I've worked nearly my entire career supporting, in some capacity, our country's greatest manufacturing powerhouses.

Yes, I'm talking about the U.S. auto industry.

I've been proud to do so. The G.M.'s, Ford's, and Chrysler's make extremely complicated products that have driven innovation, and National mite, for decades. Kokomo has enjoyed a well-earned and proud heritage within these businesses.

Today... as I saw our President dictate the replacement of Rick Wagoner as C.E.O. of General Motors... I was crestfallen. Is this really what decades... of legions... of hard work culminates into? Is it?

I'm no fan of Mr. Wagoner, nor that of Chrysler's Big Kahuna. Truly, though, we must realize the unbinding of these companies is not all their fault. There's been a lot of mistakes made over the years. Management got drunk on money and power, labor got drunk on money and power, and the government just got drunk....

Dumb business decisions, some half a century old now... are coming to roost. Labor's gravy train is over. The government is still drunk...

... and yet... no-one gets it. The auto industry supports virtually ALL the rest of heavy industrial endeavors in our nation. The people of G.M., Chrysler, Ford, and others invented and built many of the very machines we use to protect our Country...

Protect our Country....

... and now, General Motors, once the largest industrial powerhouse on the planet... is being dictated to by a bunch of politicians in Washington, D.C. The specter of this 'vision' gives me both headache and heartache.

Agreed... G.M. shouldn't have come with their hands out unless they were prepared for this... and it appears they are. Rick Wagoner's heir-apparent, though, is no more an out-of-the-box thinker than Wagoner was. I fail to see the point.

Car guys need to run car companies... not financial geniuses playing to Wall Street whims. G.M. and Chrysler need to get back to building cars and not being money machines.

If we haven't learned any other lesson in this financial mess... we need to learn this: trading money doesn't create value. Value is only created when you actually produce a product that people will buy.

As I close, I'm reminded of a couple of stanzas from M.A.S.H.'s theme...
The only way to win is cheat
And lay it down before I'm beat
and to another give my seat
for that's the only painless feat.


[REFRAIN]


'Cause suicide is painless
it brings on many changes
and I can take or leave it if I please.
...and you can do the same thing if you please.


The sword of time will pierce our skins
It doesn't hurt when it begins
But as it works its way on in
The pain grows stronger...watch it grin, but...
Frankly, I believe bankruptcy would have been a better option than this. Maybe... at that time... the players would have 'sobered up'.

NIK