REMEMBER WORLD WAR 2? who did America & the World turn to in that time when Japan & Germany were murdering millions of people in the world – The WORLD turned to the Americans for help and how did America help win the war against Japan – I’ll tell you who it was, The Big 3 Auto Companies that’s who- FORD – GM & CHRYSLER – they rebuilt and retooled all their factories and plants so that they could build Tanks – and Jeeps and Trucks and Troop Carriers -Boat Guns and Ship Artillery Cannons – and many types of Weapons and other Equipment – Do you think that when World War 3 comes that Japan and other companies will retool their factories to help America – NO THEY WILL NOT. After 9/11 in New York, Who was it that gave 10 million dollars each? There was only 3 companies that gave that much and guess what else they gave? They gave Fleets of Cars and Trucks / SUVs’ and Building Spaces – It was the Big 3 -FORD -GM & Chrysler that’s who it was – I’ll tell you who else gave, it was USA Harley Davidson Motorcycles they gave 1 million dollars and a fleet of new Motorcycles for N.Y. Police Department – and with all that giving during one of our nations darkest time- Honda & Toyota and all the other foreign car companies DID NOT GIVE ONE PENNY to the people of the United States of America for 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina. Ford- GM & Chrysler Did.
Not literally. But close enough. At this point, GM would gladly transfer ownership of its German division to Daimler for about the same price Cerberus paid Daimler for Chrysler (without withholding a 19.99 percent share). Yesterday, GM’s European workers took the streets in Austria, Belgium, France, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Britain. They were protesting fact that their employers may stop paying them to build cars no one will buy. The International Herald Tribune ties cause to effect (not terribly difficult but needs must): “Targets outlined in the [congressional viability] report included the elimination of 47,000 jobs worldwide, including 26,000 outside the United States, $6 billion in grants from governments abroad by 2010 and labor-cost savings in Europe of $1.2 billion.” GM will no doubt use the industrial actions as a gun to the head of foreign governments, extorting bailout bucks in the great American tradition. (Collusion anyone?) Students of the Roman Empire know the deal: the foreign outposts revolt as the center no longer holds. Or, as Chinua Achebe pointed out, things fall apart.
The Detroit News reports that House Minority Leader John Boehner isn’t happy about the way their hometown heroes have been running things for the last, oh, three decades.
When it comes to the auto companies, they’ve avoided making the tough decisions for 30 years—and that’s why they’ve ended up where they are. Until I’m convinced they’re willing to make the tough decisions that stakeholders, their bondholders, their employees—everyone is willing to step up and do what they have to do, I’m not willing to commit taxpayer funds.
Boehner’s right. But this statement has enough wiggle room to hide Jeff for all time—“willing to make” instead of “make.” And speaking of weasel words . . . where does a federalpolitician get off lecturing Detroit on its refusal to make “tough decisions”? In fact, what does John Boehner know about business?
The merge-and-nationalize “solution” favored by those who don’t know their history has a new lease on life, reports the Financial Post. And the new champions are none other than GM’s bondholders, who continue to negotiate an equity restructuring. The logic goes that since bondholders are being asked to swap their debt for equity, a larger merged firm would make for a safer investment. And the idea might just be crazy enough for the government to buy in too. “From the government’s perspective, a GM-Chrysler combination offers the appeal of collapsing two problems into one and achieving necessary consolidation,” reckons Citigroup analyst Itay Michaeli. “But it would likely also entail additional government funding.” Just $4B-$6B extra though, and worse job loss. No biggie. But, argues Michaeli, “if a true buy-in exists that [a merger can generate US$6 billion to US$8 billion] in annual EBITDA synergies . . . we would think that the GM bondholder committee would attempt to condition the [debt-for-equity] exchange on M&A, since the upside would essentially accrete to them.” Of course that’s an “if” of epic proportions.
In the autoblogosphere, Ford gets brownie points for not sidling up the federal bailout buffet. This despite the fact that FoMoCo CEO Alan Mulally sat shoulder-to-shoulder with GM CEO Rick Wagoner and Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli at the pre-trough-snuffling congressional hearings. This despite the fact Big Al has lined-up a line of credit just in case he has to roll up one of those million dollar bills Ford pays him. Unfortunately, out there in the real world, consumers hear “Detroit Bailout,” not “Chrysler and GM Bailout.” Which is, coincidentally enough, fair enough. Ford is in deep shit. MSNBC ran the numbers; they’re bad enough for Uncle Sam to hide the checkbook. As if. If only. OK, here we go. . .
“As for our auto industry, everyone recognizes that years of bad decision-making and a global recession have pushed our automakers to the brink. We should not, and will not, protect them from their own bad practices.
“But we are committed to the goal of a re-tooled, re-imagined auto industry that can compete and win. Millions of jobs depend on it. Scores of communities depend on it. And I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it.”
Despite the fact that all of the Detroit firms are actively trimming their dealer ranks, the National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA) is calling on the federal government to guarantee dealer floorplan loans. According to Automotive News [sub] NADA is requesting “anybody and everybody” in the government step up and prevent (once again) a necessary downsizing in the auto business. NADA spokesfolks say the auto retail industry’s $100 billion in annual floorplan credit is drying up, and “the cost to government for guarantees would be little or nothing.” Ipso facto. And yet the $25 billion in “136” loans took $7.5 billion to guarantee. NADA is bringing its somewhat short-on-the-details message of hope to Congress, the White House, the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve, and the Small Business Administration this week.
A bailout-weary public has every right to be skeptical of General Motors and Chrysler. The price tag to keep these pillars of American automaking alive soon will reach $39 billion. That comes to $127 for every U.S. citizen.
The expensive reality is that the federal government will—and should—lend more money to these companies while demanding progress on the road to profitability.
The alternative—the loss of hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs—is too much to fathom today.
GM and Chrysler are asking to borrow $21.6 billion on top of $17.4 billion they received in December. Think of it as Bailout 2.0. As the public’s patience wears thin, it also might be the last time they could get taxpayer help.
Automotive News [sub] reports that the Swedish government is setting up the bailout smorgasbord for Volvo.
Sweden’s Industry Ministry state secretary Joran Hagglund said the government is due to approve an application from Volvo Cars likely to be filed to the European Investment bank (EIB) next month, financial daily Dagens Industri reported.
The government would guarantee 90 percent of a 5-billion-kronor (573 million dollar) loan, Hagglund said.
The remaining 10 percent would be secured from other sources.
Don’t look at me. So why is Sweden happy to go to serve-up plates of köttbullar for Volvo, yet won’t touch Saab with a ten foot stolpe?
Once the feds bailed out GMAC—despite the failed lender’s inability to meet federal regulations—there wasn’t an industry expert who seriously believed that GM could convince its bondholders and union reps to swap $30 billion worth of GM debt for $30 billion of worth GM equity. (No sniggering.) Who cares that the swap was required as part the conditions of the automaker’s $13.4 billion “emergency bridge loans?” Nobody. To its credit, GM played the requisite game of charades, holding “marathon” negotiations with the bondholders and union reps. To no avail. According to Dow Jones, Uncle Sam reacted to the missed deadline with a stern, “Never mind!” And “Chrysler LLC, which received a $4 billion loan, was subject to the same terms as GM and also failed to reach deals with the UAW or debtors, although talks still continue.” See? As long as they’re talking, there’s hope! So . . . back to your smoke-filled room! And no more deadlines for you, Mister! Obviously, there’s more important game afoot: the MSM feeding frenzy over the whips driven by the presidential automotive task force. Question: when did the media and our elected pols become such wimps, weasels, scoundrels and patsies?
Or as the Freep rosily puts it, “Most Michigan voters back aid.” Which is technically true, but also as misleading as a St. Bernard that’s been after its own brandy. Because even though the Rasmussen poll in question shows that 52 percent of Michigan’s likely voters support “additional loans” to the nation’s automakers, there’s a caveat missing: the auto industry is the local issue in Michigan. Michigan’s congressional delegation have been the most shrill bailout boosters in Washington, the local papers are as pro-bailout as they come, and, well, it’s freaking Michigan. If only half of the Wolverine state support more bailout bucks for automakers, how bad must national support be? The Freep could tell you, just not in its headline. Only 24 percent are in favor of “additional loans” accorrding to the national version of the same Rasmussen poll. 64 percent were opposed. Ouch.
The Wall Street Journal reports that “the U.S. Treasury have started lining up the largest bankruptcy loan ever, talking with banks and other lenders about at least $40 billion in financing for General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, in case the two auto makers need it, said several people familiar with the matter.” Although the WJS neglects to specify the level of intimacy involved, contempt for the automakers’ viability plans may soon bring familiarity with debtor in possession (DIP) funding. People familiar with someone involved in the negotiations who’s close to someone who fought with your great uncle in Verdun reveals the heartening news that the $40 billion figure includes paying off the $17.4 billion in loans to Chrysler and GM pissed away thus far. Loaning money to someone to pay off a loan we already made to them? Why does that sound so familiar? But wait! It gets better/worse.
I caught the following on fordmuscle.com. The author agreed to let me republish it here:
There’s an old saying, “Everyone is a capitalist on the way up and a socialist on the way down.” While GM’s circumstances are tragic, we need to let capitalism take its course. Propping up GM hurts the competitors who aren’t asking for handouts. It makes the playing field un-level. Ford is the fittest, and when resources are scarce, the fittest shall survive and the weak potentially go extinct. Ford stands to increase its market share dramatically if GM (and Chrysler) were allowed to fail. By doing so Ford would be able to make more cars, hire more workers, and be a better competitor in the global automotive market.
In a rare turn of truth-embracing, the Freep is printing the total cost of a fully-funded auto industry bailout: a cool $97.4b. That’s “up to $39 billion in survival loans for General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, a $25.5-billion rescue sought by auto suppliers and $25.4 billion in requests to retool auto plants to build more efficient models” plus $6b for GMAC and $1.5b for Chrysler Financial. “And,” admits the Freep, “it’s likely not the end.” They even mention the minor detail that “the aid sought by Detroit’s automakers is many multiples of their current market values,” but not before forcing the reader to sit through some choice relativism from Clinton Labor Secretary, Robert Reich. And they wonder where the love is?
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