Thursday, June 09, 2005

THE BIGGEST MISTAKE IN AUTOMOBILES SINCE TRYING TO SELL A CAR CALLED "NOVA" IN SOUTH AMERICA?

There is an old axiom from the glory days of American Manufacturing: So goes GM so goes America.

Well, in what is either incredibly bad timing, poor taste or just plain stupidity, GM has managed to up the ante on horrid corporate behavior.

On Monday GM launched its new ad campaign. "The GM Employee Discount Program." The ads running nationwide promise consumers that they will pay the employee discount price on all GM cars.

The very same day GM announced that they would be laying off 25,000 people over the next two years. TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND!!!!!!!!! THE SAME DAY!!!!!!!

This news begs some important questions. In addition to the GM "employee discount" we will also:

Have to shift from a good-paying middle class manufacturing job to working at Wal-Mart for $8.00 per hour?

Have to worry about losing our homes to foreclosure?

Get divorced over the stresses of changed financial situations?

Apply for Foodtsamps?

Wonder where our health insurance will come from?

Instead of crying that they have to make the layoffs because they have lost market share to foreign competition, why don't they start designing and making cars that are as good or better?

Note: GM's stock price rose on the announcement of the layoffs but not in response to the new ad campaign.

Yes, the GM "Employee Discount," get the car and the typical ills of the post-manufacturing age in the US. So goes GM, So goes America.