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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2010 22:34:28 GMT -8
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Post by The Great Aztec Joe on Jul 31, 2010 6:42:24 GMT -8
Fat Cat Republican Management has laid another egg. Only the Japanese under liberal management can build a good car like the Prius. |
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Post by aztecwin on Jul 31, 2010 8:00:41 GMT -8
When we first heard of the Volt, it sounded just so good! When we see the reality and who has funded this joke (us taxpayers) it appears the bloom is off the rose.
I see lots of Prius' on the road and am waiting to see how the Leaf fares.
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Post by AztecWilliam on Jul 31, 2010 11:03:44 GMT -8
There is just one word for this story. . . DEVASTATING! ! ! The stupidity of the Obama administration, and, ultimately, of the ecological/collectivist complex, is laid bare in the sad tale of the Chevy VOLT.
I have been studying the auto industry and its history for many years. There is no better example of gross mismanagement in that field than General Motors. As of the mid '60s, almost all the smaller American manufacturers had disappeared (Packard, Studebaker, Kaiser, Crosley) or been absorbed into the declining American motors (Hudson and Nash). Chrysler had by the end of that decade begun its slow but steady downward slide. Ford was still strong but much less so than GM. The foreign makes, really only VW, had only begun to make noises. The Japanese companies were either unknown or still carried the common punchline of many an American joke in the 1950s . . . MADE IN JAPAN!
GM was king of the hill with 50% or more market share and the ability to do whatever it wanted. But arrogance and isolation from reality set in. Then came the federal safety and mileage mandates, the oil shortages, and the rise of the Japanese. GM has never really been able to rid itself of its hidebound and unresponsive character. Rearranging the chairs on the promenade deck of the Titanic became SOP. In a word, most GM execs were and are clueless. (Check out Brock Yates book, The Decline and Fall of the American Automobile Industry for the dismal details.)
So that's why GM had been intellectually bankrupt for decades before the bankruptcy of 2009 happened. Time to turn to Barack Obama. He took an oath of office that required him to uphold the Constitution and the law of the U.S.A. But in the auto bankruptcy, his administration broke the established laws and procedures so that a favored client, the UAW, would be rewarded at the expense of bond holders who had a legal right to be at the head of the line when company assets were doled out.
Now what will save GM? The Volt? Not a chance. Anybody want to bet that GM will not come crawling to Obama for more bailouts?
Now GM says it will build only 10,000 Volts in 2011 instead of 60,000. Even if they built and sold 60,000, that wouldn't come close to solving the company's problems. They need a car that will sell 600,000 with each one making a profit.
It's hard for me not to become very exercised over this trend. Clearly, those on the Left are either complete liars or are virtually clueless when it comes to economic decisions. They allow their ideological preferences to take precedence over common sense. As hard as it would have been, GM and Chrysler should have been left alone to go through the regular bankruptcy procedures.
Chrysler probably would have been liquidated; a very bitter pill indeed. Still, in the long run the economy would have been better off. GM, simply because of its size, would have survived. (Size is what allowed the Soviet Union to hold on against Hitler whereas the much smaller France fell in weeks. . . it's good to be big; you can give up a lot and still keep your head above water).
If more huge companies are pushed to the brink, do you think that Obama is now going to say, "Let the market determine who wins and who loses"? Not likely, especially if said companies are unionized. The unions are going to come running to DC hoping for a receptive ear in the White House. They will find one.
This is crony capitalism and it will cost this country dearly. We do not have unlimited resources. Every dollar that goes down the rat hole of a moribund GM or Chrysler is not available for a startup that could become the next Apple Computer, Google, or WalMart.
Ideology or the free market? Under Obama, we know which will have more influence over economic decisions.
To our detriment.
AzWm
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Post by AlwaysAnAztec on Aug 2, 2010 9:49:05 GMT -8
When we first heard of the Volt, it sounded just so good! When we see the reality and who has funded this joke (us taxpayers) it appears the bloom is off the rose. I see lots of Prius' on the road and am waiting to see how the Leaf fares. I'm on the waiting list for a Leaf. I can't wait. |
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Post by aztecwin on Aug 2, 2010 12:56:37 GMT -8
When we first heard of the Volt, it sounded just so good! When we see the reality and who has funded this joke (us taxpayers) it appears the bloom is off the rose. I see lots of Prius' on the road and am waiting to see how the Leaf fares. I'm on the waiting list for a Leaf. I can't wait. I really like what I hear about the Leaf so far. |
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Post by Yoda on Aug 6, 2010 18:45:51 GMT -8
There is just one word for this story. . . DEVASTATING! ! ! The stupidity of the Obama administration, and, ultimately, of the ecological/collectivist complex, is laid bare in the sad tale of the Chevy VOLT. AzWm William, you're such an enthusiastic and good-hearted nutcase that it's almost cute. A vehicle that has been in development for, what, 10 years is struggling and it is due to the stupidity of an Obama administration that has been in office for about a year and a half? Oh yeah, and it is the result also of the stupidity of the "ecological / collectivist complex". I never knew that there was such a thing as an "ecological/collectivist complex" -- I'm guessing it is a creation of the right wing blogesphere. No? So how is it that the Volt is a failure of this so called complex while the Leaf is not? Will you be giving the "Obama administration and , ultimately, the ecological/collectivist complex" credit for the success of the Leaf -- assuming that what aztecwin hears of that product turns out to be true? Do they get credit for the Prius? I thought not. Anybody to the left of extreme right exists only to be blamed -- never credited. Here's the deal... There are some incredible technological advances in the works. While they will have political implications, the ideas themselves are apolitical -- every single one of them. Some will pan out and enhance our lives; some, perhaps most, will not. But anything that offers the hope of permanently eliminating our dependence on foreign oil deserves serious consideration. That's a defense issue, every bit as much as it is an environmental one. And it is an economic issue, every bit as much as it is an environmental one. There will be failures along the way, perhaps including the Volt. Perhaps including the Leaf. We should all be disappointed by those failures, but encouraged by the effort and the lessons learned along the way. Don't be manipulated; learn to read that crap critically instead of just accepting it as gospel. There is more computing power in a greeting card today than existed in the world when I was born. The increases in productivity (read: standard of living) that technology has brought are overwhelming and the potential for even greater increases in productivity is right around the corner. This is an exciting time in world history. Enjoy the ride. Don't politicize the little failures along the way. That's just unpatriotic. Yoda out... |
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Post by aztecwin on Aug 7, 2010 6:30:46 GMT -8
There is just one word for this story. . . DEVASTATING! ! ! The stupidity of the Obama administration, and, ultimately, of the ecological/collectivist complex, is laid bare in the sad tale of the Chevy VOLT. AzWm William, you're such an enthusiastic and good-hearted nutcase that it's almost cute. A vehicle that has been in development for, what, 10 years is struggling and it is due to the stupidity of an Obama administration that has been in office for about a year and a half? Oh yeah, and it is the result also of the stupidity of the "ecological / collectivist complex". I never knew that there was such a thing as an "ecological/collectivist complex" -- I'm guessing it is a creation of the right wing blogesphere. No? So how is it that the Volt is a failure of this so called complex while the Leaf is not? Will you be giving the "Obama administration and , ultimately, the ecological/collectivist complex" credit for the success of the Leaf -- assuming that what aztecwin hears of that product turns out to be true? Do they get credit for the Prius? I thought not. Anybody to the left of extreme right exists only to be blamed -- never credited. Here's the deal... There are some incredible technological advances in the works. While they will have political implications, the ideas themselves are apolitical -- every single one of them. Some will pan out and enhance our lives; some, perhaps most, will not. But anything that offers the hope of permanently eliminating our dependence on foreign oil deserves serious consideration. That's a defense issue, every bit as much as it is an environmental one. And it is an economic issue, every bit as much as it is an environmental one. There will be failures along the way, perhaps including the Volt. Perhaps including the Leaf. We should all be disappointed by those failures, but encouraged by the effort and the lessons learned along the way. Don't be manipulated; learn to read that crap critically instead of just accepting it as gospel. There is more computing power in a greeting card today than existed in the world when I was born. The increases in productivity (read: standard of living) that technology has brought are overwhelming and the potential for even greater increases in productivity is right around the corner. This is an exciting time in world history. Enjoy the ride. Don't politicize the little failures along the way. That's just unpatriotic. Yoda out... Stop and get your dress back down from over your head. This is not about the development itself other than it is too expensive and not the machine we imagined or were led to believe. It is that Obama got us taxpayers to fund it. That is the main point. You point out that we have some great thing in the wings under development. I agree and hope this whole Volt thing does work out for us taxpayers. It will be a tough slog since it is overpriced and has been trumped by the Leaf already. |
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Post by uwaztec on Aug 7, 2010 9:25:01 GMT -8
William, you're such an enthusiastic and good-hearted nutcase that it's almost cute. A vehicle that has been in development for, what, 10 years is struggling and it is due to the stupidity of an Obama administration that has been in office for about a year and a half? Oh yeah, and it is the result also of the stupidity of the "ecological / collectivist complex". I never knew that there was such a thing as an "ecological/collectivist complex" -- I'm guessing it is a creation of the right wing blogesphere. No? So how is it that the Volt is a failure of this so called complex while the Leaf is not? Will you be giving the "Obama administration and , ultimately, the ecological/collectivist complex" credit for the success of the Leaf -- assuming that what aztecwin hears of that product turns out to be true? Do they get credit for the Prius? I thought not. Anybody to the left of extreme right exists only to be blamed -- never credited. Here's the deal... There are some incredible technological advances in the works. While they will have political implications, the ideas themselves are apolitical -- every single one of them. Some will pan out and enhance our lives; some, perhaps most, will not. But anything that offers the hope of permanently eliminating our dependence on foreign oil deserves serious consideration. That's a defense issue, every bit as much as it is an environmental one. And it is an economic issue, every bit as much as it is an environmental one. There will be failures along the way, perhaps including the Volt. Perhaps including the Leaf. We should all be disappointed by those failures, but encouraged by the effort and the lessons learned along the way. Don't be manipulated; learn to read that crap critically instead of just accepting it as gospel. There is more computing power in a greeting card today than existed in the world when I was born. The increases in productivity (read: standard of living) that technology has brought are overwhelming and the potential for even greater increases in productivity is right around the corner. This is an exciting time in world history. Enjoy the ride. Don't politicize the little failures along the way. That's just unpatriotic. Yoda out... Stop and get your dress back down from over your head. This is not about the development itself other than it is too expensive and not the machine we imagined or were led to believe. It is that Obama got us taxpayers to fund it. That is the main point. You point out that we have some great thing in the wings under development. I agree and hope this whole Volt thing does work out for us taxpayers. It will be a tough slog since it is overpriced and has been trumped by the Leaf already. Actually Win...you did miss the point of a great post by Yoda. Technology and the World economy are changing rapidly (and need to). We are slogging through tough times, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and we need "glass half full" people in the public and on the development side. I think guys like you get caught up in the Far right mantra of how bad things are. Remember, certain people are making boat loads of money keeping that mantra going. If you want to believe guys who cry on TV about George Washington, spend a lot of time trying to convince you that Teddy Roosevelt was a socialist and have selective revisionist history about our past.....fine. I consider them anti-American. In singling out Beck, remember that the founders of his religion (Joseph Smith and Brigham Young) both tried to run for the US presidency to create a Morman state. If you want to get so paranoid about Obama, where he was born etc. Why not Beck.... who's FLDS brethren still practice abuse of 13-14 year old girls and have been ripping off the federal government for food stamps and subsidies for 100 years...... |
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Post by aztecwin on Aug 7, 2010 9:37:24 GMT -8
Stop and get your dress back down from over your head. This is not about the development itself other than it is too expensive and not the machine we imagined or were led to believe. It is that Obama got us taxpayers to fund it. That is the main point. You point out that we have some great thing in the wings under development. I agree and hope this whole Volt thing does work out for us taxpayers. It will be a tough slog since it is overpriced and has been trumped by the Leaf already. Actually Win...you did miss the point of a great post by Yoda. Technology and the World economy are changing rapidly (and need to). We are slogging through tough times, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and we need "glass half full" people in the public and on the development side. I think guys like you get caught up in the Far right mantra of how bad things are. Remember, certain people are making boat loads of money keeping that mantra going. If you want to believe guys who cry on TV about George Washington, spend a lot of time trying to convince you that Teddy Roosevelt was a socialist and have selective revisionist history about our past.....fine. I consider them anti-American. In singling out Beck, remember that the founders of his religion (Joseph Smith and Brigham Young) both tried to run for the US presidency to create a Morman state. If you want to get so paranoid about Obama, where he was born etc. Why not Beck.... who's FLDS brethren still practice abuse of 13-14 year old girls and have been ripping off the federal government for food stamps and subsidies for 100 years...... I did not miss Yoda's point on advances in technology. In fact I agreed and commented. I have never made a comment about Beck as far as I can remember and I am also one who views LDS as more or less a cult. I get it if you do not see Obama as a threat. I happen to think he is very destructive. In another thread I point out that his administration has made some shady back door reparations payments and am waiting to see if anyone can refute that idea. |
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