Saturday, November 21st, 2009

Why It’s Time To Let General Motors (GM) Fail

Nov 18th, 2008 | By Andrew Snyder | Category: Stock Market Investing

Andrew Snyder says the temporary economic pain of allowing General Motors (NYSE:GM) to fail is better than propping up a lost cause with public money. He says its time to let GM go and allow the process of creative destruction to work freely.

This from Today’s Financial News:

Just like most of the nation, I too view General Motors (NYSE:GM) as one of America’s great corporations. The company epitomizes every thing that made this country great, at least over the past few decades. Right now, on the other hand, it represents some of the nation’s greatest problems.

GM, just like its union-fed employees, wants something for nothing. The American taxpayer did not get the automaker into this trouble. Its management and its union concessions did.

You and I are not the ones that promised to pay defined retiree benefits for hundreds of thousands of past workers. We are not the ones that promised to pay wages to a “bank” of workers we no longer need. And we are not the ones that produce inferior products few consumers demand or are proud to own.

We all know, if you or I ran our businesses the way GM is run, we would have been on our butts a long time ago. And most certainly, there would be no congressman pulling strings to hand us huge sums of money to fix our senseless mistakes.

In America, we have two choices that must be made today. We can take the easy route and write a check to Detroit and its supply chain, essentially putting off the auto industry’s problem until the next recession.

Or we can make the hard choice and let GM fight for its life in bankruptcy court, just as the free market is dictating. Yes, this would propel America into a deeper recession and unemployment would almost certainly reach double-digit proportions. But most importantly, it would ensure that 10% unemployment, like Europe has become used to, does not become the accepted norm in America.

Temporary pain, permanent improvement

If we cut GM loose, we will endure a lot of temporary pain, but the nation’s future will be much brighter. The wounds will heal. The job market will rebound. And a new, much more profitable industry will emerge from the ashes.

We already have a huge segment of the nation’s population trapped in the gutter thanks to overly ambitious social welfare. Now America is about to make an even larger mistake and embark on what will essentially be permanent corporate welfare.

It is a mistake that will haunt this country and its growth potential for generations. If Bush signs any legislation into law, the corporate nation will never look the same.

Life support is for bodies that have a chance at healing and getting stronger, not for fat ladies that will continue to eat themselves to death.

It is time to pull the plug on GM and see what happens.

Source: General Motors (NYSE:GM): Let the fat lady sing


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By Andrew Snyder

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About the Author

Andrew is a contributor to Daily Reckoning Australia and Today's Financial News.

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Today's Financial News provides an independent and practical perspective on the U.S. and global investment markets. We provide you with a free, reliable, easy, up-to-date, and focused resource to help you make your financial decisions with commentary, interviews, recommendations, and video. Today's Financial News includes the analysis and opinions of those editors whom we have come to trust over the course of the years.

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