At least the auto execs are "trying" to learn...I guess

Oh you guys crack me up. See this would have been a GREAT publicity stunt. Last week.

No, no, I get it. You're trying. Point and a half for trying. That still only gives you 21.5 out of a hundred in my grading system.

Automakers turnaround plans sent to Congress:

"Ford said it will sell its five corporate jets. GM said it plans to sell four of its seven jets and is exploring plans to transfer leases on the other three to another operator. Chrysler spokesman Ed Garsten says Chrysler does not own any private aircraft but instead leases them on an as needed basis.

Mulally and Wagoner will be driving to Washington in hybrid vehicles made by their companies when they return to Capitol Hill later this week to make their case for loans. Nardelli is also driving a hybrid to Washington."

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Michael Moore on the auto bailout

I drive an American car. It's a Chrysler. That's not an endorsement. It's more like a cry for pity. And now for a decades-old story, retold ad infinitum by tens of millions of Americans, a third of whom have had to desert their country to simply find a damn way to get to work in something that won't break down:

My Chrysler is four years old. I bought it because of its smooth and comfortable ride. Daimler-Benz owned the company then and had the good grace to place the Chrysler chassis on a Mercedes axle and, man, was that a sweet ride!

When it would start.

More than a dozen times in these years, the car has simply died. Batteries have been replaced, but that wasn't the problem. My dad drives the same model. His car has died many times, too. Just won't start, for no reason at all.

A few weeks ago, I took my Chrysler in to the Chrysler dealer here in northern Michigan -- and the latest fixes cost me $1,400. The next day, the vehicle wouldn't start. When I got it going, the brake warning light came on. And on and on.

You might assume from this that I couldn't give a rat's ass about these miserably inept crapmobile makers down the road in Detroit city. But I do care. I care about the millions whose lives and livelihoods depend on these car companies. I care about the security and defense of this country because the world is running out of oil -- and when it runs out, the calamity and collapse that will take place will make the current recession/depression look like a Tommy Tune musical.

Read more of Michael Moore's letter.

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