[Pfish]

No wonder GM is going bankrupt. 350,000 employees and 1 million retirees. Talk about the RE market being upside down.

"A Senate auto bailout bill unveiled Monday noted that 355,000 U.S. workers are directly employed by the auto industry, and an additional 4.5 million work in related industries. That doesn't count the 1 million retirees."

Let them go down. I am not throwing this at the unions, but they had a larger part in this. Not only should GM go down, but every person who thinks they can retire at 55 from a government job and have 90%-%100 of their salary. Promote a person three years before they retire and the taxpayers are on the line for even more money.

What is that saying? "When things can't go on, they tend to stop."

[WyoDutch]

So, Bunkie... You're hot and bothered by the thought of Mable and Harry retiring from Ford and living in that little mobile home down in Pensacola, eh? I never saw you write out a check and send it to them, did I? On the other hand, every April 15, Uncle Sam grabs you by your ankles, turns you upside down and shakes those coins out of your pockets so they can be sent down to Phoenix to Wilbur and Trixie.. who retired from the EPA when they were 55.

Federal retirees will be getting a 5.8% cost-of-living increase in 2009 --the largest amount in about 25 years.

Federal and military retirees would get to pay for their health insurance with pre-tax money under a plan before Congress. That'd give them a tax break on their insurance. Federal employees have had the break since 2000, but it doesn't apply to retirees. The cost is also pretty steep. It costs the federal government about $480 per employee per year for the tax break now.

Federal retirees would be able to return to government and work part-time, collecting their full retirement, plus the salary, under a legislative proposal that’s intended to help agencies manage the impending retirement wave.

[Denny]

Regarding Ford, it is strange, they are a contradictiion it seems. Maybe even comopanis can develop schizophrenia.

See Detroit News - transforming Ford

"The head of Ford Motor said Tuesday the company is working hard to "transform our business" into a more profitable one that meets 21st century demands for fuel-efficient vehicles. Alan Mulally, said he'll make that argument to the Senate Banking Committee as the country's Big Three automakers plead anew for federal financial assistance.

Mulally denied on ABC's "Good Morning America" that automakers resisted restructuring their companies to meet current marketing realities. He said, "This week, we're actually going to start the transformation of one of our truck plants over to a fuel-efficient car plant."


Meanwhile same paper, same day, we read this

Ford's New 2010 Mustang

"Forty five years in the making, this Mustang adopts the best and discards the rest. For the new GT model, for example, Ford looked to its limited-edition Bullitt, the best-all-around Mustang available, for the new GT's suspension.

Engineers also reworked the GT's 4.6-liter V-8's air intake to add 15 ponies under that newly crafted power dome hood to boost the engine to 315 horsepower. Ford promises an even throatier engine note, though I haven't heard it rumbling just yet.

There's no wondering where the changes were made on the 2010 model. They are everywhere. The new front end looks more powerful and more athletic than the previous generation. The power dome pushes up, and the gap between the body-colored bumper and the hood pinches the head lights and gives the coupe a more determined look. "

Oh, and by the way, Ford hasn't even quite figured out what the fuel economy of this Mustang will be, but 315 hp engines producing throaty noises don't equate with fuel economy.