Jennifer Granholm has ushered in Michigan’s devastating economy that has sent so many who have called Michigan home fleeing for better economies elsewhere. The sham bankruptcy and government and UAW take over of Chrysler and the impending government and UAW take over of General Motors are neon signs that the automotive industry is on its last legs. No one who understands how businesses are run seriously expects any company run by the government and UAW to actually make a profit. None the less, the Governor is acting as if nothing is wrong and that the Big Three automakers are going strong. She writes this at the Huffington Post:
Out with the old gas guzzlers of the past. Out with the old thinking of the past. Out with the old politics of the past. Out with the old rust belt.
May was the first month of the New: new technology, new ideas, and a new era of cooperation that will purposefully drive Michigan and America into the new clean-energy future.
Michigan’s Big Three automakers, the UAW, Michigan’s world class engineers — they are working together to reduce more greenhouse gas emissions than ever before in this country’s history. It’s not Silicon Valley. It’s not Route 128. It’s Motown that is making a more significant impact on global climate change than any other place in America.
In addition to the new fuel efficiency standards, May was also the month that five innovative new Michigan companies submitted their applications to the Department of Energy to receive federal funding to design and build the advanced batteries that will power the electric vehicle of the future. Their applications are backed by $700 million in state incentives.
In Michigan, we’re not only redesigning the current generation of vehicles to be more fuel efficient, but as the world’s epicenter for automotive research and design, we’re literally redesigning the entire notion of the automobile. The Chevy Volt will be the first ever mass produced car designed around a lithium ion battery pack rather than an internal combustion engine. Ford is preparing for the introduction of a full line of new hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, and just announced their first fully electric vehicle will be made at an efficient Michigan factory. Chrysler is also electrifying its product lines, with announcements to come. The key challenge we need to overcome to make the transition to an electric vehicle fleet is perfecting the battery.
Really? Perfecting the battery is the key challenge? What is the color of the sky in this woman’s world? GM and Chrysler are shells of their former selves. Note how she conveniently leaves out the US government’s role in two of three auto makers. With the government and UAW running GM and Chrysler, their best days are behind them, yet Granholm expects us to believe that UAW/Government motors will produce cars people will want to buy? When was the last time the government – any government – designed and manufactured a product that was high tech, efficient, reliable, and affordable?
Update: Hey, guys, there is a bigger issue than perfecting the battery. The government and UAW, two organizations that have never run anything at a profit, have to keep these damn companies afloat! They don’t even have a sustainable business model outside of parasitically feeding off the government.
