26th Nov 2010, 14:07

And why can't you see that supporting these lame businesses is what got our economy in the toilet in the first place? You wouldn't be going on about 90% of workers, this, that and the other thing, if the domestic auto industry had been running efficient operations that didn't overpay their workers and drive themselves into bankruptcy court. If they could truly compete, then this wouldn't even be a discussion. To say buying a Toyota hurts 90% of the auto workers doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. How does this hurt them? Does it force the domestics to outsource yet more jobs? How about the guy who got laid off by GM closing a plant and then hired by Toyota. Was he hurt from someone buying an import?

Also, I don't care what government funded source you believe is the word of God when it comes to economics and the auto industry. It is physically impossible to continue to outsource jobs to other countries and save jobs here at the same time. Take a ride through Detroit sometime. You know, the city that your coveted domestic auto companies built up so many decades ago. They have all but left it in ruins, to go to Canada and Mexico, and build up their communities in order to save a buck on labor. Tell the people looking at boarded up neighborhoods and businesses that the big three care about their livelihood.

The auto industry has dominated this country as far as employment and now we rely way too much on it. The CEO's went to great lengths to rake in the dough with crappy products that did nothing to help our economy or our environment. They started the whole SUV craze, making us so much more reliant on foreign oil, all in the name of profits. They did nothing to prepare for the day when those same foreigners would jack the price of oil to the point where we couldn't afford to drive the behemoths they spewed out for us to drive. They did nothing to try to better themselves until it was too late... and it is still too late. The Chevy Volt is just another ridiculous, overpriced, overhyped car that you can buy a better version of from many other companies for $15K less.

Import car companies are better period, end of story. To waste money on inferior products that cost more to buy and definitely more to own just doesn't make sense to me, just because it is an American company. We pay enough in taxes and other charges in life for the great American way. I am sick of wasting money on inefficient businesses that can't make a decent profit the right way, without sending more and more jobs out of the country they supposedly support so much. Blind support has been the great American way for decades, which is why these companies continue to exist, and it is also why the government is in the negatively controlling position they are in.

But keep thinking that Chevy in your driveway is really changing anything though... really.

26th Nov 2010, 17:48

This same argument have been mentioned on this site forever. This has been countered with the fact that while buying a car that has a domestic name plate will help US workers, the EXACT same can easily be said for those who choose to buy a Toyota, Honda, Nissan, or even a BMW or Mercedes manufactured in the USA. Do these workers not count? If so, then please explain - and no, the argument that sending money to foreign CEOS so they can ride around in their yachts isn't a good point.

Look at it this way: NONE of the major jet plane manufactures use components exclusively from any one country. A good case in point are the jet engine makers for commercial jets. GE and Rolls Royce are the two largest manufactures of these engines. Boeing, Airbus, and others use both brands, and sometimes both brands interchangeably. Thus while there might be lots of Boeings out there, are they any less American if they have a Rolls Royce engine under the hood?

Likewise, the modern American and Japanese car is a cornucopia of domestic and foreign parts and components. They are designed and built in studios, engineering facilities and plants around the world. Buick just released the new Riviera. It's actually an Opel imported from Germany. It's actually a really nice car that handles great. But if you want to talk about cars benefiting American workers, how would a German made imported Buick be superior to an American made Camry? The argument falls completely flat because if the argument is that ALL domestic cars help the everyday US worker, then it doesn't work in this comparison... thus perhaps only SOME domestic cars truly benefit US workers? Almost every car today is comprised of global components.

At the end of the day - buy what you want. All car makers make cars that appeal to different people for different reasons. There are some cars that the 3 domestic automakers produce these days that are genuinely good cars. I would love to own a Chevy Cruze, a new Camaro, or a new Cadillac CTS. But on the other hand, I love the new Lexus lineup, the Toyota Tacoma, and the Honda Accord. It's my choice. Choice is good. It means you and I get to choose from the best of what any company has to offer, because they are competing against each other. If there were no competition, we would get shoddy products.