Behold: An “auto czar”
Photoshop credit: The People’s Cube
The Master and Overlord Obama is ready to appoint an Auto Czar.
And the lame-duck George Bush is going along.
God save us from bipartisanship.
The troubles of the ailing auto industry are quickly becoming a major focus for President-Elect Barack Obama’s young administration. As Congress and President Bush debate an industry bailout, sources indicate that Obama may favor creating a White House office, headed by an “auto industry czar,” to oversee reforming the troubled American auto industry.
The Detroit News reports that both “Bush and Obama are signaling they may favor appointment of an auto czar to oversee the government’s efforts to funnel emergency assistance to automakers.” Congressional leaders and members of both the outgoing and incoming administrations have all said that automakers might receive federal aid only on certain dictions, including efforts “to further improve fuel efficiency and show that they have a plan to return to profitability. Automakers could also be required to give the government preferred stock in the companies and accept government representatives as board members. As in the 1979-80 Chrysler bailout, workers may have to make wage concessions.”
The press was unable to get direct confirmation of the plan yesterday. John Podesta, the former Clinton administration official heading Obama’s transition team, told the Washington Post “When we have an announcement about that, we’ll raise it.”
You will be ruled.
***
Commenter Cameron: “Czar has been overused though. We need Dukes, Knights, Earls, etc. I like the idea of ‘Knight of Autos.’ It will look great on business cards.”
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Could someone just wake me in four years if there’s anything left of this country?
I think I need an optometry appointment, I can not seem to recognize my country anymore.
Call the White House and give W a piece of your mind. They just don’t get it.
And it will certainly almost be somebody promoted from the UAW.
Czar has been overused though. We need Dukes, Knights, Earls, etc.
I like the idea of “Knight of Autos.” It will look great on business cards.
Cameron, how about Grand Poobah?
I guess, then, that it’s a historical shame that a horse-and-buggy czar was not appointed a century ago.
This is being considered because the War on Drugs, headed by the Drug Czar, has worked so well, right?
The same Government that ran Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae into the ground is now gonna run the auto industry? I’m REALLY gonna need to keep my old Silverado running now.
Here’s my deal. If they want to subsidize the automakers, why not have them start making military equipment again?
I don’t like subsidies, butsince we’re going to do it anyway then let’s truly get something for our country out of it.
Hum, maybe they will come up with a “standardized” car. Sure, thats it! Small, maybe air cooled, trunk in the front, not loaded. They could call it the “People’s Car” or something.
Granite, you beat me! I was thinking about the buggy whip manufacturers. Where was their bailout?!
Any bailout should include major concessions by the unions.
I read somewhere that around 10k of the price of every new car (GM, Ford, Chrysler) is to pay for union mandated health care costs for retirees.
From what I can see, the difference between GM and Toyota USA (other than profitability) is the union. Toyota isn’t saddled with it (at least not yet) GM is.
How about Car-missar?
*rimshot*
Assimilation to follow.
OOh! I vote you!
What you get with state input into the auto industry has already been demonstrated:
At best, you get the Volkswagen “Beetle.” More likely, you get the Soviet “Lada.”
What the American auto industry needs isn’t a Hope-a-Dope “Czar,” but a union-buster. Detroit will never be competitive in the global car manufacturing industry as long as it’s wearing the albatross of the UAW around its neck.
The AlohaGuy Auto Company has been floundering for years – I will issue as much stock as they like in return for billions of dollars.
Oh, do I need to mention I only build cars nobody wants?
To paraphrase the first man on the moon “One small step for man, one giant leap for socialism”
You can lay a lot of the problems with the Big 3 at the feet of the UAW. They’ve pretty much been the tail wagging the dog for a lot of years now.
Hopefully, the other end of this will see… Uh, wait a minute, I’m not dreaming? Never mind.
Captain Obvious says “They’ll never learn. same old refrain from the unions – ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme. If you don’t, I’ll hold my breath until YOU turn blue!’”
Oh great, government running the automobile industry. Can you say…Yugo.
There. Fixed it.
At least Bush is proving to the Koolaid drinkers that Obama doesn’t really mean change.
Best post today! Loved it!
Fords’ Motto: “Have you driven a Ford lately?”
Federal Governments’ motto: “Just bend over, it won’t hurt, we promise”.
Maybe they can come up with a car that runs on Kool-Aid®. There’s no shortage of that, apparently.
I’m reminded of the (crappy) old movie “Gung Ho” with Michael Keaton where the union boys learn teamwork from the EEEEEVIL Japanese car company.
Of course it was fiction, they actually never learn.
The cars produced under the “Car-missar” will make the Lada look great. You can expect something more like the “Yugo” but not as nice and cost a lot more.
If I ever hear anyone say Bush was a “conservative” again I won’t be responsible for my actions. Obama isn’t the first socialist president. George W. Bush is.
Congratulations to lgm and all the other “progressives” (read Communists), you and your Democratista Congress has succeeded where all the armies in the world have failed. You killed the American economy. The Great Democrat Real Estate Giveaway of 2008 has crushed the life out of the world economy. Viva la redistribution!!
Boortz had a great idea on Monday. If the Automakers want a bailout, fine. But that renders all union contracts null and void.
Boo-yah!
Never, never throw good money after bad, and a bailout of a failed business model is just that; Let them die, along with the unions that have outlived their usefulness since about 1940; Someone else will come in to fill the void and do it right, based on consumer demand, not government mandates.
Is there any aspect in our lives bho doesn’t have his grimy finger in for our future? Every day it gets worse and worse.
L
Personaly, I always try to buy American-made products. I hate going into Wal Mart, Home Depot, et. al. and seeing so many Chinese products.
My truck is a Chevy Silverado (though I was disapointed to see, after I bought it, that it was made in Canada), our car is a Chrysler Sebring, and my motorcycle is a Harley-Davidson Sportster.
Only once have I ever owned a Japanese vehicle. And I don’t want another one. I am forever annoyed to see people complaining about the economy being bad, and they’re driving foreign cars.
I’ve always had American cars but I guess if I can ever afford a new one, I’ll be buying Japanese.
Most people seem to think that by heavily “investing” in the auto companies the government will dictate the development and sale of small cars. I think it’s quite the opposite. Once the government essentially becomes a “co-owner” they might actually have less leverage to enforce crazy money losing mandates. On some level I think it might be a brilliant strategy by the auto companies to get the government off their backs and into their pockets.
Micro hybrids as far as the eyes can see.
Czar, Smar!
I’ve always prefered automats, myself!
(uuhhmm, could someone else please explain what “automats” were to the under-50yr olds here, please?)
My old company had all makes of trucks. The Toyotas cost one third less to maintain than the American brands. Just a clue why these companies are failing.
My recommnedation is Gary L. Convis. He is Managing Director of Toyota Motor Corporation in America.
They just need to shut up and listen to him.
I have an Obama headache.
The American auto industry can not be saved unless the UAW is thrown out. The union is the biggest leach on productivity ever imagined by man.
I used to do development projects for the auto industry. My greatest gains were getting rid of hundreds of union scum to make at least a small part of the factory profitable. Spend a few million on a machine, save multiple millions a year for many years to come.
I want my bailout Lambo!
if the government runs the car industry, you’ll have to press 1 for English on your Onstar system.
Make it stop!
#26:
SpeakEasy, what almost no one remembers is that it was American, who after WWII went to Japan and taught them that.
Of course, its probably just us dottering oldies who remember…
Martha! Hon, where’d I put my teeth down…
I cannot believe you hateful meanies are opposed to ensuring all union workers get their life long medical insurance coverage and retirement packages.
By an American POS, it’s good for the country and our Unions!
I think that’s the idea behind the auto-czar concept…
Does this mean that I’ll get a check from the government to make up for the depreciation of my vehicle?
govt. getting ‘preferred stock’? Seats on company boards?? Oh, this is NOT good. THey’ll do things like “You can stay open if you pay x$$$ for global warming. And pay $1 million bonuses to all union members. And campaign contributions to democrats” Helloooo, Fannie Mae all over again. Only worse. It will be a new GSE. Then, when the govt. board members completely screw up everything, the fed govt. will completely take over GM and ONLY govt. people will be on the board. After they cook the books and take their $100 million bonuses, they will leave and tell us it’s our fault because we wanted to drive cars and pollute the air.
AIG Corporate Execs are living large somewhere in the Carribean. Aahh, that’s OK – No need to thank us, happy to do it!
I wish this was just an unrealistic nightmare that had people worried for no good reason, but with the press driving the Obama bus, and the fraud continuing in the close races for Senate, the nightmare is real.
Here is a fictitious news bulletin from the future.
Every crisis is and will be used to allow government control of business in the name of getting help to the people.
How soon before I get the privilege to patriotically stand in line at gunpoint to trade in my current car for my government issued Obamobile?
Is there a union in America that is NOT committing murder/suicide with the industry it is associated with?
Wait till you find out the new Auto Czar is an East German who used to manage the Trabant factory. Happy motoring!!
I want to who will be Tire Pressure Czar.
They should only do it if its MITT ROMNEY.
Come on, he’s a master at turning around companies. He’d be perfect.
I suspect the next few months, even before Obamassiah is sworn in, will see spending levels that dwarf the $700 billion bailout fiasco from October. Every union and corporation in America now know they can get billions from the government.
At first, I didn’t think Obama could destroy the entire economy in 4 years. Now I fear Bush and Obama will accomplish that goal in the next 3 months.
Nobody can call Obama a socialist with calling Bush a socialist!
I thought Obama and his supporters were getting rid of private car ownership to Save The Planet™.
You can’t just keep on driving your cars as much as you feel like!
Had a buggy whip manufacturer in 1910 rethought things and concluded that rather than being in the buggy whip business he was instead in the business of creating “transportation starting devices,” he just might have been able to survive the challenge of the new economy and make the transition into a new era.
You gotta go with the times, my friends. Unlike our fallen buggy whip business brethren, you must avoid what is known as “marketing myopia.”
“Marketing Myopia”. Another one of the conditions inflicting American manufacturing.
Can we just number these crazy positions? No need to have accurately descriptive titles. Czar 1, Czar 2… or Czardee, Czardum, etc.
I am serious, this is the actual “peoples car” they have planned for us all. If your income is low enough you will be issued one for free.
PLEASE take a moment to check this out, you’ll be glad you did:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6OLh6VJXu0
Will there be a “Thermostat Czar?”
How about a “Eat-as-much-as-you-want Czar?”
Obama made many, many promises on the campaign trail in return for votes. Now the REPO team has to payback their “friends” at UAW (and many others) for getting him elected.
Alas, no. Dear Leader and his minions will insist upon cradle to grave care. Bailouts, takeovers of 401ks, universal (non)healthcare, etc.
There won’t be anything left of private enterprise or self-reliance at this rate.
Too late.
In their own minds that would be:
Obama, Reid and Pelosi.
The perfect storm of a trifecta intent upon permanent power over a third world nation of obedient and dependent serfs.
Isn’t this just the REAL McCOY of what liberals were always screaming about: “CORPORATE WELFARE”?
Just more PROOF of how liberals speak with forked tongues.
The Volkswagen was brilliant.
The Trabant was a disaster.
I suspect that the state-run auto companies in the US will produce something much more like the Trabant than the Volkswagen.
I guess I’ve been a little out of the loop, I failed to realize that “President-Elect” now qualifies as an “administration.”
Wait a minute! I’m confused. I thought the Dem story was big evil corporations are making billions while forcing workers to suffer horribly just so they can eat. Shouldn’t Obama be increasing their taxes so they pay their fair share? You know, investing in the future.
Three of the four horsemen. Who’s the 4th? Soros? Algore?
What, again, was the winning number in the Illinois Lottery Pick 3 game on Election day?
This is starting to get scary.
Give the big 3 money and demand no concessions from the UAW? Makes about as much sense as this country electing a racist black man to be president.
“For the first time in my adult life, I am not proud of my country”
rooster
Every vehicle built by GM, Ford, Chrysler vehicle starts with a Cost of $1,000 before it starts down the assembly line due to current benefits. The big three cannot make a profit on small cars. Let the big three file for Chapter 11. Then contracts and benefits can be renegotiated. It goes withut saying that management need to have their packages evaluated as well.
When Lee Iaccoca secure loan gurantees
BOBk – You nailed it.
Maybe they can call it the “Trabant”
Russian friends of mine say it usually took about 11 years to receive the car once you placed the order.
Some gas stations in Seabrook NH are now $1.99/ gallon. But the cheapest home heating oil I can find is still over $2.40. The fair comparison with gasoline is to take away at least 45 cents of highway taxes and the extra cost of ethanol so maybe another 5 cents. Untaxed, unethanoled gasoline is then ~$1.50 compared to $2.40 for oil – a much cheaper product to make.
What the heck is going on here? (Watch the news, some nitwit is going to try burning gasoline in their oil furnace and blow up their house. )
Sorry no – you’ll have to call Acorn, and they’ll have some forms for you to fill out before they apply the jaws of life.
I think the auto Czar will have the title
Head of the EPA and the first order of business will be to retool the plants into golf cart manufacturing facilities.
This after all is the greens goal.
Misscheryl, my Silverado is a great truck. I have more than 140,000 miles on it and have never touched the engine. In fact, the belts, hoses, spark plugs, plug wires, and even the brake pads are all what the factory put on it. The only thing I’ve ever done to the engine is change the oil regularly, with Castrol Syntec 10W30, and put in a K&N air filter.
When the GM plant in Oklahoma City shut down the workers there were crying about losing their jobs. They lost a LOT of sympathy, though, when it was revealed how many of them owned Toyotas and Hondas.
Demand is higher for the “mid-barrel” – where they get heating oil, diesel and jet fuel. Lower for the “bottom” (sludge to run ships) and the “top” (gasoline.) I’m no expert though and am willing to be corrected…
If they want to bailout the auto manufacturers, maybe they should break up the divisions into separate companies allowing for more competition to lower prices and increase ingenuity.
Let the free market decide which companies should remain.
Any free market solution is better in the long run over a socialist or fascist solution.
now we can pay the salary of yet another useless appointee in addition to the bailout money.
I may just start putting my furniture and appliances in the driveway now because this government will eventually come asking for its share anyway.
Land of the
freemiddle class slaveOverlord of the Internal Combustion Engines:
‘You! Lackey! Re-vulcanize my tyres, postehaste!’
Cavuto had a suggestion for the auto makers last friday when their asking for a bail-out. Cavuto acting as the senate ot house to the auto makers: ok, you want $25 billion because you’ve mismanaged your businesses…here’s the deal, we’ll give you the bail out with one condition. You all have to resign from your positions. We can’t be handing out that kind of money to save a business that has been run into the ground and keep the same managers. DEAL?
I just heard about the UAW Jobs Bank.
Apparently in the ’80s the automakers wanted to put in some automation.
Union required them to keep the workers.
These guys go to “work” every day. Do crosswords, watch movies and kill time.
$31/hour +full benefits.
There’s something like 12,000 of them
George Bush has been ‘going along’ with it for 8 years. Why? Because we elected a unprepared, inarticulate, phony mannequin that parroted conservative talking points and played identity politics that made us feel warm and fuzzy inside. Strange how history seems to repeat itself, and Republicans keep making the same stupid mistakes.
Tre – and tell me again…how many MPGs do you get? I have a VW bug.
I USED to own a 4X4 quad cab, off road Dodge Ram and got 13 mpg. “Used” being the operative word here. By the way, I had to replace the transmission before the truck was a year old. just sayin…
Truly, my point was American auto makers would rather put an IPod connection in your truck and raise the price $2,000 and then tell you how they are giving you what you want (sounds like a politican to me). It’s crazy and I don’t EVEN want to hear their re-tooling whinning. They were given money years ago to address that. Our government has put so many EPA regulations on manufacturers which increased costs, unions increase cost and that IPOD connection nobody wants or needs increases cost. All of this goes into making American junk.
Fear not, the big 3 will be the recipients of huge amounts of money as the democrats, including D’ohbama owe them big time. So they will rape us to pay back those who sold thier souls to the devil.
But, it worked for Congress! San Fran Nan and Dingey Harry have presided over the Congress with the worst approval rating in history, and … they’ve been given a contract for another 2 years (at least).
Auto Mo’ bile
Of course Bush is going to go along.
Republicans know that Obama is going to screw this country big time. Letting him get it done quickly will increase the chances of Republicans regaining control in the Legislature.
Typical government solution. When there’s a problem that can’t be solved easily, increase the size of Government and pass the buck.
So, I guess I should kiss my pension & health care goodbye? Oh, yeah, sign me up for a Trabant.
I agree. If you want a bailout for your Bank, Mortgage Co, Credit Card Co, Auto Maker, Insurance Co, the entire management has to go before the money gets distributed. Let the stockholders appoint new heads. Lets get some Hope & Change in there!
Bush is going along with it because he is a Democrat at heart. He’s done his part, now he’s helping Obama finish the job!
Yeah; ’cause it worked so well with Amtrak.
Sure, bring on the “auto czar.” The “bank czar” Paulson has done such a great job so far. By the way, is it just me is Paulson a complete idiot? I have no idea what this guy is doing and it seems he doesn’t either. Shame on Dubya for listening to this fool. Probably cost McCain the election.
Sure, bring on the “auto czar.” The “bank czar” Paulson has done such a great job so far. By the way, is it just me or is Paulson a complete idiot? I have no idea what this guy is doing and it seems he doesn’t either. Shame on Dubya for listening to this fool. Probably cost McCain the election.
I’ll say it – loud and clear – George W Bush got nObama elected. He didn’t campaign openly for the new guy.
BTW…has the limitation statute run out for the theft of W’s off keyboards from the White House? I’m watching Ebay!
As opposed to what? Me paying for it? If that’s the case, you best kiss it bye bye.
I seem to recall hearing that Obama also wants a “tech czar”.
Can we just scap the old government and replace it with a bunch of czars? Then we can make Obama Grand Czar over them all.
The Master asked:
I hope you realize you just insulted all of the idiots in this country by equating them to Paulsen.
Can I be the Czar of Redundancy Czar?
When I hear the word auto and Knight together, I can’t help but imagining the illustrious Michael Knight of “Knight Rider”.