Monday June 1, 2009, 7:43 am
I agree Carol, a thief is a thief by any name and the Rat is amongst the worst!! I knew Obama would not be any different than previous administrations.....just a license to steal from the people and they all do!!
Sadly noted!!

Monday June 1, 2009, 7:54 am

When I read this in my email this morning, I wanted to punch the monitor.

Months ago, I submitted an article -- "Financial Elite Have No Shame" and it just keeps repeatedly being proven.

Monday June 1, 2009, 7:54 am
Greed is going to bankrupt this country. These corporate executives need to be thoroughly investigated. No bank should be allowed to become so big that they are immune to failure at our expense.

Monday June 1, 2009, 8:02 am

I grew up in a blue collar town (Canton, Ohio), where the majority of my friends' fathers (and their sons, and their grandsons) made a decent living working in steel mills and roller bearing factories, and all other sorts of jobs related to the auto industry.

These people NEED their pensions, as many of them have worked there for many years and have few other marketable skills; and with unemployment looming, could feel some small solace that -- at least -- they will be taken care of at retirement.

It's small wonder that the government is suddenly afraid of right-wingers becoming radicalized!

Monday June 1, 2009, 8:05 am
What, worry about workers ?

"Some pigs are more equal than others" !

Monday June 1, 2009, 8:22 am
I know that things change over time, but I remember with fondness the days when even a factory worker could go to work for a company after graduating from high school and earn a living good enough to buy a decent little home, raise a family without both parents having to work, have health insurance and actually take the family on a two week vacation each year.

But over the last 20 years, the rich have found ways to get richer while the average Joe and Jane have to both work more hours with less disposable income, having to work much longer before even considering retiring and live with the fear of a health care crisis that will bankrupt them and leave them on the streets.

As the rich get richer, the ones actually doing the work they profit from continue to get screwed. I think it was was Warren Buffet who said If there is a Class War MY side is winning . ...

Monday June 1, 2009, 8:28 am
 
Michael Moore has also weighed in on this issue:  Goodbye, GM.  It's a worthwhile read for anyone who is interested (or who wants to post it as news -- hint, hint).
 

Monday June 1, 2009, 8:42 am
I grew up in Detroit - "Motor City" "Motown" and this is indeed the death blow for many connected to the automotive industry. My one buddy worked for Ford and retired before this industry came crashing down. The city and state of Michigan have been hard hit, financially, by the automotive and related industry - GM, Chrysler, Ford.
__________

Here is a note from Michael Moore which came in this morning's mail: copied & pasted verbatim:

Goodbye, GM ...by Michael Moore

Goodbye, GM
by Michael Moore

June 1, 2009

I write this on the morning of the end of the once-mighty General Motors. By high noon, the President of the United States will have made it official: General Motors, as we know it, has been totaled.

As I sit here in GM's birthplace, Flint, Michigan, I am surrounded by friends and family who are filled with anxiety about what will happen to them and to the town. Forty percent of the homes and businesses in the city have been abandoned. Imagine what it would be like if you lived in a city where almost every other house is empty. What would be your state of mind?

It is with sad irony that the company which invented "planned obsolescence" -- the decision to build cars that would fall apart after a few years so that the customer would then have to buy a new one -- has now made itself obsolete. It refused to build automobiles that the public wanted, cars that got great gas mileage, were as safe as they could be, and were exceedingly comfortable to drive. Oh -- and that wouldn't start falling apart after two years. GM stubbornly fought environmental and safety regulations. Its executives arrogantly ignored the "inferior" Japanese and German cars, cars which would become the gold standard for automobile buyers. And it was hell-bent on punishing its unionized workforce, lopping off thousands of workers for no good reason other than to "improve" the short-term bottom line of the corporation. Beginning in the 1980s, when GM was posting record profits, it moved countless jobs to Mexico and elsewhere, thus destroying the lives of tens of thousands of hard-working Americans. The glaring stupidity of this policy was that, when they eliminated the income of so many middle class families, who did they think was going to be able to afford to buy their cars? History will record this blunder in the same way it now writes about the French building the Maginot Line or how the Romans cluelessly poisoned their own water system with lethal lead in its pipes.

So here we are at the deathbed of General Motors. The company's body not yet cold, and I find myself filled with -- dare I say it -- joy. It is not the joy of revenge against a corporation that ruined my hometown and brought misery, divorce, alcoholism, homelessness, physical and mental debilitation, and drug addiction to the people I grew up with. Nor do I, obviously, claim any joy in knowing that 21,000 more GM workers will be told that they, too, are without a job.

But you and I and the rest of America now own a car company! I know, I know -- who on earth wants to run a car company? Who among us wants $50 billion of our tax dollars thrown down the rat hole of still trying to save GM? Let's be clear about this: The only way to save GM is to kill GM. Saving our precious industrial infrastructure, though, is another matter and must be a top priority. If we allow the shutting down and tearing down of our auto plants, we will sorely wish we still had them when we realize that those factories could have built the alternative energy systems we now desperately need. And when we realize that the best way to transport ourselves is on light rail and bullet trains and cleaner buses, how will we do this if we've allowed our industrial capacity and its skilled workforce to disappear?

Thus, as GM is "reorganized" by the federal government and the bankruptcy court, here is the plan I am asking President Obama to implement for the good of the workers, the GM communities, and the nation as a whole. Twenty years ago when I made "Roger & Me," I tried to warn people about what was ahead for General Motors. Had the power structure and the punditocracy listened, maybe much of this could have been avoided. Based on my track record, I request an honest and sincere consideration of the following suggestions:

1. Just as President Roosevelt did after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the President must tell the nation that we are at war and we must immediately convert our auto factories to factories that build mass transit vehicles and alternative energy devices. Within months in Flint in 1942, GM halted all car production and immediately used the assembly lines to build planes, tanks and machine guns. The conversion took no time at all. Everyone pitched in. The fascists were defeated.

We are now in a different kind of war -- a war that we have conducted against the ecosystem and has been conducted by our very own corporate leaders. This current war has two fronts. One is headquartered in Detroit. The products built in the factories of GM, Ford and Chrysler are some of the greatest weapons of mass destruction responsible for global warming and the melting of our polar icecaps. The things we call "cars" may have been fun to drive, but they are like a million daggers into the heart of Mother Nature. To continue to build them would only lead to the ruin of our species and much of the planet.

The other front in this war is being waged by the oil companies against you and me. They are committed to fleecing us whenever they can, and they have been reckless stewards of the finite amount of oil that is located under the surface of the earth. They know they are sucking it bone dry. And like the lumber tycoons of the early 20th century who didn't give a damn about future generations as they tore down every forest they could get their hands on, these oil barons are not telling the public what they know to be true -- that there are only a few more decades of useable oil on this planet. And as the end days of oil approach us, get ready for some very desperate people willing to kill and be killed just to get their hands on a gallon can of gasoline.

President Obama, now that he has taken control of GM, needs to convert the factories to new and needed uses immediately.

2. Don't put another $30 billion into the coffers of GM to build cars. Instead, use that money to keep the current workforce -- and most of those who have been laid off -- employed so that they can build the new modes of 21st century transportation. Let them start the conversion work now.

3. Announce that we will have bullet trains criss-crossing this country in the next five years. Japan is celebrating the 45th anniversary of its first bullet train this year. Now they have dozens of them. Average speed: 165 mph. Average time a train is late: under 30 seconds. They have had these high speed trains for nearly five decades -- and we don't even have one! The fact that the technology already exists for us to go from New York to L.A. in 17 hours by train, and that we haven't used it, is criminal. Let's hire the unemployed to build the new high speed lines all over the country. Chicago to Detroit in less than two hours. Miami to DC in under 7 hours. Denver to Dallas in five and a half. This can be done and done now.

4. Initiate a program to put light rail mass transit lines in all our large and medium-sized cities. Build those trains in the GM factories. And hire local people everywhere to install and run this system.

5. For people in rural areas not served by the train lines, have the GM plants produce energy efficient clean buses.

6. For the time being, have some factories build hybrid or all-electric cars (and batteries). It will take a few years for people to get used to the new ways to transport ourselves, so if we're going to have automobiles, let's have kinder, gentler ones. We can be building these next month (do not believe anyone who tells you it will take years to retool the factories -- that simply isn't true).

7. Transform some of the empty GM factories to facilities that build windmills, solar panels and other means of alternate forms of energy. We need tens of millions of solar panels right now. And there is an eager and skilled workforce who can build them.

8. Provide tax incentives for those who travel by hybrid car or bus or train. Also, credits for those who convert their home to alternative energy.

9. To help pay for this, impose a two-dollar tax on every gallon of gasoline. This will get people to switch to more energy saving cars or to use the new rail lines and rail cars the former autoworkers have built for them.

Well, that's a start. Please, please, please don't save GM so that a smaller version of it will simply do nothing more than build Chevys or Cadillacs. This is not a long-term solution. Don't throw bad money into a company whose tailpipe is malfunctioning, causing a strange odor to fill the car.

100 years ago this year, the founders of General Motors convinced the world to give up their horses and saddles and buggy whips to try a new form of transportation. Now it is time for us to say goodbye to the internal combustion engine. It seemed to serve us well for so long. We enjoyed the car hops at the A&W. We made out in the front -- and the back -- seat. We watched movies on large outdoor screens, went to the races at NASCAR tracks across the country, and saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time through the window down Hwy. 1. And now it's over. It's a new day and a new century. The President -- and the UAW -- must seize this moment and create a big batch of lemonade from this very sour and sad lemon.

Yesterday, the last surviving person from the Titanic disaster passed away. She escaped certain death that night and went on to live another 97 years.

So can we survive our own Titanic in all the Flint Michigans of this country. 60% of GM is ours. I think we can do a better job.

Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mikesmailinglist/index.php


TY, Just "C".

Monday June 1, 2009, 8:51 am

On television right now, Obama is addressing the GM bankruptcy -- and Rattner is part of the group. (I hope someone asks pointed questions.)

Monday June 1, 2009, 9:13 am
 
Watch President Obama's remarks on the GM bankruptcy
 

Monday June 1, 2009, 9:56 am
Michael Moore makes a lot of sense! I hope somebody listens for the sake of the workers of America and for the sake of the planet.

Monday June 1, 2009, 10:23 am

Well, noticeably absent in the the press conference following Obama's address regarding GM were questions concerning the GM employees (and their pension plan).

Then, to make things even worse, when the press conference ended, CSPAN switched to coverage of the Gerald R. Ford Annual Journalism Awards -- and who's speaking? Cheney! (rushing to spit out the vomit that immediately filled my mouth)

Monday June 1, 2009, 10:45 am
"9. To help pay for this, impose a two-dollar tax on every gallon of gasoline. This will get people to switch to more energy saving cars or to use the new rail lines and rail cars the former autoworkers have built for them. "

Normally I agree with Mr. Moore, but in this case, he's dead wrong. Consider the implications to the economy when gas shoots up by $2 a gallon. Energy saving cares are already available, they're just not being sold in the US. Check out GM's UK web site and you'll find an Aveo that gets 50 MPG vs. it's US counterpart that gets 34 (!!!). See GM's Vauxhall line, or VW's offerings, all of them currently achieving higher economy standards than we are told are possible.

Blame GM if you want to but don't forget to follow the money if you want to find out why we're being prevented from weaning ourselves off of foreign oil.

Monday June 1, 2009, 10:58 am

Yes, Al!

For those who were watching the press conference, one question posed by a British journalist was concerning the commitment to manufacturing "greener" automobiles.

(One of the reasons, by the way, that America has become non-competitive in the worldwide automobile industry is that it has refused to follow the leads of its Asian and European competitors and has kept insisting on producing large gas-guzzling vehicles, and concentrating on meaningless luxury add-ons.)

However, the response to the question bothered me. While the question addressed "greener" technology (which, to me, would imply hybrids, smaller vehicles and less reliance on oil), Fritz Henderson, the new CEO (as of a few months ago) of GM, replied about the cost of oil and fuel-efficiency -- never addressing alternative energy.

Monday June 1, 2009, 11:14 am
Thank you, Carole and thank you Michael Moore and Jim for posting the letter by Moore. When I first read this all I could think was betrayal, and wrote a comment to that effect, but as some times happens it was lost in the Care2 que of comments coming in at the same time, or whatever excuse there is for losing things. Michael Moore's letter was not yet posted and I turned my attention to the news, I was not impressed by any one's remarks on this subject, it sounded to me like SOS (same old s#!t). I wonder when enough is enough? Or as long as Americans have a couple of jobs, some food, a roof and transportation do they even care about what all this really means? This is not the American attitude that won WWII, pulled out of the depression to become a country of workers that built the first true middle class, a country that cared more about their constitutional rights than they did about a new big screen TV, proud men and women that wanted to see their children educated, paid into retirement funds as to not be burden to anyone, willingly paid for health insurance (called major medical back then) so that their family would be protected in a crisis and saved for future "rainy days." The workers of this and any country are the one's who build a country, not just the buildings and highways, but the character of the country. Break them and you break the country. But the workers of a country are not the powerful, and seldom really hold political sway. They did however have one benefit - one thing that consistently allowed them to the opportunity to speak with one voice for fair pay for a day's work, for some amount of political clout by being a force of many voices rather then one. Of course that would be the evil of unions, the curse that has destroyed industry in this country. Well that is what you have been told over and over again, and many of you have learned that lesson and believe what you've been told. Yes, we can discuss various unions and the faults within each of them, but that really isn't the point. Most industry in this country became unionized not because workers were treated honestly and fairly by corporations, but rather because they were not. Over the years we have blamed the unions for every poor decision made by corporate executives, since the 50s when a major industry was in trouble the fault is always with demands of unions not with the deficient management of a company. Would any corporate executive ever say, "the reason for the problem is Bob Jones and Tom Smith on the assembly line are asking for too much money and not giving enough time to the company" no, of course not-- but that is in effect what is being said. Think about it, what is a union but the many Bob's and Tom's and Jane's and Mary', and what is a company without them. Now that these same people have given years of their life and a percentage of every pay check to guarantee their retirement, incompetent and callous decisions from the top have taken away this vital link for the time that was supposed to be the "golden years."

How then does the government do one of the few duties we really need from it, justice? Have you been paying attention? What is important is not the people of the country but the companies of the country, or really the executives of the company. Those who pay, and pay well for the Congressional decisions to fall on their side of the equation, not on the side of the people. To give credit though I have to say that over the years slick arguments have been presented to justify each decision to erode a little more of the rights of the working people. Should you be one who finds fault with these arguments then your a socialist and your goal is to destroy to the capitalist system.

When the years of unchecked and unfettered corporate avarice were flourishing, from the early 80s through about November of 2007, we saw top executive pay rise to levels that had to affect the profit line of any company, just apply a little logic here. Did the workers salaries keep pace? Not even close, While the cost of everything from a toothbrush to home has more then doubled every decade, workers have been manipulated into an untenable position of dependency on credit to just make ends meet. Public schools, once the pride of America have become little more the baby sitters to exhausted, over stressed parents trying keep a handle on the monthly bills. Whether through crafty advertising or finely honed speeches both the corporations and the government keep telling us just do what your doing, your a good American -- as long as you keep buying and replacing all those gadgets that add nothing to the quality of your life and will cost so much in interest that value and cost have no real ratio.

So whether we agreed or not the corporations and banks were (still are) bailed out, because they are just too important to fail. Foreclosures continue, jobs are at a premium and you know that you will accept what is offered because you have no choice. At least 40 million Americans (many working) will eat 3 to 4 meals a week if their lucky, 200,000 veterans are homeless, still unknown numbers of Americans are living in tents are trying to keep the family together and we have hundreds of thousand of children on the streets alone, left to beg for food and sleep where they can. Where is the anger and outrage? Where is the leadership to guide us away from this path of destruction, and please don't tell it's all the fault of the republicans or the democrats, both are equally at fault. We choose to believe the stories and sound bites - we choose to allow entertainment to pass for news. We choose to allow them to pit us one against the other to continue to distract us from the real problems.

For one brief shining moment there was a place known as America.

Monday June 1, 2009, 11:31 am

Well said, Kit!

Yes, it was abhorrent to me that no questions regarding the employees and how they will support themselves and retire with some comfort were asked by journalists (by design?). (Other than a small comment about how the sacrifices being made by the workers today will benefit their future generations -- WHAT????)

Once again, the price for bad management is being paid by the people who had no say in the decisions that caused the problem.

Monday June 1, 2009, 2:28 pm
This is sad but, what is sadder in my eyes is the fact that subservient America still have not woken up to the big pay off whilst, there fellow citizens are loosing everything they have ever worked for. I see no rallies, not by GM workers, nor the masses, no argument, very little media coverage, no revolution.
We are just going to let this happen - right?

Monday June 1, 2009, 3:54 pm
Sad day indeed. Now as we the taxpayers and working people have to tighten our belt already out of holes even more, the multi/billionaire/international power brokers that are running the show or the New World Govt. are getting richer and richer. Our great great grandchildren will be cleaning their toilers.

Monday June 1, 2009, 4:00 pm
Oh, I think that is inevitable Robert. Too many drugged to submissiveness sheeple aboard this joint. One has to wonder even in that state what would be the fire to lite their butts.

Monday June 1, 2009, 5:38 pm
where do I start....

I live in a suburb of the Detroit Metro area, I moved here in the late 60s, and I have watched this state grow from the riots of Detroit, and thrive as the Auto Capital of the World, and then I watched the automotive industry begin to "outsource" or move many jobs to overseas for cheaper labor costs. That was the beginning of a prelude to a recession in our area.

I have watched union busting spawn out in so many sectors of business that includes both private and government. The trend over the last ten years has reached out to school systems who now are privatizing everywhere in our area. This has and still is negatively affecting many employees who have worked at least a couple decades for the public school systems. It is very scary for most to live in Michigan, today.

I am not a fan of Michael Moore, but that article gave me a different perspective on this man, and I need to ponder on that one more. The article was dead on, well written, and excellent...heh. Kit's comment was just as good!

In my humble opinion, blame for what has happened with GM, the automotive industry, and life in Michigan, can be almost equally put upon all involved. Everyone took everything for granted from the top all the way down to many workers. I watched society go bonkers on spending and embracing debt. Teenagers started getting new expensive cars, when they got their licenses, which many families couldn't afford. Bigger houses, fancy boats, cadillacs (with the gold kit), rolls royces, and the list just goes on...I will admit that a couple decades ago, I was following the materialistic "American Dream" too.

What I find so wrong...., is that the those higher in investment with the automotive industry, never had anything to lose, and the workers had everything to lose. However, in another big way...., it seems to me, that the automotive industry is now aware that "green" is the theme, and there is no embracing of the old polluting automotive choices. I believe they tried and are still trying, to hold on to the old paradigm, as LONG as possible.

Sue brought up a very good point about the workers. Why aren't they rallying in the masses? This is big stuff that carries huge losses to many families. In my opinion, it is because many of them are either in shock still, and many others are scrambling to somehow survive a possible bankruptcy, because of the huge debt load they took on themselves. To us, there was no maybes in this scenario, since the entire economy has been digressing for awhile. When people started losing their jobs even more massively to other nations, the building industry got hit, and mortgages became bigger with "home equity loans," so now new construction and property values were declining.

Too many all the way up the ladder in this industry got too comfy, rich, and lazy, so now they are trying to bail out a sinking ship of debt. Unemployment Benefits will be the next back breaker.....

My family have either chosen military or the automotive industry. I worked as an assistant accounting manager for dealerships of Cadillac and Pontiac. I walked away from that corrupt sector around 20 years ago. I am very grateful that my husband had over thirty years in with a school district he worked for, before they privatized...., and he paid into his retirement, just incase something like this happened. He was forced into retirement, but still needs a job. He is only 50 years old.

I have never seen with my own eyes, how bad a state of this nation, which once prospered so much, heeds healing, until now. Big Pharma is doing well though, with so many more falling into depression and anxiety, because holistic methods aren't encouraged in a state that has such Great hospitals like U of M Hospital in Ann Arbor. That area is doing great, especially when google settled in..., which boggled my mine that they were the last area that needed more jobs. It is a medical community.

I try to help those around me with Hope, Faith and Love. That is all I can do, but I wish I could do more. I believe this is a blessing in disguise. Thank you for sharing this Carole.

Monday June 1, 2009, 5:51 pm
We have lost our homes, our jobs, our food will go next. The only thing we have to be sure of is the IRS they still want their cut of us.
Apathy is but an emotion. A hard one to bust when our leaders destroy any hope deliberately in our honor. But, we are the masses by the billions they just 545 that should be enough odds to get a real honest life.

Monday June 1, 2009, 6:51 pm
The bankruptcy of G.M., was directly related to their refusal to "END OIL" back in the '70s, with the first major FAKE "GAS SHORTAGE"!!!
The outlawing of the Hemp plant was a direct cause of this fuel monopoly, because Hemp fuel was what powered the first diesel engines, and would not have polluted the earth as did the replacement diesel fuel did, deliberately!!!
The fall of G.M., just adds to the list of American industry, that has fallen at the hands of over government regulations, and the burden of abused union labor!!! Americas sovernity is slipping away, one national corporation at a time, and big tobacco, will be next, ending the industries that created our sovereignty in the first place!!!
America, has become a service nation, because we are now all servants/ salves of the public servants, who have over regulated us right in to bondage, to insure our dependency upon them, like we are but mere subjects!!! And without industry, we are but mere subjects!!!
It was not Americas addiction to drugs, that killed the American dream, it was it's addiction to oil, and it's bigotry towards other addictions!!!
However I do find it odd, that it took the death of Americans icon: G.M., to usher in "green energy"!!!??? Budweiser Americas other icon, now belongs to foreigners as well..."BYE BYE MISS AMERICAN PIE" BYE BYE!!!
(re-posted from another thread that I wrote and posted earlier, but still relevant)

Monday June 1, 2009, 7:12 pm
You got it Chief. The CIA has enforced the drugs along with Big Pharma via Psychiatry. All Wall Street Banksters are on the boards of Mental Health worldwide. Just to take away the attention off of Big Oil amazingly enough owned by Rockefeller and Bushco.

Monday June 1, 2009, 7:18 pm
I remember when the brought the first VW, toyta, I said it and I'm not sorry Good Bye American and it was the truth and its been sliding ever sense then. Then the embgro a Huge mistake there went our jobs. The need to cut ties with all of them and put America back on its feet. Instead of wanting 91.8 million or Billion dollars for the war that BullCarp!!! right there when the money could have been used to save GM but NNNNOOOO use it for killing people instead of svaing people's jobs. Bye Bye Miss America Bye Drove My Chevy to the levy but the levy way dry. Noted with much sadness

Monday June 1, 2009, 8:30 pm
Makes me sick. Republicans wanted to get rid of unions. Last Nov, they gave banks and insurance money without any restrictions or oversight, but when it came to our own auto industry, they wanted all kinds of constraints on them, mostly to bust the unions and get at democrates.

This is not to say that I don't blame the GM executives that drove the company down, but we have to all pull together to get things done. At this point, Republicans, oil companies, banks, insurance co, HMO, drug companys are all pooling money to disrubt and try to make Obama fail (hence our country). Just listen to the rants of Rush Libabout or Glenn Beck (Fox views), etc.

It's like we are at war for our country. Commen Senses is lost. Switboating is in.

We just had a doctor killed, but home grown terrorists. They were spurred on by no less than Fox and other right wing controlled groups.

We need to wake up to this. Or lose what we have. Remember that all this negitive comes from those who want to control others for their own power and greed.

Tuesday June 2, 2009, 7:33 am
OK yes it's illegal, Citi Bank is a member of the FED why is anyone surprised that they would not cut there own throat? Sucks large doesn't it.
Well that is what happens when people continue to vote the two party system.
It is what happens when Presidential powers run amok which they can do in a time of war(brought on because of 9/11 and guess what?? that is where we are in a never ending war on Terror, state of emergency enacted AGAIN and all. What has this to do with GM everything because everyone wants it to return to the way it was before Bush and everyone's hope was that Obama A demorat backed by the same people that backed the Repuglicans ,people like Goldman Sachs and ,other Venture capital people connected to the FED.Reserve would bring real change. while people like me said NOPE won't happen,The Federal Reserve did this to us then,and the Congress and Senators let them,Bail Out after Bail Out against the Tax payers wishes and they believe if they just give us green cars and a few other token gesture's it would be OK Like a black president who is a democrat so We The People would behave and be distracted. (It is a good thing that we are going green and have a black prez . Yes it is because that has become normal kitchen table talk -now what about the rest?) Well the distraction -it worked didn't it bought some time,took the heat off the prez and Congress while we waited to see- and when that stops working they will do something else maybe a terrorist strike or something so we will be distracted again and confused and we will feel like it is no use and quit after all isn't that how it's always worked?. now they are doing it do us again in the form of GM which is being called fondly around here as OBAMA MOTORS- again I say- as long as those in Washington congress and all keep us divided against each other regarding Repugs and Demorats they will always win- We The People will always lose.We sit here on Care2 and say this to each other in agreement and we do a lot of good here but the problem is that we are a minority and we need to be a majority.All you have to do to understand that is read what others are reading in your local paper or small town news-how many of the hearts of the issues that we discuss here are in your local Paper,then think how many people who have Internet access know what we know regarding news in the world or when you talk to others how many care to take ANYKIND of action ? They will tell you how busy there lives are and as long as they can feed their kids ,keep a roof over their heads and do all the family things they are used to doing like take vacations etc. their good and no whining there ,that is why the market came back with the economy so screwed they knew that if people were satisfied by shopping and the illusion of OK then it would all be good and the sad fact is that is most likely true. Nick H. You are so correct so how do we wake them up and what are we going to do about this here .In a few years Congress comes up for re election.Either we do not vote and make that movement known or we all vote and kick them all out and the senators -but if we place either party back in there do not whine when you get the same ole same ole that has been but somehow looked a little different and said the things you wanted to hear and then behaved in a different way to get the same thing accomplished that the other party would have done. So the question is how do we become the Majority and how do we do the United we stand thing? What would it take?? Heck we cannot even get along on here on Care2 in agreement with out someone becoming annoyed and leaving or getting angry -how are we going to do this in the world??? We have to change it from the inside out BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD?!! So how are we going to do this change ??? We can start from love on the inside and dreaming it/seeing it accomplished then We can start with
FIRE CONGRESS!!!!-www.kickthemallout.com on the outside-To accomplish this we have to become the media so to speak locally. somehow-letters to the editors and all that stuff. I am working on my corner of the world and on the internet and kitchen table talk and all. Join Me please United we stand Divided we fall.

Tuesday June 2, 2009, 11:21 am
I too was born in Flint Michigan, my Dad, Grandfather and Great Grandfather, all worked for Chevrolet, even before it was part of G.M., many of my relatives were part of the 1939 sit down strike, that built the auto unions!!! Local 659 was the biggest union in the world, when we got hit with the orchestrated gas shortage, and the union dwindled because of the mass layoffs, I was my future fly right out of the proverbial window, and left in 1981, with a bumper sticker on my covered (station) wagon westward, that said "will the last one to leave Michigan please turn out the lights"!!! And although most of my family stayed behind, they're lives were never the same, families shattered, and scattered, they are regretting their staying power this time!!! Although I left looking for greener pastures, I found that every where that I went, that I was nothing but an outsider, a foreigner from that foreign Michigan land!!! A refugee in my own country, orphaned by the very industry that my family help build!!! Abandoned by my own country, that my family helped to defend!!! Displacement, may be an American nightmare, but it is a corporate wet dream!!! But until the state takes over all of the corporations, and then the people take back the states, this patters of self destruction will continue to grow, as cancer devours a body, our government has devoured all of our hopes, dreams, freedoms, and aspirations!!!

Wednesday June 10, 2009, 11:24 am
Thanks Just C. for posting this!!! Noted with sadness. Also, I too read the email Michael Moore wrote, titled "Goodbye GM", and this situation is truly heartbreaking since it could have been prevented!

Wednesday June 10, 2009, 11:41 am
Just finished reading what Kit B. wrote and all I have to say is: "Well said Kit, you clinched the problem with America in a nutshell!!!" I too am wondering where is the outrage from fellow Americans?!? I haven't heard a peep even out of my neighbors for chrissakes! Enough is enough, America needs a true leader! One who really cares about its citizens, not just pays lip-service to caring about the American people as President Obama has done.

Sunday July 5, 2009, 11:04 pm
this situation is very tragic, i think Rich's song thery are tearing detroit down says alot! thank You Just"C"!!! ....Well noted!