The Rise and Fall of Detroit
When I was growing up, some kids dreamed of owning cars like a Trans Am, Camaro, Firebird, Corvette, Chevelle or GTO. Stock or tricked out, owning one of the fastest street cars that American automakers turned out was a dream come true. Mustangs were for the West Coast. Chevy ruled the road on Long Island in the1960's and 70's.
Back then, in the middle class neighborhood where I grew up, foreign cars were for foreigners. As fuel economy began to become an issue, NOBODY in my neighborhood gave a thought to buying a Japanese car. Nobody. OPEC appeared and gas shortages came and went. You went Ford, Chevy, Chrysler. That was it. I have a feeling that it was like that in most American middle class neighborhoods back then.
The fact that we have arrived where were are now is painful. Americans, who are being asked to invest billions upon billions of dollars in US automakers and their employees' futures, have already been investing in those companies, against their better interests, for decades. Now Chrysler is dead, GM is on critical life support and Ford has cancer but may beat it.
What do you care?
The heads of these corporations did not spend the last thirty years lying in bed each night, sleepless. They did not turn their spouses in the wee hours and say, "How do I serve the automotive needs of the American public and better protect their health and safety AND help them conserve energy?" They never said that.
Instead, they spent billions of dollars attempting to bribe the Congress to avoid putting in seat belts and air bags, installing catalytic converters and reaching more ambitious fuel efficiency standards. For the most part, they succeeded. Congress approached those issues with the same combination of sentiment, fealty and fear that Detroit's customers accepted. It was said to be "bad for Detroit." Little did we know that falling for that bull for so long was what was bad for Detroit. Now, the American automotive industry, once the industrial pride of this country and a source of so many great paying jobs that changed the economic fortunes of millions of Americans in assembly, parts, dealerships and service, is about to go away.
What do you care?
I feel horribly for every single man and woman who will suffer as the result of this heartbreaking turn of events. I was the voice of Chevy Tahoe TV spots for five years in the early 90's. I drove a Tahoe then and loved it. Now, I drive a Prius.
I've owned Mercs, Chevys, Fords and Jeeps. I'm in the market for a new car now. I'll probably get a hybrid from a Japanese company, manufactured at a transplant factory in the American South. (Read the excellent recent article in the New Yorker by Peter Boyer about the path the Big Three and the UAW took to get here.) I'd like to buy an American car, but I'd feel like a fool doing that now. The leadership of the biggest automakers made sure of that.
There can be only one legitimate response to this crisis. Let energy conservation and fuel efficiency rule the day. Let the carmakers go under. In the same way we have subsidized Big Oil by destabilizing the governments of petroleum rich countries, or outright invading them, we have subsidized Detroit long enough. Just as every barrel of oil is undervalued because we do not factor in that portion of the defense budget that helped bring that oil to market, so we have undervalued our government's, and therefore our, complicity in producing cars that not only were inferior, but drove Detroit itself right off a cliff.
From the ashes of such great innovation, hard work, beautiful design and extraordinary branding-as-myth-making, let's have better cars.
From the ashes of arrogance, greed and corporate cowardice, let's have better cars.
Until then, pull the plug.
Tom Matlack: Winning the War at Home
Even though he's no longer in combat, he's still a commander, now in a war to save the auto industry from itself.
Jeffrey Feldman: Election Brought Hard-Right Nationalism Into Light
Hard-right nationalism is a monster now fully emerged in America, and to ignore it or simply ridicule it would be a grave mistake and a missed opportunity.
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You should be quite happy now. GM is going bankrupt. Now the money that was afforded them before will probably not be paid back. My question is, what is going to happen to all of the hourly employees and pensioners? Their families? It will definitely become a case of "Pay me now or pay me later" because they will, essentially, become wards of the state when they lose their homes, their health care, their livelihoods. Once more, you've evidenced a raging case of "Open mouth, insert foot". For pete's sake, look at the bigger picture. Do you really believe that your "skills" as an actor are such that they warrant what you make? You can't do what I do and I don't know if I can do what you do. Believe me, I do know that you cannot work on that line 8-10 hours per day doing what I do, you'd never last! Should I start commenting on what you earn? Leave it alone.
Interesting how my comments keep getting pulled. I guess it's okay to rap on auto workers but you don't want to hear from an auto worker!
(continued from my previous comment)
Long ago the average middle-class American could no more afford both luxurious individual mobility and sedentarity, hence the government-sponsored credit swindle that started with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and ended with a US government-sponsored worldwide holdup on foreign dollar reserves.
This is the true genesis of a major crisis based on a fatal political choice in order to enforce global power instead of striving to acquire true authority in the managment of natural and human resources.
The more lucid among the readers may have grasped that the real challenge we face is called "Transfer of road traffic into the airspace", i.e. "Democratization of the airspace", i.e. "Massively popularized individual aeromobility".
The time has come for a flying model T!
"Detroit was making and selling what the people wanted!!! The bigger the better!!!"
Sorry, kizzi, the tenants of power promoted the automobile to cater for individual mobility since WWI, and so much the more since WWII because they wanted their citizens grounded and confined within a closed-circuit road network -- during WWII it became definitely evident to them that total control of the airspace is the ultimate joker for global power enforcement.
The lack of real individual mobility to go all places the beauty of which woud be destroyed if roads were leading to, led to the frustration that led in turn to a means of compensation proposed to the citizens by the same tenants of power, i.e. oversized, over-powered, over-equipped, and over comfortable cars.
Getting out of a rolling saloon (and bedroom at times) to reintegrate a primitive hut or multy-storey flat led to further frustration leading in turn to still another means of compensation proposed to the citizens by still the same tenants of power, i.e. oversized, over-equipped, over-comfortable private homes.
As a Chrysler employee, I was saddened by your news that we're "dead". I've never been more proud of a group of people than those of us who have pulled together, and are fighting to restore Chrysler.
You get paid to put on makeup and read other peoples’ words into a camera for our amusement. You are nothing more than a marionette. But somehow the opinion of the pedophile scoutmaster from the canteen boy skit carries weight and influences my livlihood. Shut your big overpaid yapper!
Not everybody wants, or can afford a car that needs a new $3000 battery every few years--one whose battery production melts a decent-sized hole in the o-zone, and requires mining of lithium from rainforests. But your carbon footprint looks nice as you drive your little hybrid to your private jet hanger, so you can fly to and from New York to tape your little laugh-tracky sitcom. You're a farce for taking a big Big 3 paycheck to endorse a product that you didn't believe in. On behalf of everyone here at Chrysler and its suppliers, carrying three and four jobs, trying to make it through the economic downturn, because the average guy can’t get a loan to buy a Chrysler (by the way, we’re not dead--we're still fighting), thanks for the dagger. Thanks for kicking us while we're down. Who is more credible--Mr. Baldwin or a tabloid article about Mr. Baldwin?
Shut your big, overpaid yapper.
I'll never understand why people feel like "celebrities" shouldn't voice their opinions about issues.
How many of the 702 comments here are from people who directly work in the auto industry? Probably not many.
Just because one has money doesn't mean that one can't sympathize with those who don't.
Whether I agree with Alec's opinion or not, I think that he (and the other celebrities who speak up for their cause) is brave to do so.
Why all the vile and hate?
I'd like to add my 2 cents in on this one-----Everyone is griping how Detroit (the big 3) did this to themselves and should go under--no more bailouts! Whoaaa, wait a minute here--think about this---Who was gobbling up the big Suburbans, HUmmers, Tahoe's,ect (the gas guzzlers)---who couldn't get them fast enough to haul all those hockey moms and kids around, or the hunters to take off for the weekend 4 wheeling?!
Detroit was making and selling what the people wanted!!! The bigger the better!!! Until gas got crazy, and then GM, Ford, Crysler got beaten to death with a big club and blamed for the problem we created to begin with. We weren't forced to buy these vehicles, we chose to buy them instead of more efficient cars. It was cool to have a SUV by God!
If you had a company, would you sell what people wanted ,or what you thought they should have--of course not, you would sell what people wanted or your business would go under.
The Big 3 deserve to turn things around, and we should back their efforts--we put them in the position they are in now. Typical American crap--blame someone else for what we did!
Exactly. The American public has to share in the "responsibility" for this situation. It really is a long chain of events and problems that date back to the late 60's. Government allowing trade imbalances, OPEC, non-progressive thinking auto industry leadership, antiquated production processes, high cost of living & inflation in America... etc... the list goes on. It's a very complex problem with no easy solution.
Most people have really only been asking the big 3 for trucks and SUV's. So that's what they build. Car companies do not build random vehicles and then "convince" the public to buy them. Supply meets demand. And until gas prices started rising over the last 5 years and people started to finally pay attention to global warming and environmental issues, the majority of the public couldn't have cared less about alternative fuel or more fuel efficiency. The big 3 have been working on Alternative fuel for a long time... you didn't see it because, you didn't ask for it, The oil companies didn't want it, and the the big 3 didn't think they could sell it.
Pretty sharp automobiles in the 60's and 70's especially the GTO. I think they called the GTO a goat or goatly. Not sure. The real issue is that the United States has been attempting to reduce the wages of the United States people from the very moment that they recklessly enacted the NAFTA AND GAFT treaties that totally anialiated the manufacturing force in the United States moving thousands of corporate bossiness's overseas, and to top it all off the United States financed many millionaire's to outsource most jobs to foreign countries to begin with probably with the motive to stabilize democracy in the world, although I believe anyone could reasonably debate whether or not global stability has actually stabilized democracy anywhere globally at least in any benefiting significant manner, and of course the United States governments reasoning for outsourcing jobs doesn't compute when you can actually purchase an American made product cheaper than a foreign made product. This is what the United States automobile industry is trying to do is to reduce wages.
The crisis is never going to end, basically it is an assault against the American worker and no American worker should want to pay an automobile manufacturers to intentionally outsource their job to a foreign country which is going to happen whether they receive financing from the United States or not so yes the automobile industries do need to go under without United States support.
Capitalism has a price and it's always going to be a struggle
It's so easy for you as a wealthy man to sit back and lecture everyone on what should be done...you don't have to worry about where your next meal is coming from or whether you can keep a roof over your head. I live outside of Detroit and I hear and see DAILY what this is doing to people all over this state. Because of the mistakes of "the powers that be" Detroiters are losing everything. In the past month we've had 2 suicides and 1 attempted suicide from people jumping or trying to jump off expressway overpasses. Do you want to know what they had in common? They were all laid off from the Big 3. My father-in-law has been laid off since December. Since then I have watched my in-laws struggle like mad to come up with money for bills. It's so easy, when you don't live in Michigan, to sit back and watch as these companies fall. You don't have a father-in-law out of work, an Uncle who might lose his pension or an Aunt who could get laid off and is putting 2 kids through college and has a husband who is on Medical because he has been sick with something for almost 7 years that doctors can't diagnose. These are all things I have to worry about. So maybe you should try to put yourself in our shoes before you speak about the Big 3 again
Exporting jobs is good for America. Isn't that what Bush said. That's the reason for all this maddness. Move manufacturing to a cheaper labor cost area. The problem with that is it leave us with less money to buy the imported products we originally made. Eventually this path will be to distruction of this country. How long will it take, or is it hear now.
Well the point is it was handholding by congress, and the refusal to be innovative, that led the big three and the UAW to this mess. Just because a rich guy said it doesn't mean the millions of us middle class Americans who drive Japanese cars don't think it also. We have owned three Japanese cars that get a huge amount of gas mileage and we have put 200,000 miles on all three with hardly any problems.
The American way is competition, that was never the way the management of the big three and the UAW.
Read on for a few facts that Mr. Baldwin missed and a bit of analysis on his diatribe:
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/20/alec-baldwin-calls-for-pulling-the-plug-on-detroit-automakers/
Mr Baldwin: The thousands of workers in the auto industry who earn their living honestly should not be the target of your indignation.
Why don't you direct your comments to the responsable for the problems? Every one now wants Detroit to fail........... I am sure that you don't mean for all those thousands of lives and families go to pieces; their only fault was to go to work everyday FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS that the companies had set for them.
Too many people are going to pay for the mistakes of a few really bad leaders.
Paisa from Detroit
why its bad to let the auto companies go under is real for real people, without a doubt. However, when i think of all these scared white people who live in the detriot suburbs (not detriot itself) real people, lets try not to forget their plight.yet, who really should have been keeping a better eye on their investment- ie their job, community, and their environment, must you make 500K+ a year before you are responsible for yours? we Must understand that whether or not we thought being american meant a free pass not pay attention to simple things like bias in industry, history (remember 1980?),Carbon dioxide emissions-IT IN FACT, DOES NOT. you know, the real problem is that we all think we think we get to NOT pay attention. or i'm sorry, was a false flag terror attack, two wars and capitalist market volatility willy/nilly (: KEEPING you distracted?
Baldwin says: "The heads of these corporations did not spend the last thirty years lying in bed each night, sleepless. "
Of course they didn't! Why would Detroit build something the consumers didn't want? IT WAS TRENDS OF THE AMERICAN BUYING PUBLIC. Big cars/trucks dominated because PEOPLE WANTED THEM. People didn't care about safety/polluting. Nobody in Detroit forced anybody into anything. If Ford or Dodge had said, oops, America needs boring econo-cars, what would have happened? They would have been in this position decades ago, everyone would have went and bought GM's cars/trucks. Thats counter-productive to profitable business.
For years WE ignored safety/environment/resources, but across seas they have been in tune with the air/environment/paid 5x more for gas. They have been creating solutions for years. Now Americans are becoming concerned with "green", quality, and luxury. It happened so fast that Detroit couldn't catch up. Blame US!
One question since Alec knows what we NEED: Does HE lie awake at knowing he's NOT advocating what the economy/working class NEEDS? NO! He sleeps well knowing he is promoting job loss of hundreds of thousands of American people. He doesn't care! His "full" pockets protect him.
Better idea: Close Hollywood, make the "stars" get middle class jobs. They tell everyone how to live: conserve, buy/be green, yet they fly on private jets, have 12,000sq/ft. wasteful homes, have lavish, wasteful lives and travels. Hypocrites.
Baldwins article is more suited for the "Onion"
i like! theories and all! haha... ok, here is how you go about forcing stars who seemingly don't care to do as the masses please. socialism. seems like what you're really steamed about is the idea that alec might not care about us because he has money. money he rightfully earned under CAPITALISM- surely ;) you aren't mad that the free market allows him the ability to buy 12,000 sq ft homes and turn your life upside down with the flick of the bank account, ARE YOU?
STOP WATCHING TV
OR appreciate why the free market chose him to have all that money and not you.
but overall, i liked you're ideas.
-blame us
-he writes about it but doesn't really care (i think he cares! what a dumb liberal i am)
-close hollywood
-wasteful lives- i'm sure you've never owned a car getting less than 20 mpg have you! oh no! i'm guessing you're a secret battery storage tech guru actually contributing to society right?
-shame!
-HYPOCRITES -all of us
i really enjoyed this :)
too much
Alec,
Yes. Let Detroit go bankrupt. I think we also should also let California go bankrupt. With educational expenses and social program commitments that dwarf the Big Three's commitments to organized labor, California has made its bed. I hope that not a cent of federal relief goes to California for failing to take into account the shifts in the national economy and what it would do to revenue, just as the Big Three failed to foresee what would happen because of CDO hijinx on Wall Street. Too big to fail? I think not. Perhaps you'll get a functioning state government when it reemerges from bankruptcy. If you don't like the idea of bankruptcy, maybe California could impose a 99% tax on all personal and business property and income in excess of $200,000 to make good on its committments to its citizens. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Detroit is not being left to "go bankrupt". Detroit was propped up with money just like the banks. Both, in my opinon, had/have systemic risk. The banks are getting their acts together. Some, even close to paying the money back. GM just keeps going through the money. At this point, it is good money after bad money. GM needs a plan. A plan that will work. I don't want to see any of the auto makers go out of business, but they need to make their businesses self sustaining. They got the government hand out, they just aren't making it work.
what does Detroit's woes have to do with California? Seriously your post makes no sense. You go on to state, "California has made its bed. I hope that not a cent of federal relief goes to California for failing to take into account the shifts in the national economy and what it would do to revenue..." Your lack of ability to complete a sensical sentence aside, did you ever think of all the "federal aid" from California to most other states. California has a larger tax base than any other state. So, when California is taxed by the feds, the money then goes to small states that do not pay their own way- welfare states. Maybe if California did not have to pay the way for so many small, typically "red states" by paying far more federal taxes than federal monies it receives, it would not be in the mess that it is.
its east ooopps i mean RUST BELT VS WEST!
i happen to like CHAR BOY's idea's
i happen to APPRECIATE the LAST post's FACTS- yes california does pay for a few red states to pretend that they aren't actually socialist HAVENS using tax dollars redistributed from cali. IF john Bayner (minority whip) only played in the real world!
out here in backwards california, my buddy just got HIRED with this AUTO COMPANY, TO ACTUALLY WORK IN AMERICA
its called TESLA motors
and they make CARS
but you rust belt emmigrants stay away from our jobs! we gotta defend our borders! hahaha.
the real reason cali is in such a mess is because it's such a nice place with such nice laws and generous benefits, so everyone came.. duhh.. we had to lock ya'll up and spend half the budget on prisons.
come to san jose, heart of silicon valley and I will watch as i stand you in front of the police dept while you try to persuade them to hand over their 100% -of-salary retirement benefits @ age50
this one is more complex than you allow
but we know what didn't work, bush, clinton, nafta, gingrich revolution, war in iraq war in afghanistan, pretending climate change isn't real.
why isn't that in you're criteria for functioning state government?
oh wait! california IS dealing with that, hmmmm maybe if we didn't have to have a fleet of lawyers to fight DETRIOT to clean up
What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value.
Thomas Paine
When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon.
Thomas Paine
When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary.
Thomas Paine
Mr Baldwin I am still curious on what you have to say about your "offensive" remark/s about FIlipino mail order brides.
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