Architects of Detroits Collapse

I have been concerned for our country's future for some time now. I'm no fortune teller and I am not claiming to be clairyvoyant either. But, I have seen the troubles our great nation now faces comming for a long time now. And these troubles reach far deeper than our economy going down the tubes.

For entirely too long we as Americans have gone along with a runaway economy as well as a self serving government and paid little to no attention where they have been taking us. Ridiculous government spending, inflation, unfair and almost criminal credit practices, and ever-rising prices on all goods and services have all led us to our current crisis.

Corporate America has gotten entirely too greedy! I wish it were not true but the potential collapse of our auto industry was entirely self inflicted by the men in charge of the "Big Three". While the foreign auto manufacturers focused on lighter weight and more fuel efficient vehicles all along, Detroit waited until the price of a gallon of gasoline rose to over $4.00 per gallon. Still with soaring fuel prices, Detroit did not act. In fact it wasn't until after fuel prices started to fall towards a more tolerable level that GM started making a huge marketing push to show their fuel efficient hybrid models. While Japanese owned Toyota was becoming the number one selling vehicle brand in America, our own auto industry was still trying to force sport utility vehicles at an entirley too expensive price and horrible fuel economy on an already strained marketplace. Now they are holding our government ransom under the pretenses that if Detroit falls, the us economy will irrecoverably collapse. The ransom demands are paying off as well with the $700 billion plus bailout fund comprised of our tax dollars. I try my best to buy American when it is affordable, but Detroit needs to wake up! Mainstream, middle-class America can barely, and in most cases, not at all afford the prices of your vehicles anymore. I cannot justify buying a pickup truck for $45,000 plus. At that price, when I need a pickup truck I will go down the road to Uhaul and rent one for $20.00 per day! And that's not even addressing the inability to afford as much fuel as todays trucks require.
While union auto workers are typically an expensive labor pool, the men and women on the assembly line are not the problem. The guilt for the auto industry's collapse rests with those in charge of the companies. These President's and CEO's have had the power all along to start their companies in a new affordable and more fuel efficient direction and they chose to be reactive instead of preparing for the future.

The Road to Recovery:
Restructuring and layoffs are not the answer. Drop the insane notion that you are the giants and therefore do not have to compete for our business. Build and offer a better product than your foreign competitors instead of the same old horrible fuel economy with a redesigned body. A captialist economy is all about competition. You have been soundly beaten and your sales show it. Now get back on the horse make that better product and level those foreign companies that are taking over our marketplace!