outsourced…but if you think of it, “code jockeys” ARE the menial labor of the white-collar industries. Sales, Marketing, Consulting, and the like are the jobs that America is best at and will always remain on our soil.

By Gary

November 21, 2005 02:55 PM | Link to this

You want the buy American lifestyle to comeback? First we need an overhaul of our tax system. Companies are leaving because it is cheaper to make material offshore. Cut the taxes or rework the tax system all together and make it viable for companies to chose America as its home base. Next we need new labor laws. Unions can come in and hold a company hostage that will eventually take them down. We need to allow companies the chance to have the ultimate say of their business, not unions. Next we need major education reform in this country that will allow our children to get the best education possible. The government needs to get out of education because it is a disaster. We need the local communities, parents, and business leaders to run the local school systems and education curriculums. This will demand high achievement from children instead of the nuturing we see nowadays. We also need to attract offshore companies, like those in China, to come and setup shop here in GA. Southeast Asia is the place to go as it boasts the best option for the future. At last all this can be done if we, the people, demand it and quit idolizing corrupt politicians who want nothing but power and government intrusion.

By Tom

November 21, 2005 03:03 PM | Link to this

That property is owned by G.M. so the private market will dictate what happens there,not the Government.Unions,while necessary during the industrial revolution,have driven a once great company to the brink of bankruptcy.Have american auto companies made some mistakes along the way? Yes,but their quality control is much better and their product will stand up to the imports.In todays global economy no company can withstand the union demands of fully funded company insurance for life and expect to compete and be profitable.Unfortunately,unions have put American auto companies in the same position as the airlines and it will take major concessions on both sides to restore profitability.

By David Niehaus

November 21, 2005 03:18 PM | Link to this

The american public buying foreign products have broken American.

By charle

November 21, 2005 03:47 PM | Link to this

Don’t let the government do ANYthing. The workers have 2 years to figure out what to do with themselves!

If GM is gonna make it, they’d better start making quality products that last, look good, are fun to drive, and get GREAT gas mileage - - you know, imports!

As for the land? Turn it into a MARTA parking lot and start charging a toll to enter the perimeter. The lot will be full everyday!

By Daniel

November 21, 2005 07:40 PM | Link to this

What should government do to help the workers? Just what it says in the U.S. Constitution that they should do. NOTHING !!! It is not govt’s responsibility. Just like it wasnt the govt’s responsibility to help Katrina “victims”. … Hey doraville employees, youve got three years - get some education, learn a skill that is in demand. For once take charge of your own destiny instead of letting a fat cat union official “look out for you”. I am 100% sure that you will be better off for it.

By Xavier Brown

November 21, 2005 08:00 PM | Link to this

Personally, I’m not concerned about what will the plant become after it is closed, but my main concern is what are we going to do with the employee’s that will lose their job due to the closing of the plant. Now, these people can find work elsewhere but what if they are unemployed for an extended amount of time. The labor force in america is very slow and these people have to provide for their families. What do we do? Well, we don’t know, we will have to wait patiently and see. To the people that will be effected by this situation, I hope that you all will keep the faith and pray for a positive outcome.

One!!!

By Scott Trent

November 21, 2005 09:00 PM | Link to this

My thoughts on GM and the UAW. The big problem with GM and their losses can be sumed up like this. When a labor “Union”, like the UAW, cons a major American company, like GM, out of a 6 figure income for a forklift operator, then your either going to have way overly priced automobiles, or a company that is going to be setting record losses… New cars and new car parts cost so much simply because the “Union” rapes the company. When a set of rotors for the front brakes for my Tahoe cost $700.00 from the dealer and about $70.00 for a set at Pep Boys, you must know something is VERY wrong…

By casey coryell

November 21, 2005 10:43 PM | Link to this

Eric is wrong. The US is non-competitive in almost every field, including sales, marketing, and consulting. A trip to Europe or Asia will make this obvious. Even services that you wouldn’t imagine are being outsourced, such as aircraft maintenance and major elective healthcare. The cost advantage is so overwhelming , we can’t be competitive without a huge devaluation of the dollar. We are not even competitive with Brazil in non-subsidized agriculture. Right now, the US living is slowly declining with our currency. The demise of the auto industry is just a manifestation of this. Nobody I know would consider a GM product if cost and reliability matter anyway.