5th Mar 2009, 23:35
I too am baffled by the American consumer wanting to buy SUVs. They are a waste of natural resources and dangerous to other vehicles. But I can't bring myself to say they are a "rip off." The fact is people buy them because they want them. The auto companies offer much more sensible choices at lower cost. I feel like the auto companies are living up to that as an obligation, if indeed it is an obligation. And also, it is no secret what the SUVs are and what the mark up costs are.
I am equally baffled at what a nice sensible sized car the Toyota Camry was 15 years ago, versus the oversized pig it has become now. But it is the same with all the "family cars" both foreign and domestic. The last car I bought, I really wanted something 500 pounds lighter and 2 inches narrower and 10 inches shorter than what I ended up with. But all the smaller cars from every manufacturer, except the unreliable Europeans, don't have the nicer features.
Back when the Ford Explorer came out, my brother really wanted one. But deep down he knew that really it was a Ford Ranger pickup with a fancy cab on the back. So he bought the Ford Ranger.
It doesn't really make sense to criticize Ford, GM or Chrysler for making vehicles that people want to buy. That is their business after all and there is still no law against making a profit.
All I can really bring myself to think is, God bless all you people who spent $15,000 more than necessary just so you could pay the health care benefits and retiree pensions for union workers. The only thing I can really think of as unfair is all the regular workers in other industries that worked just as hard and have not enjoyed the same plush benefits that UAW workers have had.
The recent collapse of the car market has practically nothing to do with the auto makers themselves. It has to do with near criminal behavior by financial companies, politicians, bad government policies and common people getting sucked into land speculation. The billions the car companies have been tinkering with are small potatoes compared to the trillions in corruption and waste that was going on while in the financial markets when no one seemed to notice, not even our vaunted "free press."
I am interested in what you have to say about the "rip off" by the auto companies. I agree with some of what you say and the exchange is thought provoking.
5th Mar 2009, 20:08
If the U.S. auto industry doesn't survive, neither will the country as a whole. One of every 14 jobs in the U.S. is related directly or indirectly to the U.S. auto industry. A great example is parts provider Delphi, which was just bailed out by GM with part of ITS bail out money. Many false ideas are costing the U.S. dearly every day, and driving the entire country to the brink of bankruptcy. One of those ideas (promoted by import dealers) is that if a vehicle is built in the U.S., it is the same as buying a domestic. NOT TRUE. Only 9% of auto related jobs in the U.S. are tied to imports. That leaves 91% that ARE NOT. Also, only 1% of auto related jobs are supported by foreign auto makers. That means that 99% of indirectly related jobs are NOT supported in ANY WAY by any foreign auto company. That's 99 to 1 in favor of helping OUR OWN country by buying domestic products.
As for 50% taxes, I got a kick out of that. Studies have shown that the country with the HAPPIEST people is Norway. Its tax rate? 55%. Norway provides ALL its citizens (not just the wealthy) cradle-to-grave health care and free education for every child THROUGH COLLEGE. I'd gladly pay 50% of my income to be free of the stress of knowing I might be left to die outside an emergency room for lack of insurance, and with our outrageous college costs you'd come out better at a 50% tax rate. People want a free ride. They want roads, police, fire protection, etc., but don't want to pay for it.
If you REALLY want to see high taxes, just wait until the U.S. auto industry folds and 1 out of every 14 workers in the country are put out of work. With the resultant double-digit increase in our already high unemployment, just where are the necessary taxes coming from? Those of us who will (hopefully) still be working will have our taxes tripled to make up the losses. There won't be any other alternatives.