The Real Generation X

Check out the latest column by the New York Times’ Thomas Friedman… he looks at the bailouts and economic stimulus and gives a quick take on where he thinks it should be focused and how it will be viewed down the line…

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/opinion/07friedman.html

Please stop this bailout INSANITY!

Watching the discussion in D.C. this week about bailing out the “big three” auto makers is really killing me.  Their problems are NOT simply due to the economic downturn.  Toyota, Honda and others are also being strained by slower sales, but they are not on the verge of meltdown.  Why?  Because they have been smart and have build better cars that are safer and more fuel efficient.  That is the real reason why Detroit is now in dire straights.  They have mismanaged the big three automakers for decades.

I do not want all of those auto workers to lose their jobs.  It is not their fault that this is happening.  But just throwing $25 Billion MORE at these companies isn’t going to solve the problem.  Lets not forget that they were just asking for a similar cash infusion to retool their lineups what, two months ago?  I think the only way you solve this is to have them go into some sort of bankruptcy with receivership where the government can keep those jobs from disappearing, but at the same time can control exactly what is happening whithin the comapny’s management.

When FDR faced WWII, he went to the automakers and told them they needed to start producting planes and tanks instead of cars.  If they were able to make that sort of dramatic retrofit work, then certainly they can get past this.  That’s if the senseless management teams don’t get in the way, which is where I believe the government needs to step in to save these jobs and save these companies from themselves.

Just thinking…

Tom Friedman: We Need “Overwhelming Force” To Green The Economy

Tom Friedman’s take on issues surrounding the “greening” of our economy, and Obama’s role in getting the ball rolling here in the USA.  In case you don’t know who he is, Friedman is an author and writer for the New York Times.  Click the image to read the article…