Michael Moore: Goodbye, GM

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I write this on the morning of the end of the once-mighty General Motors. By high noon, the President of the United States will have made it official: General Motors, as we know it, has been totaled.

As I sit here in GM's birthplace, Flint, Michigan, I am surrounded by friends and family who are filled with anxiety about what will happen to them and to the town. Forty percent of the homes and businesses in the city have been abandoned. Imagine what it would be like if you lived in a city where almost every other house is empty. What would be your state of mind?

It is with sad irony that the company which invented "planned obsolescence" -- the decision to build cars that would fall apart after a few years so that the customer would then have to buy a new one -- has now made itself obsolete. It refused to build automobiles that the public wanted, cars that got great gas mileage, were as safe as they could be, and were exceedingly comfortable to drive. Oh -- and that wouldn't start falling apart after two years. GM stubbornly fought environmental and safety regulations. Its executives arrogantly ignored the "inferior" Japanese and German cars, cars which would become the gold standard for automobile buyers. And it was hell-bent on punishing its unionized workforce, lopping off thousands of workers for no good reason other than to "improve" the short-term bottom line of the corporation. Beginning in the 1980s, when GM was posting record profits, it moved countless jobs to Mexico and elsewhere, thus destroying the lives of tens of thousands of hard-working Americans. The glaring stupidity of this policy was that, when they eliminated the income of so many middle class families, who did they think was going to be able to afford to buy their cars? History will record this blunder in the same way it now writes about the French building the Maginot Line or how the Romans cluelessly poisoned their own water system with lethal lead in its pipes.

So here we are at the deathbed of General Motors. The company's body not yet cold, and I find myself filled with -- dare I say it -- joy. It is not the joy of revenge against a corporation that ruined my hometown and brought misery, divorce, alcoholism, homelessness, physical and mental debilitation, and drug addiction to the people I grew up with. Nor do I, obviously, claim any joy in knowing that 21,000 more GM workers will be told that they, too, are without a job.

But you and I and the rest of America now own a car company! I know, I know -- who on earth wants to run a car company? Who among us wants $50 billion of our tax dollars thrown down the rat hole of still trying to save GM? Let's be clear about this: The only way to save GM is to kill GM. Saving our precious industrial infrastructure, though, is another matter and must be a top priority. If we allow the shutting down and tearing down of our auto plants, we will sorely wish we still had them when we realize that those factories could have built the alternative energy systems we now desperately need. And when we realize that the best way to transport ourselves is on light rail and bullet trains and cleaner buses, how will we do this if we've allowed our industrial capacity and its skilled workforce to disappear?

Thus, as GM is "reorganized" by the federal government and the bankruptcy court, here is the plan I am asking President Obama to implement for the good of the workers, the GM communities, and the nation as a whole. Twenty years ago when I made "Roger & Me," I tried to warn people about what was ahead for General Motors. Had the power structure and the punditocracy listened, maybe much of this could have been avoided. Based on my track record, I request an honest and sincere consideration of the following suggestions:

1. Just as President Roosevelt did after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the President must tell the nation that we are at war and we must immediately convert our auto factories to factories that build mass transit vehicles and alternative energy devices. Within months in Flint in 1942, GM halted all car production and immediately used the assembly lines to build planes, tanks and machine guns. The conversion took no time at all. Everyone pitched in. The fascists were defeated.

We are now in a different kind of war -- a war that we have conducted against the ecosystem and has been conducted by our very own corporate leaders. This current war has two fronts. One is headquartered in Detroit. The products built in the factories of GM, Ford and Chrysler are some of the greatest weapons of mass destruction responsible for global warming and the melting of our polar icecaps. The things we call "cars" may have been fun to drive, but they are like a million daggers into the heart of Mother Nature. To continue to build them would only lead to the ruin of our species and much of the planet.

The other front in this war is being waged by the oil companies against you and me. They are committed to fleecing us whenever they can, and they have been reckless stewards of the finite amount of oil that is located under the surface of the earth. They know they are sucking it bone dry. And like the lumber tycoons of the early 20th century who didn't give a damn about future generations as they tore down every forest they could get their hands on, these oil barons are not telling the public what they know to be true -- that there are only a few more decades of useable oil on this planet. And as the end days of oil approach us, get ready for some very desperate people willing to kill and be killed just to get their hands on a gallon can of gasoline.

President Obama, now that he has taken control of GM, needs to convert the factories to new and needed uses immediately.

2. Don't put another $30 billion into the coffers of GM to build cars. Instead, use that money to keep the current workforce -- and most of those who have been laid off -- employed so that they can build the new modes of 21st century transportation. Let them start the conversion work now.

3. Announce that we will have bullet trains criss-crossing this country in the next five years. Japan is celebrating the 45th anniversary of its first bullet train this year. Now they have dozens of them. Average speed: 165 mph. Average time a train is late: under 30 seconds. They have had these high speed trains for nearly five decades -- and we don't even have one! The fact that the technology already exists for us to go from New York to L.A. in 17 hours by train, and that we haven't used it, is criminal. Let's hire the unemployed to build the new high speed lines all over the country. Chicago to Detroit in less than two hours. Miami to DC in under 7 hours. Denver to Dallas in five and a half. This can be done and done now.

4. Initiate a program to put light rail mass transit lines in all our large and medium-sized cities. Build those trains in the GM factories. And hire local people everywhere to install and run this system.

5. For people in rural areas not served by the train lines, have the GM plants produce energy efficient clean buses.

6. For the time being, have some factories build hybrid or all-electric cars (and batteries). It will take a few years for people to get used to the new ways to transport ourselves, so if we're going to have automobiles, let's have kinder, gentler ones. We can be building these next month (do not believe anyone who tells you it will take years to retool the factories -- that simply isn't true).

7. Transform some of the empty GM factories to facilities that build windmills, solar panels and other means of alternate forms of energy. We need tens of millions of solar panels right now. And there is an eager and skilled workforce who can build them.

8. Provide tax incentives for those who travel by hybrid car or bus or train. Also, credits for those who convert their home to alternative energy.

9. To help pay for this, impose a two-dollar tax on every gallon of gasoline. This will get people to switch to more energy saving cars or to use the new rail lines and rail cars the former autoworkers have built for them.

Well, that's a start. Please, please, please don't save GM so that a smaller version of it will simply do nothing more than build Chevys or Cadillacs. This is not a long-term solution. Don't throw bad money into a company whose tailpipe is malfunctioning, causing a strange odor to fill the car.

100 years ago this year, the founders of General Motors convinced the world to give up their horses and saddles and buggy whips to try a new form of transportation. Now it is time for us to say goodbye to the internal combustion engine. It seemed to serve us well for so long. We enjoyed the car hops at the A&W. We made out in the front -- and the back -- seat. We watched movies on large outdoor screens, went to the races at NASCAR tracks across the country, and saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time through the window down Hwy. 1. And now it's over. It's a new day and a new century. The President -- and the UAW -- must seize this moment and create a big batch of lemonade from this very sour and sad lemon.

Yesterday, the last surviving person from the Titanic disaster passed away. She escaped certain death that night and went on to live another 97 years.

So can we survive our own Titanic in all the Flint Michigans of this country. 60% of GM is ours. I think we can do a better job.

Yours,

Michael Moore

[SuperDuper! 230]

I'm all excited about the recommendation for another $2 in gas tax. Can I get an Amen?!

[alienlovechild 75]

Nice link, make that no link.

I'm sure Nader is pleased, too.

Once the car industry goes down the tubes we can throw a big party for the masses of the newly unemployed.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Nice link, make that no link.

Oops.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=248

[My Name Is Nobody 3]

Michaels been hitting the bong again.

I have owned Chevy trucks for 25 years. Next truck will be a Ford. Who wants to own a vehicle in which the goverment is involved ( Obama Motors). Go private sector!!

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

i guess mikey's fridge is empty, so he has to write something.

[wayno 9]

This guys a commy nutcase. The public actually wanted the larger vehicles---It's the damn crack-head media that says differently. If the banks would start loaning and the media morons would shut the hell up, people would actually start buying. If he loves Europe, Japan and their transit sytem then he should get the &*(^ out of here and live there. Its idiots like this that do nothing but cause trouble.

Cars designed to not last past 2 years????? What a joke. Don't see a lot of imports older then the year 2000 around here. And only US companies make large cars???? Up until a couple of years ago there were no Japenese full size trucks. Now all those brands make them, and they sold. How about all the individuals who could have bought a F150 or even a Ranger------but got a ford super duty instead. Plenty of F250's and F350's have been sold. Why? People wanted them. Was looking at one myself but chose the Dodge Ram over it because they had a better rebate. No brand loyalty for me. Give me the cheapest. There all built very good. Of course it must be a full size U.S truck. 4X4 V8 gets 18 MPG with 35" tires---can't complain. No way you'll get me in one of those suicide cars. I want room and safty and I guerentee a lot of others feel the same way. I also enjoy my god given freedom to get in the vehicle I CHOOSE (AND NOT SOME COMI A(&%%H(*^& ) whenever I feel like it and go wherever I want. You want to ride a bus, go for it, not me.

Sorry for the rant but I'm about sick of these loons trying to tell others how to live because they have absolutly no life themsels,,,,including the wackos in the government----all the way to the top.

[sunandmoon 450]

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[Dr. Obvious 49]

Cars designed to not last past 2 years????? What a joke. Don't see a lot of imports older then the year 2000 around here.

My 1994 Mazda Protege has 269k on it. My husband has a 1995 Subaru Legacy with 201k on it. Before that, we had a 1994 Volvo 940 with 260k (wrecked) and a 1989 Volvo 240 (totalled) with 220k.

[EstebanTrabajos 7]

commies for Christ rejoice!

[alienlovechild 75]

commies for Christ rejoice!

The Democrats used to be for the working guy now some are just sickos who enjoy making others suffer- that's sad even as a joke.

[dalegg 143]

The products built in the factories of GM, Ford and Chrysler are some of the greatest weapons of mass destruction

Imagine what North Korea could do with a few thousand of these..

[Kar98 0]

What a car made by "The People's Auto Factory" may look like:

[Kar98 0]

Cars designed to not last past 2 years????? What a joke. Don't see a lot of imports older then the year 2000 around here.

You must live near Martha's Vineyard or something like that.

/driving a 1987 import

[trillium13 84]

Cars designed to not last past 2 years????? What a joke. Don't see a lot of imports older then the year 2000 around here.

My 1994 Mazda Protege has 269k on it. My husband has a 1995 Subaru Legacy with 201k on it. Before that, we had a 1994 Volvo 940 with 260k (wrecked) and a 1989 Volvo 240 (totalled) with 220k.

I had 2 late 80's Volvos-both with over 200K. One was still fully functional when I traded it in.

Those cars had the best seats.