Whats now good about GM?

[Shadow]

Originally Posted by gmjunkie

I've not had to buy a Hummer for many,many years!!

Bwahahahahahahahaaaaa

[Rich Z]

Originally Posted by Shadow

Either you want a "new car" or you don't.
There will always be a demand for new. Maybe not what it was, but it'll be there all the same.

And lets not sell the American workers down the river just yet. We're a pretty resilient bunch, at least those that want to be.

Thos in the auto industry can turn thier attentions to the aftermarket, performance, and marine industry. The Americans have always managed to find wirk when they wanted to.

Eh? So you think sales evaporated for new Corvettes because people just stopped WANTING them? The surplus inventory of cars on all the car lots are because people just STOPPED wanting them? Very few people have unlimited income. When things get tough, people tend to get more prudent about how they spend their money. Truth of the matter is, NO ONE really NEEDS a Corvette. People WANT them, but when there are deals to be made in real estate because that market is been so depressed, and real estate is a hell of a lot more likely to appreciate than a new Corvette will, some people are taking that money they COULD spend on a Corvette that they want, and instead spending it on something else that just might be a better use of their money. Others, because of job loss, or FEAR of job loss, will do nothing and just sit on their money waiting for the storm to pass. So no, for a lot of people, "want" is not nearly as important as "can".

And as for Americans always being able to find work, that was in the past. Never in the past have we had a similar circumstance where so much labor has been outsourced out of the country and so many imports coming into the country to replace those items that used to be made here. Finding ANYTHING on the shelves these days that is 100 percent MADE IN USA is almost as rare as finding a gold doubloon washed up on the beach. Well guess what? All those foreign made items on the shelves cost people manufacturing JOBS here in the USA. You have low paying jobs being taken by immigrants (legal and otherwise) coming into this country in droves. You have higher paying white collar AND blue collar jobs being outsourced simply because labor is much cheaper outside of this country. Yes, there will still be jobs in the USA, but they will be very narrowly focused, and people will be literally fighting for them in short order. Our population is growing and the job market is shrinking. It doesn't take a rocket scientist (who will be an assistant manager at McDonald's) to figure out where heading for a REALLY rough road ahead.

And quite frankly, I don't see a damned thing on the horizon even attempting to push this country in a different direction to make this situation any better.

[85vette]

I think it all started with those cheap Japanese transistor radios back in the 60's....then came the Japanese motorcycles.....then came the Datsun....Did we "need" these things? No, but they were cheap, and we had money. I believe it was the late 60's when I first became familiar with the term "inflation". That was the begining of where we are now....no offense to the Japanese, they were obviously smarter than the leadership at GM. (is this revenge for WWII?)

[Rich Z]

Heck, inflation has been eating at out money since WW1. How many times have you heard your grandparents talk about what they could buy with a nickle when they were children? Things haven't really gotten more expensive at all. What we are seeing is that in reality our MONEY has become much less valuable in relation to the hard goods we buy with it. I can remember buying a brand new fully loaded Pontiac Grand Prix for $7,000 back in 1976. As a kid in the late '50s, I got a dollar for a weekly allowance and I could run to the local grocery store and buy a six pack of Pepsi and a half gallon of ice cream and still have change left over.

The scary thing to contemplate for me right now, is although I plan on retiring and living off of the money Connie and I have saved over the years, what is inflation going to do to that plan 10 years from now? Are we going to have to live on cat food because the cost of ground beef will be $500 per pound?

[gmjunkie]

Originally Posted by Rich Z

Heck, inflation has been eating at out money since WW1. How many times have you heard your grandparents talk about what they could buy with a nickle when they were children? Things haven't really gotten more expensive at all. What we are seeing is that in reality our MONEY has become much less valuable in relation to the hard goods we buy with it. I can remember buying a brand new fully loaded Pontiac Grand Prix for $7,000 back in 1976. As a kid in the late '50s, I got a dollar for a weekly allowance and I could run to the local grocery store and buy a six pack of Pepsi and a half gallon of ice cream and still have change left over.

The scary thing to contemplate for me right now, is although I plan on retiring and living off of the money Connie and I have saved over the years, what is inflation going to do to that plan 10 years from now? Are we going to have to live on cat food because the cost of ground beef will be $500 per pound?

No,The cats can live off the cat food and you can live off ground cat!!
The Chinese do it!!

[Rich Z]

I'm thinking maybe I should just STOP shooting the squirrels around here. But of course, from the way things look, when I shoot one now, two more pop up to take it's place....

[85vette]

Originally Posted by gmjunkie

No,The cats can live off the cat food and you can live off ground cat!!
The Chinese do it!!

This may be closer to the truth than we want to believe, given the economic state we're in with China!!!!

[Rich Z]

Originally Posted by 85vette

This may be closer to the truth than we want to believe, given the economic state we're in with China!!!!

Do you think we could trade them our cats to help even up the trade deficit some?

[floridaZ]

Originally Posted by Shadow

Why? Because it's not made here?

I hang out with a lot of people from Taiwan. Their obvious affection for the Chinese has rubbed off on me. Anyway, the H1 and H2 were made here I think, but the H3 I know for sure was not.

Anyway, I'd be willing to give the Chinese my sister's cat. But they wouldn't want it, it'll poop on the chef.

[Shadow]

I hang out with a lot of people from Taiwan. Their obvious affection for the Chinese has rubbed off on me. Anyway, the H1 and H2 were made here I think, but the H3 I know for sure was not.

I think you missed my point. You said you wouldn't be buying a huimmer now (or words to that effect). My question was merely, why? Because it will no longer be made in the US?

If that's the reason, I don't understand it?

BTW, the H3 looks like a jeep! As a matter of fact, the Jeep looks better

If I wanted a Jeep, Id buy a Jeep. Not a 30k+_ look alike!

Anyway, I'd be willing to give the Chinese my sister's cat.

I'd be willing to trade my cat for thier sister