Granholm bristles at N.Y. Times columnist's stance on automakers

[Bozita]

Source: Detroit Free Press

Granholm bristles at N.Y. Times columnist's stance on automakers
BY DAWSON BELL • FREE PRESS LANSING BUREAU • FEBRUARY 23, 2009


Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm used to be a big fan of New York Times columnist Tom Friedman, citing his 2005 homage to globalization, “The World is Flat,” at every opportunity.

No more. Now she seems more inclined to think Friedman’s just flat wrong.

Especially when he suggests, as he did Sunday, that General Motors has “become a wealth destruction machine” and should be put, along with Chrysler, into bankruptcy.

Granholm jumped CNN host Wolf Blitzer today when he asked about Friedman and the domestic auto companies.

Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/20090223/BUSINESS01/90223067/Granholm+bristles+at+N.Y.+Times+columnist+s+stance+on+automakers

[MichiganVote]

1. Friedman is an overfried stale fat donut whose 15 min. of fame is long over.

The guy reminds everyone of the 'relative' who thinks he knows everything.

[fujiyama]

3. ROFL!

Best description I've heard of Friedman.

But the sad thing is, as the economy worsens, I don't know how much money the government can or will keep giving GM and Chrysler.

[MichiganVote]

4. Hard to say...but the thing is so distorted in the news and GOP spin lives on.

They are loans, not the bail outs that the banks have been given. The unions and GM HAVE made huge concessions but you'd never know it b/c the news doesn't report it.

Its real bad here in Michigan and we preceeded the rush to crush that other states are now feeling. So to leave the auto companies out of the cash loop doesn't exactly encourage me. If there had not been a market crash b/c of the pigs on wall street Michigan could have gotten by. Now?

Hard to say. Not good at all.

[tonycinla]

2. Friedman is right

GM is most likely headed to bankruptcy which will be the best thing for it and the country in the long run.Granholm has to protect the unions but the whole country can't pay forever because the management of GM is unable to strike reasonable deals with the union so they can survive.

[MichiganVote]

5. Granholm is not protecting the unions, She is trying to save the state.

You are misinformed. The problem is not the unions and GM. They have each made huge concessions in recent weeks. The problem today is cash flow and no one is buying cars. Mismanagement and a bloated management system have corroded GM but hell everyone knew that for years. Friedman acts likes he is telling us something new--what bullshit. The GM sort of management system is par for the course in any large company in or out of America. They ALL have to go lean...making GM the poster child for mismanagement is ridiculous in the face of all of the others who play in the same damn way all the time.

But now the rents due and no one is buying cars. You would think this would be a good lesson for other large companies but they won't pay any more attention to it than GM did, we did, or the American government did.

We are downsizing America, now drowning it.

[roesch]

6. New technology needed

In some ways I have to agree with Friedman; it might be better to let the dead fish belly up. I can say this because I bought a Vibe this year, which is a decent blend of Gm and Toyota drive train, but there are so many new innovative groups out in silicon valley that have better ideas than GM and who deserve support. Imagine if the Tesla car got some major backing and was able to go into production; I suspect this expensive EV sport car could soon become the model for something less expensive.

[blue_onyx]

8. So you would support government funding of Tesla

but not GM?

[MichiganVote]

20. Friedman is no more an authority on the auto industry than Limbaugh. But they sound alike.

[blue_onyx]

7. He is wrong

Providing loans to the auto company benefits the entire country since millions of jobs would be lost if the US auto companies went down. As the article said, many wouldn't buy vehicles from a bankrupt company. This means if they declared bankruptcy, sales would drop even more and liquidation could occur. Here's a video Gov. Granholm defending the auto companies. She does a great job


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PIxlicgG9U

[notadmblnd]

9. The game is to bust the unions. That's it period.

That's the one and only reason GM and Chrysler are being pushed to go bankrupt. You know, in a way, I hope you get what you wish for. Once the big labor unions are gone, it will be easier for corporate America to enslave you. Once again, they'll be able to dictate your working hours, once again, they will be able to employee cheap child labor, once again, they'll be able to not provide you or your loved ones any benefits such as the 40 hour work week, comp days, vacation time, health insurance or a safe work place environment. Then you and yours will be affected by what is happening in this country and you might be able to look over to the other side and gain some real insight.

It's not the workers or the unions that is causing these car companies to bleed money, GM has eliminated hundreds of thousands of positions over the past 20-25 years, yet the overpaid workers in your mind are the reason for their misfortune.

You may not be affected right now by the current economic conditions, but I can guarantee, if it continues, you will. So instead of bitching, moaning and harboring resentment towards these workers because you feel they have more than you and since you don't have it, they shouldn't either; get up and fight for what you deserve? Could it be because it's much easier to let some one else do the dirty work while you sit at your keyboard berating them?

[Bozita]

11. Standing and applauding here!

Well done!

[notadmblnd]

16. Thank you, I'll be performing here all week.

I'm just so sick of these people that don't have a fricking clue as to how the average auto worker has suffered. The constant down turn and layoffs, falling behind and just when you about to crawl out of the hole from the last time you were laid off, they lay you off again.

My husband collapsed one night at work, he was about to have a major heart attack. The company quack (they have one at every factory) told him it was gas and to go back to work. My husband went to a cardiologist the next day and was sent from the office by ambulance to U of M for heart surgery post haste. I'm convinced that he difficult time he was given by GM to receive his sick and disability benefits contributed to his death, and no one will ever make me believe otherwise.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

14. + 1

:thumbsup:

[MichiganVote]

19. Yee-haw! You said it! Great post! (round of applause)

[Two Americas]

10. we support organized Labor here

What is your position?

[cosmicone]

17. I agree

Let GM file bankruptcy and new capital will buy the plants and put the workers back to work, making better cars and without the gimme gimme of the UAW.

[brentspeak]

18. Piece of garbage alert!!

Go slink down the rat-hole from whence you came.

[spooky3]

12. The Bush administration, not GM, was the "wealth destruction machine."

Anyone who's looked at their 401k balance statements has no doubt about it.

[Jim Sagle]

13. I love the stench of fresh new globalists on this thread.

[Kalyan]

15. auto guys shouldn't get any money ....

why should we waste taxpayer's money on auto guys when we can make better use of it.

Give a trillion to citibank and the money will sink in less than 5 mins. give the trillion to the auto guys, they will take 10 years to waste it. give it to healthcare and the system needs 15 years to spend it. give it to green technologies, they will take 20 years to spend it ...

don't you all get it - govt should give money to folks who "waste" it fastest and thus auto companies don't deserve this handout ...

[MichiganVote]

21. Give money to the repub's and their ideas and it goes to the kids trustfund.