Subject: Fw: GM supplier answers GM President Troy Clarke's "plea" -




This is one of the greatest responses to the requests for bailout money I have seen thus far. As a supplier for the Big 3 this man received a letter from the President of GM North America requesting support for the bail out program. His response is classic, and has to make you proud of a local guy who tells it like it is.



Dear Employees & Suppliers,
Congress and the current Administration will soon determine whether to provide immediate support to the domestic auto industry to help it through one of the most difficult economic times in our nation's history. Your elected officials must hear from all of us now on why this support is critical to our continuing the progress we began prior to the global financial crisis. As an employee or supplier, you have a lot at stake and continue to be one of our most effective and passionate voices. I know GM can count on you to have your voice heard. Thank you for your urgent action and ongoing support.
Troy Clarke President General Motors North America



Response from:
Gregory Knox, Pres.
Knox Machinery Company
Franklin, Ohio

Gentlemen:

In response to your request to contact legislators and ask for a bailout for the Big Three automakers please consider the following, and please pass my thoughts on to Troy Clark, President of General Motors North America.

Politicians and Management of the Big 3 are both infected with the same entitlement mentality that has spread like cancerous germs in UAW halls for the last countless decades, and whose plague is now sweeping this nation, awaiting our new "messiah", Pres-elect Obama, to wave his magic wand and make all our problems go away, while at the same time allowing our once great nation to keep "living the dream"... Believe me folks, The dream is over!

This dream where we can ignore the consumer for years while management myopically focuses on its personal rewards packages at the same time that our factories have been filled with the worlds most overpaid, arrogant, ignorant and laziest entitlement minded "laborers" without paying the price for these atrocities...this dream where you still think the masses will line up to buy our products for ever and ever.

Don't even think about telling me I'm wrong. Don't accuse me of not knowing of what I speak. I have called on Ford, GM, Chrysler, TRW, Delphi, Kelsey Hayes, American Axle and countless other automotive OEM's throughout the Midwest during the past 30 years and what I've seen over those years in these union shops can only be described as disgusting.

Troy Clarke, President of General Motors North America, states: "There is widespread sentiment throughout this country, and our government, and especially via the news media, that the current crisis is completely the result of bad management which it certainly is not."

You're right Mr. Clarke, it's not JUST management...how about the electricians who walk around the plants like lords in feudal times, making people wait on them for countless hours while they drag ass...so they can come in on the weekend and make double and triple time...for a job they easily could have done within their normal 40 hour work week. How about the line workers who threaten newbies with all kinds of scare tactics...for putting out too many parts on a shift...and for being too productive

(We certainly must not expose those lazy bums who have been getting overpaid for decades for their horrific underproduction, must we?!?)

Do you folks really not know about this stuff?!? How about this great sentiment abridged from Mr. Clarke's sad plea: "over the last few years ...we have closed the quality and efficiency gaps with our competitors." What the hell has Detroit been doing for the last 40 years?!? Did we really JUST wake up to the gaps in quality and efficiency between us and them? The K car vs. the Accord? The Pinto vs. the Civic?!? Do I need to go on? What a joke!

We are living through the inevitable outcome of the actions of the United States auto industry for decades. It's time to pay for your sins, Detroit.

I attended an economic summit last week where brilliant economist, Alan Beaulieu, from the Institute of Trend Research, surprised the crowd when he said he would not have given the banks a penny of "bailout money". "Yes, he said, this would cause short term problems," but despite what people like politicians and corporate magnates would have us believe, the sun would in fact rise the next day... and the following very important thing would happen...where there had been greedy and sloppy banks, new efficient ones would pop up...that is how a free market system works...it does work...if we would only let it work..."

But for some nondescript reason we are now deciding that the rest of the world is right and that capitalism doesn't work - that we need the government to step in and "save us"...Save us my ass, Hell - we're nationalizing...and unfortunately too many of our once fine nation's citizens don't even have a clue that this is what is really happening...But, they sure can tell you the stats on their favorite sports teams...yeah - THAT'S really important, isn't it...

Does it ever occur to ANYONE that the "competition" has been producing vehicles, EXTREMELY PROFITABLY, for decades in this country?... How can that be??? Let's see... Fuel efficient... Listening to customers... Investing in the proper tooling and automation for the long haul...

Not being too complacent or arrogant to listen to Dr. W. Edwards Deming four decades ago when he taught that by adopting appropriate principles of management, organizations could increase quality and simultaneously reduce costs. Ever increased productivity through quality and intelligent planning... Treating vendors like strategic partners, rather than like "the enemy"... Efficient front and back offices... Non union environment...

Again, I could go on and on, but I really wouldn't be telling anyone anything they really don't already know down deep in their hearts.

I have six children, so I am not unfamiliar with the concept of wanting someone to bail you out of a mess that you have gotten yourself into - my children do this on a weekly, if not daily basis, as I did when I was their age. I do for them what my parents did for me (one of their greatest gifts, by the way) - I make them stand on their own two feet and accept the consequences of their actions and work through it. Radical concept, huh... Am I there for them in the wings? Of course - but only until such time as they need to be fully on their own as adults.

I don't want to oversimplify a complex situation, but there certainly are unmistakable parallels here between the proper role of parenting and government. Detroit and the United States need to pay for their sins. Bad news people - it's coming whether we like it or not. The newly elected Messiah really doesn't have a magic wand big enough to "make it all go away." I laughed as I heard Obama "reeling it back in" almost immediately after the final vote count was tallied..."we really might not do it in a year...or in four..." Where the Hell was that kind of talk when he was RUNNING for office.

Stop trying to put off the inevitable folks ... That house in Florida really isn't worth $750,000... People who jump across a border really don't deserve free health care benefits... That job driving that forklift for the Big 3 really isn't worth $85,000 a year... We really shouldn't allow Wal-Mart to stock their shelves with products acquired from a country that unfairly manipulates their currency and has the most atrocious human rights infractions on the face of the globe...

That couple whose combined income is less than $50,000 really shouldn't be living in that $485,000 home... Let the market correct itself folks - it will. Yes it will be painful, but it's gonna' be painful either way, and the bright side of my proposal is that on the other side of it all, is a nation that appreciates what it has...and doesn't live beyond its means...and gets back to basics...and redevelops the patriotic work ethic that made it the greatest nation in the history of the world...and probably turns back to God.

Sorry - don't cut my head off, I'm just the messenger sharing with you the "bad news". I hope you take it to heart.

Gregory J. Knox, President
Knox Machinery, Inc.
Franklin, Ohio 45005

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Inrush - Soundcloud [New podcast! house, tech, prog, electro] <-- click to head over!

too long to read.

Give the Big Three all the money they want....I think a mere 5 trillion dollars for each of them is reasonable.

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quote:

Scott has been introduced to the rave scene, and Ecstasy, by Craig. The two of them go out on the weekends, with some of Craigs friends, and stay up all night, dancing in a drug-fueled trance.

Last edited by Moral Hazard on Apr-26-2011 at 07:48

That was a good read, nothing special. I agree with most of what he says.

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Originally posted by ChemEnhanced too long to read. Give the Big Three all the money they want....I think a mere 5 trillion dollars for each of them is reasonable.

Fuck while the're at it, give me a few hundred thousand of bailout money so I could keep going thru thousands of dollars a month for a few more years without making any money.

quote:

Originally posted by Sorin.16v That was a good read, nothing special. I agree with most of what he says. Fuck while the're at it, give me a few hundred thousand of bailout money so I could keep going thru thousands of dollars a month for a few more years without making any money.

The porn industry wants their bailout money as well.

quote:

Porn Kings to D.C. - Help Us Through Hard Times Posted Jan 7th 2009 12:15PM by TMZ Staff Joe Francis and Larry Flynt claim the economy has made America's sexual appetite go limp, so they're going to the one place where sex is always rampant -- Congress. Flynt (the "Hustler" guy) and Francis (the "Girls Gone Wild" dude) are asking the government for a $5 billion bailout, claiming the adult entertainment industry has taken a huge shot to the face because of the downturn -- citing the fact that XXX DVD sales are down 22% from a year ago. "With all this economic misery and people losing all that money, sex is the farthest thing from their mind," Flynt says. "It's time for Congress to rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America." Francis sees his industry like the big three automakers, only BIGGER: "Congress seems willing to help shore up our nation's most important businesses; we feel we deserve the same consideration." Francis says he's going to D.C. to personally make the pitch. Sounds like someone has a bone to pick.

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quote:

Scott has been introduced to the rave scene, and Ecstasy, by Craig. The two of them go out on the weekends, with some of Craigs friends, and stay up all night, dancing in a drug-fueled trance.

Last edited by Moral Hazard on Apr-26-2011 at 07:48

anyone using 42 ellipses in a letter with only 59 commas can't possibly be taken seriously

+1 to that letter. At least I know SOMEONE out there gets it, let them adapt, or die, stop stealing our tax dollars to prop up bad decisions.

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Captain Planet is gey.
Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Heart???
These forces are supposed to combine to create Captain Planet?
Bullshit.
Those forces combine to create a soaking, boiling mudstorm on Valentine's Day.

quote:

Originally posted by Spam +1 to that letter. At least I know SOMEONE out there gets it, let them adapt, or die, stop stealing our tax dollars to prop up bad decisions.

ding ding ding. There is a lot of win in what you said. Now all we need to do is pass this on to everyone else in this world.

___________________
Inrush - Soundcloud [New podcast! house, tech, prog, electro] <-- click to head over!

quote:

Originally posted by Spam +1 to that letter. At least I know SOMEONE out there gets it, let them adapt, or die, stop stealing our tax dollars to prop up bad decisions.

Well therein lies the rub.

How many people do GM and Chrysler employ directly? How many of those people support their families?

How many people are employed by GM and Chrysler's tier one, two and three auto parts suppliers? How many families do they support?

How many people are employed by GM's, Chrysler's, and their respective suppliers' vendors (raw materials, machinery and automation, construction, energy, financial, legal, food services, insurance, etc)?

Having worked in the automotive industry, I am confident that the root of this evil is basically the unions stifling productivity and innovation. Whether bankruptcy will be required to break the UAW/CAW or not is up for debate, but the unions have spoiled these potentially very successful enterprises for far too long.

The Detroit three are fully capable of making reliable, innovative, marketable vehicles. All they have to do is make them for a profit.

Great letter and great read..this guy hit it right on.

Working for Molson Brewery Ive seen exactly what he is talking about..every single one...lazy union guys that intimidate newbies..union guys getting paid triple overtime (something like 80-100/hour) on a holiday and double on weekends...but atleast Molson is learning and they are slowing moving into a less unionized work force...within 10-15years those 55 year-old+ workers will be retired and what they will have is an efficient plant with most of its workers on 3 year contracts.

quote:

Originally posted by DeleteFromUsers Well therein lies the rub. How many people do GM and Chrysler employ directly? How many of those people support their families? How many people are employed by GM and Chrysler's tier one, two and three auto parts suppliers? How many families do they support? How many people are employed by GM's, Chrysler's, and their respective suppliers' vendors (raw materials, machinery and automation, construction, energy, financial, legal, food services, insurance, etc)? Having worked in the automotive industry, I am confident that the root of this evil is basically the unions stifling productivity and innovation. Whether bankruptcy will be required to break the UAW/CAW or not is up for debate, but the unions have spoiled these potentially very successful enterprises for far too long. The Detroit three are fully capable of making reliable, innovative, marketable vehicles. All they have to do is make them for a profit.

I still remember coming in to cami to do some electrical because their electricians were too busy having a cup of coffee every 15 mins, while we busted our asses to get done in time. Yes some aspects of the union are bad but most are good. The trade workers are the safest most trained people on the job site. Free training for courses like arc flash, fire alarm, hoisting and rigging, code book understanding, cad, plcs, automated control systems... the list goes on keeps them sharp. I can only speak for the IBEW because I have never been in another union but we work our asses off to make deadlines that are far more unrealistic than nonunion companies to make up for the wages. We get a lot of people "non union" that come to the company that I am in working for that cant handle how quick we go so they go right back where they came from. Yes there are some bad apples that give us a bad rep but they are the ones that are on the list not working. When I was non union I saw the same bad apples, just different names. I think the caw and uaw need to stop fucking up a good thing and show Canada that they can be good workers. Or they will all be out of a job. Union made use to mean something! Just my 2 cents. Btw I dont care how long you have been working for... A person on the line should not be making 30+ an hour with no schooling. Thats just ridiculous.

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Inrush - Soundcloud [New podcast! house, tech, prog, electro] <-- click to head over!