[mtbr]

stemmer stemmer:

Ask Lee Iacocca if Chrysler repays government loans.... You really need to stop your bias from blinding you from historical fact and the truth...

take your own advice

[stemmer]

While we are giving away our auto industry to Europe or Japan, let's let them take over our schools, universities, military, hospitals and highways as well...

Matter of fact why not just allow their PM, President or Emperor rule over us...since you blokes are so quick to hand over our sovereignty so easily...

[bootlegga]

Auto industry = sovereignty?

Hardly...apparently there are dozens of countries around the world without any soeverignty, as they have no ability to manufacture their own cars. If that's the case, Canada should immediately claim the Bahamas, Fiji, and half a dozen other places. China will probably scoop up a lot of Africa and Europe and the US can have whatever else is left...

[poquas]

stemmer stemmer:

While we are giving away our auto industry to Europe or Japan, let's let them take over our schools, universities, military, hospitals and highways as well...

Please…PLEASE explain what the hell our involvement with an AMERICAN auto industry versus any other foreign auto industry has to do with our schools, universities, military, hospitals and highways.
Canada does not own GM, Chrysler or Ford, and that’s been made clear many times. I don’t relate my citizenship to any particular product produced in this country and if you do, you’re an idiot.

stemmer stemmer:

Matter of fact why not just allow their PM, President or Emperor rule over us...since you blokes are so quick to hand over our sovereignty so easily...

When I bought my last BMW, I don’t remember being told I had to learn German or had to swear allegiance to another country’s flag. I do know that when I do drive my foreign car, it’s better built, safer and more comfortable than anything the “big three” is offering at the moment and for the foreseeable future, I’ll continue to buy foreign cars.

[stemmer]

Canada's economy, highway system, military (NATO) is closely integrated with the USA's...Now how is it integrated with Bahamas, Fiji, Japan or China to that degree?

Any G7 or G8 country that does not own it's own manufacturing sector is being setup for doom... IF Canada or the USA gets into a scrap with North Korea or Pakistan do you really think Japan wants to get sucked into the conflict by allowing Toyota or Honda build tanks or jeeps for Canada or the USA?

Canada and the USA will soon have a common currency... OR do you think it is more likely we will have a common currency with Japan, China, Germany?

IF Ottawa or Washington lobby groups are now from Tokyo or Beging and not Wall Street or Bay Street will they really have want is in the best interest of North America when they bend the ear of a Member of Parliament or Congressman over a diplomatic supper?

Or do you believe when England controlled most of the commerce in India it was doing so in the best interest of India?

Please use a little common sense before spewing off insidious remarks on a public forum...

[HaRdLy]

Chrysler, GM, and Ford can all leave for all I care. None of them has built anything worth buying in years.

[llama66]

Stemmer, you know our head of state is the Queen.

[bootlegga]

stemmer stemmer:

Canada's economy, highway system, military (NATO) is closely integrated with the USA's...Now how is it integrated with Bahamas, Fiji, Japan or China to that degree?

Any G7 or G8 country that does not own it's own manufacturing sector is being setup for doom... IF Canada or the USA gets into a scrap with North Korea or Pakistan do you really think Japan wants to get sucked into the conflict by allowing Toyota or Honda build tanks or jeeps for Canada or the USA?

Canada and the USA will soon have a common currency... OR do you think it is more likely we will have a common currency with Japan, China, Germany?

IF Ottawa or Washington lobby groups are now from Tokyo or Beging and not Wall Street or Bay Street will they really have want is in the best interest of North America when they bend the ear of a Member of Parliament or Congressman over a diplomatic supper?

Or do you believe when England controlled most of the commerce in India it was doing so in the best interest of India?

Please use a little common sense before spewing off insidious remarks on a public forum...

If you want to talk common sense, then let's look at some of your rants.

First off, you said;

stemmer stemmer:

since you blokes are so quick to hand over our sovereignty so easily...

No mention of G7/G8 countries now was there? Just that we hand over our sovereignty if we don't make cars in Canada. There are plenty of countries that don't make cars. That doesn't make them any less (or more) sovereign than any other country.

You also said;

stemmer stemmer:

Matter of fact why not just allow their PM, President or Emperor rule over us...

Buying a foreign car does not requireme to learn another language, pay taxes to that country or have anything to do with them.

Why should I buy a piece of shit made here? Just to employ some lazy union bastard? To buy something "Made with pride in the USA"? No, my buying decision boils down to what is the best product that suits my needs that I can afford. If I was in the market for a pick-up or mini-van, I would likely buy NA made. However, most of the rest of the NA product lines suck and I will not buy a domestic car again, unless quality takes a dramatic leap.

It's also incredibly hypocritical of you to insist US automakers get loans from US and Canadian governments, yet you raise a stink when a Japanese company wants a loan from the Japanese government.

If you think Toyota is anymore a Japanese company than GM is an American one, you need to give your head a shake. They are both huge multi-national companies that are driven by nothing less than the almighty dollar, not patriotism. Toyota, like GM, will go where there is money to be made. Why do you think they built factories in NA in the 80s/90s? To make MONEY! Not create a new Japanese Empire.

I wonder if you railed in the late 80s and 90s about the collapse of NA electronics companies, or were just happy that the price of your VCR, PC, and cell phone dropped. The dominance of foreign companies in the semi-conductor industry is far more worrisome from a national defence/patriotism POV than the car industry. Don't you think that if we ever went to war with Japan/Germany/whoever, that we'd simply nationalize their assets here?

No, you are the one that needs some common sense here.

[poquas]

stemmer stemmer:

Canada's economy, highway system, military (NATO) is closely integrated with the USA's...Now how is it integrated with Bahamas, Fiji, Japan or China to that degree?

Any G7 or G8 country that does not own it's own manufacturing sector is being setup for doom... IF Canada or the USA gets into a scrap with North Korea or Pakistan do you really think Japan wants to get sucked into the conflict by allowing Toyota or Honda build tanks or jeeps for Canada or the USA?

Canada and the USA will soon have a common currency... OR do you think it is more likely we will have a common currency with Japan, China, Germany?

IF Ottawa or Washington lobby groups are now from Tokyo or Beging and not Wall Street or Bay Street will they really have want is in the best interest of North America when they bend the ear of a Member of Parliament or Congressman over a diplomatic supper?

Or do you believe when England controlled most of the commerce in India it was doing so in the best interest of India?

Please use a little common sense before spewing off insidious remarks on a public forum...

Are you insane?

The automobile sector you continuously hitch you little red wagon to is AMERICAN. NOT CANADIAN.

The business is failing and our country does not have the ability (nor I hope the idiocy) to rescue it. Employment will come from whoever survives. That appears to be the Japanese manufacturers at the moment. Do you suggest they’re going to fill the plants with their own countrymen?

As for Canada and the US having a common currency with ANY other country I’d like to suggest you increase the dosage of whatever you’re supposed to be taking. You’re making a fool of yourself.

Every time this topic about the failed auto sector comes up you immediately revert to some paranoid, racist, American sycophantic toady (yes, I know sycophantic and toady are much the same but it applies).

The "big three" need to fail rather than to be bailed out. If they can come back (which I doubt) they'll have to work better and smarter and deliver some decent product to the consumers they've ripped off for so many years.

[Choban]

OK. We have assembly plants in Canada, we have skilled workers, engeneers, managers and executives. We have entrepreneurs.
We have everything we need in place to start up a Canadian owned and operated motor company. So instead of bailing out American companies to keep them operating in Canada why don't we give the money to Canadians to start a Canadian company, give Canadians tax breaks or incentives to buy these vehicles and market them out of the country as well?
If anyone can poke holes in my logic then feel free, but I think this is a viable solution to 1. Keep Canadians in the auto sector working, 2. bolster the Canadian economy without kneebending to American interests, and 3. Put our country on the map for something more than peackeeping and hockey.

[DrCaleb]

Here's an odd idea - why don't the Auto companies apply to the record profit making Oil companies for short term loans?

Seems to me they have some cash, and a vested interest in keeping the automakers afloat.

[martin14]

Choban Choban:

OK. We have assembly plants in Canada, we have skilled workers, engeneers, managers and executives. We have entrepreneurs.
We have everything we need in place to start up a Canadian owned and operated motor company. So instead of bailing out American companies to keep them operating in Canada why don't we give the money to Canadians to start a Canadian company, give Canadians tax breaks or incentives to buy these vehicles and market them out of the country as well?
If anyone can poke holes in my logic then feel free, but I think this is a viable solution to 1. Keep Canadians in the auto sector working, 2. bolster the Canadian economy without kneebending to American interests, and 3. Put our country on the map for something more than peackeeping and hockey.

Its a great idea Choban.......... but



the reason the auto companies got so big was due to economies of scale.
cheaper to arrange 1 million units rather than 1,000 or 10,000.

Its also why you saw mergers like Chrysler and DB,
other joint projects you usually dont even hear about.

We could do it, but with limited production possibilities, any Canadian
company would have to start with a very limited range, and a very simple car...

like a Tata $2500 retail.


I dont know if that could be commercially viable.
One would hope a surge of Canadian patriotism could drive things until
the company got itself sorted.... but


I really wish I was wrong, I would love to see a Canadian auto maker..

[raydan]

We could develop a car that runs on tar sands directly.
Shovel it in, drive away.

OK, all kidding aside, on natural gas.
In Quebec, it would run on electricity, or poutine.


...I have no idea what my problem is with poutine today.
Must be because I haven't had one in years.

[stemmer]

bootlegga bootlegga:

Don't you think that if we ever went to war with Japan/Germany/whoever, that we'd simply nationalize their assets here?

I don't think we have to worry about going to war with Japan or Germany as I don't think that's going to happen sometime soon...

However since you missed my original point... War with a neighbour of Japan or in the vicinity of Japan may happen...(China, North Korea, Pakistan, Iran, etc)... I doubt it very much Japan would be willing to get suckered into a war by allowing Toyota or Honda manufacture tanks or military trucks for the US, Canada or UK... For by doing so Japan may find a few North Korean or Chinese navy ships off of their shore... AND I doubt it the US or Canada would nationalize the companies of a nation not involved in the war...


US & Canadian common currency isn't gonna happen and it's just the stuff of conspiracy wackos? Hardly... You've not listened to mainstream people like CNN's Lou Dobbs, Glenn Beck or Ron Paul... Beck, Paul and Dobbs say it's going to happen and happen soon...

Our trade and foreign policies are flawed... AND as citizens we are more concerned about consumer need then nation need...

Wake up and smell the God Damn roses...

[martin14]

raydan raydan:

We could develop a car that runs on tar sands directly.
Shovel it in, drive away.

OK, all kidding aside, on natural gas.
In Quebec, it would run on electricity, or poutine.


...I have no idea what my problem is with poutine today.
Must be because I haven't had one in years.

east end.. St Joseph, close to Papineau I think..

place called la Beniere.. real joual dump.
best damn poutine i ever had in my life..


course it was 20 years ago.