It’s those Damn Unions holding us back!@
Ford, GM, Chrysler’s problems start and end with the Unions. PERIOD
So when I read crap like this I get really confused!
Accord Fuels Honda Sales Surge
The redesigned sedan drove Honda to a September sales record and a 13.8% gain for the month. GM sales were up a bit, but Ford’s fell 21%
Honda Motor (HMC) and its Acura division enjoyed record sales in September in a generally declining market, as Japanese brands continue to take U.S. market share from the Big Three domestic manufacturers
I’m genuinely perplexed. This would seem to indicate that Japanese cars are more stylish than American cars? I know that Accords cost more too, right? So what could possibly be the reason the cars aren’t selling besides it being the unions health care demands?
Tags: Bush's Fubar Economy
“I’m genuinely perplexed. This would seem to indicate that Japanese cars are more stylish than American cars?”
Don V, I’ve given up trying to understand the automotive industry, but looking at the post below, don’t the Taurus and the Accord look like the same car??? All else being equal (apart from the price difference, natch) you’d have to say that American cars are perceived as inferior to Japanese cars, even if the Accord is assembled in Ohio.
The first time I bought a new car, I went to a Ford dealership to check out the Escort. (This was in 1989, for those of you who don’t know what an Escort is) The salesman spent the whole time trying to put me in a Mustang because his commission would be higher. I bought a VW.
The Hondas are cheaper to own in the long run, and have higher resale value.
Accord – 200K miles at least, if you remember to change the oil once in a while.
Taurus – Found On Road Dead
but you guys aren’t talking about Healthcare?
that is what they say is killing their profit?
If you are saying the cars are cheaper and not as reliable that wouldn’t be because of healthcare?
geeze don’t you guys get it.
For the benefit of our conservative Christian-right visitors: An “Escort” is a car.
Ford = Fucked On the Real Deal
As health care costs escalate, can we expect the employer to pick up most of the cost? Note that such costs are passed on to customers in the form of higher prices or result in less capital for plant expansion and product improvement.
Many health insurance companies are non-profit entities and must pass costs on to the customers.
Medical advances have caused some cost increases but the real demon is defensive medicine that has little in the way of a clinical rationale but is protection from possible litigation.
There are cases of real malpractice but the combination of junk science and theatrics (a la John Edwards) is driving up health care costs with no collateral benefit to the public.
We need real tort reform now.
“Honda Motor (HMC) and its Acura division enjoyed record sales in September in a generally declining market, as Japanese brands continue to take U.S. market share from the Big Three domestic manufacturers”
Gee…I wonder why…here is something taken from an article found on the Soldiers of Solidarity website…about as PRO-Union as you can get…(Source)
“Last year, Japanese automakers Toyota and Honda Motor Co. paid $47 an hour for wages and benefits for U.S. workers and retirees, compared with $64.90 an hour at Ford, according to Harbour-Felax Group, a consulting firm in Royal Oak, Michigan. Honda and Toyota have few U.S. retirees.”
While the article details numerous “bad” decisions it fault Ford for, the tone of the article shows that event he unions recognize the drain they are putting on the corporations.
Last year, Japanese automakers Toyota and Honda Motor Co. paid $47 an hour for wages and benefits for U.S. workers and retirees, compared with $64.90 an hour at Ford, according to Harbour-Felax Group, a consulting firm in Royal Oak, Michigan. Honda and Toyota have few U.S. retirees.
How about a comparison of Big Three exec. pay packages compared w/Japanese exec…..how much an hour are these jokers making????
What of the retirees….UAW retirees (having worked a somewhat mindless, noisy, dirty, thankless job for 20+years) pensions must be protected by present union members…it’s their future too.
These are people who don’t expect to get dickshit from government…they worked to have pensions and healthcare in place for their retirement.
Bravo to those who respect their elders!!!!!
well chris all well and good, but american cars are several thousand dollars cheaper. So how is it the healthcare that affects the competition?
As health care costs escalate, can we expect the employer to pick up most of the cost?
No, of course not. Health care should not be attached to employment – it should be attached to citizenship.
The cost should be borne by the taxpayer. Of course, how the burden is shared among the taxpayers is a political decision. I favor a steeply progressive general tax, but that’s just my opinion (we can debate it in Congress). The people who benefit so magnificently from the labor of the workforce should pay for the health care of the workforce and their families.
We need real tort reform now.
Tort reform is a code word for taking people’s rights away. Why do conservatives hate the Constitution so much?
As much as I’m sure doctors and HMOs will lobby hard for the right to kill and maim people and get off with no more than a traffic ticket – this has nothing to do with medical costs.
Would you agree to a jury award cap law with a “sunset” clause if patient’s health insurance costs don’t go down dramatically?
Didn’t think so.
The auto industry is on the same glide path as the airline industry and is evidenced by the recent GM-UAW agreement.
We lost our pensions, the execs kept their pensions. We are on 1984 wage rates and the execs are getting bonuses. Years ago we adopted a “B” scale to pay newer pilots less money, so is the UAW. I could go on for quiet a while.
Now, back to health care. Health Care should be independent of your employment, 30% of workers say they are in their jobs only because of those benefits. Tort reform could be helped along by establishing Health Courts sort of like our Chancery Court to deal with errors but remove it from the current inefficient system.
Delacare 2008 has a means to have private universal health care for every Delawarean, take a look.
“No, of course not. Health care should not be attached to employment – it should be attached to citizenship.”
Detached from employement…fine. Run by the government…no way in HELL! Remove competition and set fixed pricing schedules and medical advances will cease to exist. The only reason the “Socialized” countries have been progressing medically is because they get the stuff that OUR drug companies (or non-US drug companies) hope to sell in our system. It has been masking the true effect of socialized medicine.
So detach it from employment, but leave it private. Otherwise…we will ALL regret it.
Wow Chris,
Fantasyland must be like Candyland where everything is sweet and nothing bad happens. Somehow you just know that those British doctors, Swiss doctors, Canadian doctors, etc. can’t develop anything to match our capabilities. I mean none of the drug companies would have originated in any of those countries b/c what incentive would they have to develop new drugs without raping the consumer. Oh wait, most of them are in those countries so they must just enjoy raping American consumers. Good to know you appreciate being raped but I don’t believe the majority of normal Americans hold that sentiment. FYI, nice segue into avoiding the topic of the post by railing against socialized medicine which would solve the problems in this post.
“socialized medicine which would solve the problems in this post.”
Now who is living in Fanstasyland. Story after story coming out of countries with socialized medicine about how bad it is. And yet, head in their hands, eyes closes, libbies keep walking toward the chopper blade.
I DON’T appreciate being raped by the other countries so they can pretend their failing little eutopia actually works. But I am not interested in bring medical research to a halt and putting my families lives in the hands of one gigantic government program just to avoid getting raped. Of course, there is no good way of stopping that without being labeled a “selfish evil empire”. You want to hand over your health to a government agency feel free, but let the sane among us have the choice to keep our health AND money out of the giant sucking agency you envision.
once again the conservative boogey man strikes again.
because other countries have problems we will have the same problems. Yes Chris, because when you see a problem you repeat the error over and over again.
I’m sure we would incorporate all the things that don’t work in other countries in the US. Such a stupid arguement.
Because when you build a building that falls over, you build it the same way time and time again. Good logic.
Phantom smoked you. A lot of Pharma companies are outside the US and in countries where socialized medicine exists? Why is that? How do they make money?
Game set match, get over it.
You make shit up, Chris, or parrot lies that other people make up. Bully for you!
“I’m sure we would incorporate all the things that don’t work in other countries in the US. Such a stupid arguement.”
A stupid argument? Just how. Most every plan being offered is modeled off of those other countries. I have yet to hear one person say “this is how our will differ from the failing ones”. The fact is….most of libbies refuse to even RECOGNIZE that these programs are failing. How often are we told about the great programs Canada and Britain have?
If you believe we won’t inorporate what fails in other programs you are fool. Because the entire CONCEPT is flawed. It is not the implementation, it is the logic. IT CAN NOT WORK! Dress it up six ways to Sunday, but the story still ends with it failing miserably!
So I am assuming that you would not want nor would accept Medicare if you needed it, correct? I mean that god awful government run health care would be so bad for you.
Once again distorting the issue seems to be your M.O. but lets take a break and meet Mr. reality.
The current post describes the problem of the unions having outrageous healthcare costs as the reason that American auto companies are failing. The Japanese auto companies have government “socialized” (by your terminology) healthcare that significantly decreases thier costs. Therefore (and I know this logic might not make sense to you since reality and logic go against your beliefs.) the socialized medicine route allows for Japanese firms to produce cheaper vehicles than American firms, ie socialized medicine would solve the problems in this post.
As far as being raped you may want to compare Medicare with any plan currently being offered by private insurance. What you will find is that government insurance does the following:
Cheaper costs
More pay to doctors and hospitals
while private insurance does the following:
balloons and increases costs
lower payments to doctors and hospitals
= higher profit margin to pass on to the wealthy and use continue screwing the poor.
Health care is not a risk averse game that the private insurance companies want it to become b/c while they keep throwing out the trash the government (ie US) keeps paying the price when doctors abandon practice for not being paid and hospitals shut down. All while private insurers keep earning better profits. Health care needs to be provided for everyone so that everyone can bear the costs properly but if done in that fashion the private insurers would go out of business very quickly leaving one entity to pick up the pieces: government.
Please reconsider your sane comment as I don’t think anyone grounded in reality can actually believe you are sane.
“Phantom smoked you. A lot of Pharma companies are outside the US and in countries where socialized medicine exists? Why is that? How do they make money?”
Duh…read my post. I work in the medical field, I KNOW where most of the Pharmas are located…overseas. But I also know where most of their money is made…here in the U.S. Why do you think these companies kept buying U.S. pharma companies. They come here, get the money and use it to research bigger and better products. Shut that down and then what? Where is the money going to magically appear from. Keeping living in your utopia dream…because the rest of us won’t be able to.
yet over half the country want’s nationalized health care
how come Japan Makes it work?
“government insurance does the following:
Cheaper costs
More pay to doctors and hospitals”
Not according to the NY Times.
Check you own damn sanity loser!