1st Apr 2010, 09:57
I agree if imports offered benefits and eliminated low pay on vehicles manufactured in America. I think the Fusion is pretty sharp, and a nicer car than our last new Hondas.
1st Apr 2010, 19:51
The sad part is you are right. American companies are unable to find a balance between profitability and efficiency. They just can't seem to make things work using American workers. This is why you do pay a premium for more American cars these days. The problem is union workers and these ridiculous packages they are getting. They are well paid while they work, and should be responsible enough to invest and plan for retirement, and not ride on a company to keep paying them after they are retired. This is much of the reason these companies outsource and pay foreign workers less money. I am sure they don't have fat pension packages either.
We all want a free ride, and the most money we can squeeze out of the company we work for, but at what point do the consequences of such actions make you think that there should be another way, so future generations can thrive as yours has?
2nd Apr 2010, 21:58
Why not do away with social security next? I also feel environmental impact OSHA issues and health care are factors. Eliminating benefits and pay down to the point where workers can barely afford rent is making America pretty sad. As long as you've got the cheapest in your personal driveway, who cares; right?
3rd Apr 2010, 11:20
Why not be responsible and invest your pay wisely while you earn it instead of expecting a company to pay you for nothing for the rest of your life after you work? Imagine owning a company that works like that. Every year say 100 people retire. You pay them a percentage of their salary...maybe 60% or so. Now think 10 years down the road when you are suddenly paying 1,000 people 60% of their salary and getting NO RETURN on that investment. How could you survive? You couldn't, which is why the car companies are looking to bypass this scenario by building factories in other countries so they can pay people without going broke. There are people that claim this practice is preserving American jobs, but won't that tide turn eventually?
This is why the U.S. is where it is today. Everyone wants everything whether they earn it or not. Social security is paid by you so you earned it. Everyone should have decent health care, but does it have to be the highest premium package? If the auto workers can "barely afford rent" then they are making unwise decisions with their income, or they might have wanted to try a different route to prosperity. It's too bad that every last person can't have an Ipod and a $400 cell phone. We've become too used to getting everything handed to us in this country. Pay attention though, because China will soon own most of the U.S. at the rate we're going, and then you can take up your gripes with them... good luck.
4th Apr 2010, 12:56
I have worked for a foreign based company and have a pension here. I feel entitled to it no less so than if it was a domestic one.
5th Apr 2010, 13:42
What if the individuals with foreign corporations based here with large pensions buy a couple new Lexus when they retire? Or a new Mercedes depends on the caliber of the compensation and benefit package that was negotiated at the time. Plus the continuing education reimbursement I received over years of night school.
6th Apr 2010, 17:38
I'm sorry, but I think continually paying people after they have retired is a ridiculous practice overall. You should be smarter with your money while you are viable and marketable, and you should not expect to get money for nothing when you are no longer useful to the company you once worked for. I'm not sure who started these deals with their employees, but economically it just doesn't make sense, as it has been proven time and again by large corporations failing from too much overhead.
If a company pays you to sit home and enjoy your retirement, and they get literally 0% of a return on their investment, then how can they survive? I guess it is easier for some people to ride the system and take whatever they can for free. Too bad for the rest of us though huh? I know I'll hear the words "deserve" and "earned", but what do you really deserve and what have you earned so much that you should get paid forever for it??
Remember, someone has to pay for these package deals, and the company usually tries to pass the costs along to their customers. American cars are a good example, as they are pretty overpriced for what you get against many of their competitors. The U.S. can no longer afford its own workers, and the continual increase in outsourcing of labor and services is the hard evidence of this truth. I'd rather re-evaluate my saving strategy and be responsible for myself today, than drive another corporation into bankruptcy or force more jobs out of the U.S. because of my overblown pension package.
7th Apr 2010, 21:19
Worked for many years until the Internet and cheap labor overseas lowered the quality of life for future retirees.
8th Apr 2010, 07:48
I suspect you work at a company that does not offer any or little benefits or pension. My whole purpose of borrowing and repaying considerable education loans was to work at a great company with such benefits. I have certainly bought many new vehicles as a result of hard work and sacrifices, attaining an advanced degree.
8th Apr 2010, 10:48
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steven@carsurvey.org
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I'm locking this thread to new comments. Several people here are taking things back to the bad old days of lengthy repetitive discussions about politics and globalisation. There are better places on the Internet for those sorts of discussions. Please try to stick to talking about specific cars, rather than promoting your particular political views.
Steven Jackson, CSDO Media Limited.
1st Apr 2010, 09:44
And if they didn't outsource, far too many American companies would be bankrupt. Where would that leave the American workers?
I suggest a book to read: Mary Walton: Car, an American workplace experience. (Or something like that)
After that you will appreciate corporate penny pinching.