[exlrrp]

Well to startwith I'm a confirmed Ford man although I have owned other cars as well. Currently own a 93 Ranger 4x4 and an Aeroostar----not exactly your flashy cars but when you live outside the law you must be honest---and anonymous. Haven't had a moving violation since the mid 90s. (I owned and liked RANgers long before I ever knew I Had been one)
I have gotten to 200,000 miles on every Ford I ever had wiithout anything but precriibed maintenance. Thats my benchmark for good. The last RANGer I had Went over 200 with the original clutch.The ones I have will make it that far also.
GM's problems come from many sources: Bad management, innflated union benefits, inflated excutive pay and benefiits. making the wrong cars, rising oil prices.
If you think the unions benefits have grown outrageously, just consider the paynment and benefiits packages, complete withh Golden Parachutes given to its execs. IS theiir work more important than a line workers? Well it sure is when they make pooor maanagment deciisiions like making gas guzzlers like Hummers and Subuurbans,, SUVs, when everybody else in the world is making (and SELLING!) small fuel efficent vehicles.
You have to place the responsibility right on the company's leaders whoo made the decisions. They never signed a labor agreement that theyy weren't convinced they would make money on--iif not they owe their shareholders BIGTIME.
WHats really effecting GM IS rising oil prices, globalization, a horriible trade deficit, the wrong cars, loss of American faiith in its own manufaacturers AND POOR MANAGEMENT!!
But, unlike the workers on the unemployment lines, the executives who made the poor management deciisions will do just fiine. Thats the REPublican way.
REmember 4 years ago when ENron tanked? Nothing but but bad and criminal mismanagemen that aaffected every one of us but all except a couple of the execs walked away smilinng--the workers, of course were SOL.
So shall it be this time.
STAY good
JAMES

PS: sorry about the sticky shift key