Are Goodyear and Firestone and Michelin and Borg Warner and RC Delco now to suffer as well?

[Bandit]

If GM goes under so will many supporting firms such as Goodyear and Borg Warner and many independent trucking firms that haul America's products. If that happens then even the successful Automobile companies will suffer not being able to get parts. This would be extremely far reaching. All these companies would be effected if GM declared Chapter 11 as they would no longer be getting paid. It would seem that the people that are saying let them go under are not really considering all the consequences..

[lamp_shade]

1. And what about the restaurants and bars, local banks, gas stations, etc.

So many small businesses that depend on the workers will suffer if plants shut down. The list is endless.

[orlandomom]

2. not to mention

The big 3 are largest purchasers of steel, plastic, aluminum, and computer chips. The steel company would certainly go under and all of these manufacturers would have to lay off millions more. With the tax base gutted from the loss of these jobs where will the money come from to even pay the unemployment benefits. Not good ...

[LiberalFighter]

3. Plus, they will either have to make drastic cuts in local government,

increase taxes or both.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. The easiest thing in the world is to tell...

someone else how they should suffer for the cause when it won't affect you in the slightest.

For some people, anyway.

The real problem has nothing to do with GM crushing experimental electric cars or Ford building F-150s and Navigators-- the problem is that NOBODY IS BUYING ANY KIND OF CAR NOW.

San Diego and Newark are sinking under the BMWs, Toyotas, Hondas, Hondas, Nissans and Subarus piling up at the docks that dealers don't want and can't sell. Dealers can't get credit to put cars on the lot and the few buyers out there can't get credit to buy the cars they want.

GM is top-heavy and bureaucratic, and its product cycle time is still too long. All the domestic companies are saddled under contracts they happily signed when money was plentiful. But, hey, let's blame it all on the moguls of the car business, because they don't know nearly as much as we, or some Senators, know about how to run the world's largest industrial operation.

And the foreign competition builds their plants in right-to-work states with no obligation to pay health or pension benefits, or pay salary during layoffs. Even Walter Reuther admitted that paying more money for less work will have a bad end. Note that the biggest objectors to any loan or bailout in Congress come from those states with foreign-owned plants.

And, nobody but GM has the Delphi noose hanging over their heads.

Yeah, let's just pile the insults on GM, let them go belly up, and that will solve the whole problem.

[TheCowsCameHome]

5. The trickle-down would be devastating, well beyond the industry itself.