American Cars

I've heard reasonable arguments from smart people on either side of the "should we bail out the autos" debate, and I unfortunately suffer from the affliction of being heavily influenced by the last person to leave the room, so my jury's out.

That said, the way the autos are treating their crisis, compared to the high finance folks of two months ago, is a stunning display of a difference of opinion on what tone to take when asking for billions of dollars. When it turned out that most of our money wasn't really money, banking collectively had its tail between its legs, as it should have. Their irresponsibility had caught up with them, they knew it, and at least to a degree they admitted it. The honesty of a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar isn't the best kind of honesty, but it's better than what we're getting from the auto companies, who are blaming most of this on the credit crunch and their labor contracts, despite years of getting consistently outsold by Honda and Toyota's line of better and more fuel-efficient small cars. It's just not the proper 'tude for someone asking for this much money.

Furthermore, I can't imagine what popular support for this bailout would look like if we removed the myth of the American car from the equation -- a myth that frankly anyone my age and under is only familiar with via Brett Michaels from Poison singing about getting dirty talk at the drive-in in the old man's Ford. (If you want to know how ridiculous the fetishization of the American car sounds to anyone who never lived it, check out "'92 Subaru" by Fountains of Wayne and observe how silly it the myth sounds with Japanese cars. And that is NOT a reason to support the bailout, BTW.)

Anyways, we wanted to make a song describing our thoughts and unease on the auto bailout's inseparability of our inflated notion of American glory associated with our automotive industry in the very style of the 70's power-pop songs that helped create the notion itself. Enjoy "In the Backs of American Cars."

Click the player to hear the song.

In the Backs of American Cars

In the backs of American cars, under the seatbelts and under the stars
The Michigan steel grows a grey hair, and catches a break on its bus fare
In the backs of most of our minds, some things are worth saving, or leaving behind
On American roads that they took here, on the fetishization of last year

The old rusty gears were rotting for years but they only bring it in when it breaks
It'll move right along, driving straight on, ignoring the squeals and the sputters and shakes
When the mouth of the mitten opens up for a hand and it draws it's penultimate breath
In the backs of American cars lurching forward to death

I've never been at the drive-in in the old man's Ford, or flown in a Phantom with suicide doors
But the radio says that it's lovely, I can't foot the bill on the memory
So if old dying dogs won't learn new tricks, it might that's pointless to fix
From an era no longer golden, tarnished by interests to which it's beholden
The rims keep on rolling

The old rusty gears were rotting for years but they only bring it in when it breaks
It'll move right along, driving straight on, ignoring the squeals and the sputters and shakes
When the mouth of the mitten opens up for a hand and it draws it's penultimate breath
In the backs of American cars lurching forward to death

In the backs of American cars, they're asking if we've got any left
In the backs of American cars, slowly lurching forward to death

Max and the Marginalized are a band and a blog. We do a song every week on the Huffington Post, all 57 of which are available for download here at our site. Add us on Facebook or MySpace.

Read More:
Should the Government Bail Out the Big Three U.S. Automakers? HuffPost Bloggers Weigh In

Follow Max and the Marginalized on Twitter: www.twitter.com/maxmarginal

Comments

[Motorboy]

Auto industry bailouts haven't worked in the past. Think British Leyland and, more recently (sort of), Rover. Total and absolute wastes of money.

The issue is a complex one, to be sure. High labor costs aren't necessarily a problem. BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Volkswagen and Opel all have high labor costs, and they're doing just fine. The key is basically this: you have to build a good car. That is the crux of the problem.

American car makers give us bloated, bland, wasteful and inefficient vehicles that don't really do anything except go in a straight line while using a lot of gas in the process. There are a few interesting and good cars from Ford and GM, but I can't think of any that I would buy. And I don't seem to be alone in that view.

[biskitdaddy]

From reading some of the blogs posted on this subject, most want to keep the automakers afloat because we may need them in case of war, so they can manufacture tanks and other land vehicles. What most fail to understand is that mechanized war is becoming obsolete. What does a country need with machines and boots on the ground when they can kill hundreds of thousands with one bomb? Most countries either have this technology or can get access to it on the black market; building excessive amounts of vehicles and transporting them tens of thousands of miles is no longer relevant not to mention a logistics nightmare.

One other thing: stop blaming SUV's for the fuel problem when when people are flying between cities less than 500 miles apart. We're wasting MILLIONS of gallons of fuel every day when we should be installing high speed rail; the U.S. is so behind the rest of the industrialized world on this it's rediculous.

[BuckeyeGal]

Then how are so many of our men and women in uniform getting injured or killed on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan??
And if I'm not mistaken, those tanks we rolled through to Bahgdad were not simply figments of the imagination.

[QuietLightTraveler]

I havnt owned an americn car in 30 years, basivcally because the japanese and european cars offered better quality for the money. However, despite their arrogance and laying blame on others
I think that it's important to try to keep manufacturing in this country. I have much less sympathy for banks. If it were not for the fact that the failure of the financial sector affects credit available to other businesses I would seriously oppose bailing out banks. Based on their greed and irresponsibility, they don't deserve any help. This whole thing makes one wonder what kind of financial system we have. I thought it was capitalism. I don't iknow what it is now that Government is going to bail out all these businesses. No one ever bails me out whenn I get in trouble. I'm in trouble with the IRS because my ex wife stole money that I had set aside for taxes and now I (only) was saddled with that debt. The IRS isn't giving me a brake Our goveernment would help arrogant people flying to meetings in corporate jets but wouldn't give a poor shlep like me a brake. They will bleed me until I go hungry.

[Heyman]

I'm waiting for the air compressed French van and automobile to hit the U.S. markets. When that day comes? I'll trade in my Prius.

[TimmySlagle]

Better get ready to replace the batteries!

Because I don't think you're EVER going to see a compressed air vehicle in the US, they're so light that they can't pass the safety requirements.

Anyway, I don't see the benefit of a compressed air vehicle. Most air compressors are powered by electricity, which produces more CO2 per BTU delivered, than gasoline.

[TimmySlagle]

" auto companies, who are blaming most of this on the credit crunch and their labor contracts, despite years of getting consistently outsold by Honda and Toyota's line of better and more fuel-efficient small cars."

That's not exactly correct. The credit crunch HAS affected the Japanese automakers, Toyota profits are down 50%.

Meanwhile, labor costs are the reason why the Japanese can make a better small car, since economy cars have a very small profit margin. American manufacturers focused on the larger vehicles, because the cost of shipping a large vehicle from Japan puts the final price more in line with the US (Toyota Tundra notwithstanding).

[mergina]

Have the oil companies bail out American car companies. They have the most to gain from the gas guzzling pieces of crap they have spewed out year after year after year.

[Business]

bailout everyone

[BobinPgh]

Maybe the reason for that is: Would you actually WANT to work on an automobile assembly line? Putting 1 part in 1 place for 8 hours a day would drive me crazy after half an hour! When you hear of someone who works there it is because of the pay and the union benefits and they "have to feed their family". Well, these high paying jobs enabled people to have too-large families so their family always is in a financial struggle. As bad as losing a job is, many people may finally have the chance to do the type of work they like better. Beside's isn't America too car dependent anyway? Think of how much money a family could save if it were possible to have only 1 car, or even better - oh, horrors for the automakers! - no car at all!

[Andysan]

The current crisis in the American automobile industry is far more serious than many think. From the point of a union person (Carpenter, Steel Worker, Teacher), the very future of the UAW is at risk. If the auto companies have to declare bankruptcy, the UAW is history. With the economy in deep trouble, the only thing that can save the auto industry (they write the paychecks) is a massive bailout. No bailout, no auto industry and thus no more UAW. The UAW is in such danger that I'm sure the Democrats in Congress have their staffers huddled with union reps right now trying to craft some kind of bailout that keeps the companies in business and therefore keeps the union jobs. The significant concessions the union has already given do not kick i n until 2010, so they are not an issue.

It is pointless to dwell on who makes the most efficient car or who takes company jets to meetings. What matters now is how can the big three make autos that will sell and still provide a margin sufficient to cover union wages and benefits. It was easy to cover those costs when selling large PU trucks and SUVs -- in fact that was the only way to cover the costs. Little, fuel efficient cars simply do not provide enough profit margin for Detroit to cover manufacturing costs.

It is not just the UAW that is in trouble here -- many other unions will go down with them.

[motoGpifupleez]

There was a trend toward more fuel efficient autos in the late 70's/early 80's and then a curious thing happened. I lay the blame directly at Chryslers doorstep. In 1982 they ran an ad for their Dodge Charger 2.2 showing that it was quicker 0-60 the the V8 equipped Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro Z28. How did Ford and Chevy respond? Did they develop a fire-breathing, 4 cylinder, front wheel drive car of their own? No. They They chose to up the horsepower of their existing designs and commence an arms race that saw both companies pursue power numbers at the expense of fuel numbers. They were, of course, helped by a government that treated the idea of better fuel milage like the plague. So we are where we are, lagging behind the Japanese and Europeans and begging the government to help. Funny how when they need money they're willing to have governmental action. As far as the military production goes, that procedes just fine on it's own. In fact, that's the only industry in this nation that isn't hurting.

[christiangulliksen]

Only you can use words like "fetishization" and "penultimate" without making it sound pretentious. Good job, Max.

[ageless]

The Auto makers did this to themselves when they killed the EV 1. I never saw a real EV 1. Only saw the EV 1 on my CPU, but I learned there were people begging for the EV1. These people were egnored. Those that had possessed an EV 1, tried to keep the car but were forced to give them up. If the Auto makers really want to save themselves, A new EV (1) 2 would do that for them, but they want to keep the oil cpmpanies on their side. They want to be saved? Let them save themselves. The Lord helps them that helps themselves.

[customgreen]

Just because you see something on your computer does not mean it is viable. Just because you read a few posts about people screaming that they want something does not mean they will buy it. In manufacturing you cannot take chances. You have to spend wisely. Have the domestics spent wisely? Up to three years ago, yes. They were manking money and producing cars that consumers wanted. Did they look to the future? NO! Did they get lazy? Yes! Are they paying the price for that? Yes! Will they change? Yes! Do we need a domestic auto industry? HELL YES! Who do you think makes tanks? Humvees? and thousands of other military applications? Who do you think makes parts for the space shuttle? It is not just cars, it is much more. Do you want your military products made by Japan? Korea? Germany?

[therealredstateblues]

What I find disturbing is so much anti US worker, anti labor, anti US industry sentiment on a suposedly LEFT leaning site.

cripes i see more pro american worker pro american industry on the right wing sites

there are an awful lot of mistaken ideas about how the auto industry works qand opinions here from folks who know little about it floating around out there and myths about american autos that frankly are so 1980s