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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Steve Lokness who wrote (58409)	4/9/2008 9:10:13 PM
From: Mary Cluney	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 543149

<<<It wasn't health care cost that drove the domestic auto companies to design SUV after SUV while the Japanese companies put their efforts into hybrids - it was dumb management.>>> Health care costs US Manufacturers an additional $2000.00 per car. That is a huge amount to overcome. The SUV is a popular product that has a very high profit margin. European and Asian manufacturers didn't come up with the SUV because the cost of gas is twice as much in their home markets. Governments in Europe and Asia tax gas to moderate consumption. The problem is not with US management. US universities are the envy of the world. We turn out the best and brightest. The problem is with the dogmatic assertions of certain lobbying groups in the US.

To: Steve Lokness who wrote (58409)	4/9/2008 9:27:14 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 543149

The American car companies have suffered from poor management, but designing a lot of SUVs wasn't an example of it. They where a very profitable segment for a long time. Also the clear fact that management has done a lousy job doesn't mean that the union contracts aren't also a problem. (Of course earlier management also signed on to them, so in a sense that's an issue of bad management as well)