Thank you for your comprehensive post. I was a 'victim' of the 2002 dot.com bust and since then have been self employed as a web designer. I have lived comfortably until a couple of months ago when business decidedly slowed down. Elsewhere in this blog, i posted the fact that we contractors/ self-employeds, are not measured. As we in effect lose our jobs because of the economy, we are not counted in the ranks of the unemployed. It is an unseen statistic. As we can't then collect unemployment, we have no way to support ourselves.
Moving forward I have to determine how to do my business differently, or change completely. The prospects for working for someone else seem slim, and I am inclined to think i will have to continue to create a job for myself.
I agree, this area needs attention and support. I hope there will be further discussion on this topic, both from people posting on this blog, and from the incoming administration.
We then need to hear HOW the BIG 3 are going to retool their industry so they can provide green cars, etc. If they don't have plans already in the works to do this, then the bridge loan is a bridge to another loan only. How long will it take to get new technology in place and get the new cars out if there is nothing in place? Why have they let other auto makers make the more green cars thus far? The current economy did not prevent them from being pioneers in that regard. I don't think it is the consumers fault that they are in a fix. In a free country, we are free to purchase whatever car we want. And based upon the choices that were out there, choices were made.
Good point about sales. Maybe people are finding they don't need a new car every three years! A few years ago, i finally let go of a car I had for 18 years (ran great). Since then, I've bought 2 used cars for our household, and both are over 10 years old. It's a matter of priorities, especially when things get tight.
For me, what would tempt me to purchase a NEW car, is that it would be considerably more fuel efficient than what i have, and that the cost would not be prohibitive. Otherwise, my current cars are fine. I get over 30 mile/gal on the road, and they have everything i want to get from point A to point B.
Except that the BIG 3 will dump people out on the street, and affect other businesses, I don't have much sympathy for their plight. They aren't answering the right questions with the right answers.
With the poor public response to an auto bailout, i wonder what chances the Big 3 have that people will buy their cars if they are bailed out. It seems there would be major retaliation to doing business with them. They don't have the cars some of us want, and do we even know if they have plans already in the works to make those cars? Empty promises are easy. What have they ALREADY DONE to turn themselves around? If plans are not already in place, they can only keep producing what they have been producing. How will that help in the long run? Or is this just a short term bandaid?
Is congress reading the comments in this forum? Have they discussed any of the ideas posted on this forum? Are they just going to do 'business as usual' and pass out the $34 billion next week. I, for one, am sick about the same 'ol same 'ol. This same 'ol didn't work for the financial industry. Why will it do anything for the Big 3? Just because they say it will? We're in the same situation as last time, congress needing to go home, so they are quick to 'do something'. UGH!
While i am all for the use of the interent, I don't want seniors and others left out who may not have access to the internet (or broadband access). It's sad that we don't have universal internet access by now. (we can go to the moon, but....). So tie-in to TV also needs to happen.
There is a whole HUGE discussion on healthcare going on. Go to BLOG at the top of this page in the navigation. Scroll down, and you will find a Healthcare discussion. It started last week, and has already garnered response from the healthcare team. You'll find the video there too.
Hopefully the other topics will start appearing too. This week the 'economy' discussion started, so maybe there will be a weekly addition. (i'm just speculating...I'm not in the 'know'.)
I would really like to see local meetings tightly tied to results from this forum and what the new administration teams are doing. Much however can be talked about online. It is the implementation that needs the hands on meetings, structure, how-to, etc. I'm with you. It feels exciting and taking the excitement from here and getting involved in the physical world would be great.
Do you have suggestions for a better forum? Should you enlighten the team behind this forum if you can? (i'm not meaning to sound cheeky...)
where do the older posts go on this discussion? I see only one page of posts and no way to return to posts from yesterday. Will new people to the discussion see all the posts? I like the voting system a lot (not requiring a comment), but if everyone doesn't have a chance to see all the posts, the voting will be out of whack.
I would like to see very strict and enforceable concessions by the auto industry....which also should have been done for the financial bailouts. Continuing support without ways to enforce change by the auto industry is unacceptable. The american auto industry has failed us for far too many years. I like the idea that they apply themselves to other transportation systems as well. Rail would make sense in many many ways. Transport of people, products, etc. While the auto industry may continue to build automobiles, there is no reason they can't begin re-tooling themselves and help build infrastructure and grow new industries.
Dumping people on the street as a way to 'tighten' their belt, i believe is irresponsible (and not just the auto industry...all corporations). People on the street does not improve society. Re-tooling people would. I think talking about re-tooling people could be a much broader discussion as to how
corporations, cities, etc. go about doing this. I have believed for many years that there is a responsibility to keep our citizens working, and a plan for re-tooling would help transition people. There must be this kind of transition plan on some level.
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Medley