Foreign Cars.

[jjw]

Many times on this site, I read about the glories of the automobile industry and how Michigan has benefited from them. Exactly how has Michigan benefited in the past 50 years or so? These three companies could care less about Michigan or the Michigan worker. It's all been about making a shitty product and then cramming it down people's throats. Sit back and take a look at the metro area and tell me how the cars have helped it. What a laugh. And guess what? Most folks around the country feel your pain but don't quite understand how we should feel sorry for your predictament.
The argument about foreign vs. domestic is old. Get over it. Don't forget to enjoy all that grass and cement on your way home from work today. That's if you got a job!

[EMG]

Many times on this site, I read about the glories of the automobile industry and how Michigan has benefited from them. Exactly how has Michigan benefited in the past 50 years or so? These three companies could care less about Michigan or the Michigan worker. It's all been about making a shitty product and then cramming it down people's throats. Sit back and take a look at the metro area and tell me how the cars have helped it. What a laugh. And guess what? Most folks around the country feel your pain but don't quite understand how we should feel sorry for your predictament.

I couldn't agree more. Great post.

[thatguy123]

Again it has been posted before but here is a story of a certain automaker pretty much saving a town [[heres a hint, it isnt one of the big 3) http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/workl...own/index.html

Unfortunately many posters here are ignorant to the fact of how taxes and money made in foreign countries works. The majority of the money Kia, Toyota ect make here STAYS HERE and goes to US investors and so forth. It also goes to pay US workers. Do they send some money out of the country, absolutely. But guess what....So does GM, Ford and Chrysler. 100% of any money made [[do any of the big 3 make money?) does not stay in the US.

Unfortunately this is a tough concept for people like "BuyAmerican" to understand so they will keep arguing about something they are completely wrong about because as another poster stated, they think they are the smartest people alive.

[Bearinabox]

Again it has been posted before but here is a story of a certain automaker pretty much saving a town [[heres a hint, it isnt one of the big 3) http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/workl...own/index.html

So what you're saying is, between a Kia Sorento built 800 miles away in Georgia and a Chevy Equinox built 150 miles away in Ontario...

Nope, still not convinced.

[thatguy123]

So what you're saying is, between a Kia Sorento built 800 miles away in Georgia and a Chevy Equinox built 150 miles away in Ontario...

Nope, still not convinced.

Convinced of what? Congrats at failing to read the article.

[Bearinabox]

Convinced of what? Congrats at failing to read the article.

Convinced that I should care whether people in Georgia have jobs. Convinced that buying a Kia is in any way good for Southeast Michigan. Convinced that people who buy foreign cars and then blather about how patriotic they are because their foreign cars were assembled in the South aren't completely full of shit.

Look, I have no problem with people buying foreign cars. If you want a Kia for whatever reason, go ahead and buy one--you don't need to justify yourself to me. Just don't try to tell me that your Kia is better for the local economy than a Chevy or a Ford, because it isn't.

[EMG]

Convinced that I should care whether people in Georgia have jobs. Convinced that buying a Kia is in any way good for Southeast Michigan.

What Detroiters have to wake up to is the fact that many people in the other 49 states don't any more care whether people in Michigan have jobs. It may be an important issue to Detroiters, but other than that, people just want the best car value for the money. And if that means they wind up supporting a producer in a right to work state rather than a Detroit union shop, they've got no problem with it as long as they're getting a better product and better service for the money. And if their experience is anything like mine, they are!

Rather than cry and moan and accuse people of being unAmerican, maybe some people had better wake up and start producing better products and a more competitive price, and offering better customer service. That would be a lot more effective tactic for regaining market share than whining and moaning and wringing hands and gnashing teeth and sputtering about how the rest of America somehow owes more to southeast Michigan than any other region of the country "just because."

When it comes to selfish, myopic regionalism and once all local bias is removed from the picture, there's really no objective difference between Sen. Corker and his Michigan congressional counterparts. Everybody's fighting for local employment - and that is their right. But if they really want to win the fight, the people wanting to keep these jobs would be better to get off their duffs and start doing something about improving their competiveness - in both quality and price - than just continuing to get offended and sling insults at each other. The day Detroit consistently offers a better package than Toyota, Detroit will excel in sales and Toyota will be flirting with bankruptcy. Until then, expect more of the status quo.