Humpday Happenings...

When I was very young (seems like several eternities ago), and our family struggled with labor disputes at my Dad's plant, and Mom was trying to make ends meet on a daily basis, I thought we had it kind of rough.
Then Dad would bring his sage wisdom to the forefront with lines such as:
"Take some time to see those people who have it a LOT worse off that us, then you'll appreciate what you have, no matter how little it seems".
Good advice, Dad.
You'll be happy to know I STILL do just that.
So I find it to be one of my "guilty pleasures" when it comes to reading about those who have (through their OWN devices, I might add) now have it worse off that I do, or are (at least) headed in that general direction.
I like to call it my "How Fall The Mighty" episodes.
That would apply to General Motors these days...and quite well.
Now I'll be the first to tell you I've not had all that many problems with their products over the years. My first car was a 1968 Buick Skylark Special Deluxe (the "deluxe" being a 3 speed slushbox & power steering...no more).

And while I enjoyed my 1975 Ford Torino for a few years (Ford used to make pretty good products once too), the fact that I STILL have my 1983 Pontiac Firebird (I bought it brand new and it just celebrated it's 25th "birthday"), says something for my faith in American cars overall.
I can't say my faith is AS SECURE these days.
GM has dug itself a nice, DEEP hole over the last 15-20 years, and has done that was required to maintain that hole. Trouble is, they didn't KNOW they were digging it. The other American car makers have done likewise, but not as bad.
One would have thought the oil embargo in the 1970s should have wised some people the hell up. Sadly, such was not the case. Instead of going smaller, better, and more economical, the car companies made sure that bigger, heavier and faster was the "rule". And while emissions were controlled by removing lead additives to our fuels and adding catalytic converters, the gas companies climbed right in the sack with the car makers by determining that new "regional fuels" were needed. This accounted for increased costs to the consumers for the oil companies to "retool" to produce such fuels.
We used to joke that aside from the Catholic Church, GM was THE largest company in America.

We cannot, with conviction say the same today.
Gone are the days of Mr. Oldsmobile, and the Harley Earl era, as well as the DeLorean touch in automotive design. We no longer make distinctive motorcars.

We lack the design ability to create efficient rolling works of art.

Granted the '57 Chevy didn't get all that great mileage compared to today's "standards", but then again, when placed against some of the gas-guzzlers we have today, it does pretty damn well, even AFTER 50 years!
GM has lost it's way in an attempt to redefine itself, and that's sad indeed.
They are in DEEP financial trouble, with stocks going for UNDER $10 a share (does the phrase JUNK BOND status mean anything?), and that can't be good. They are trying to obtain working capital and are laying off salaried workers by the hundreds if not thousands. And the cars they make TODAY are just as fuel efficient as ones they produced TWENTY-FIVE years ago.
When you read an ad that touts the "New Malibu gets 30 MPG", you have to wonder why this cookie-cutter sedan which looks like so many other foreign cars, ONLY gets a few miles MORE on the highway than my 83 Firebird, right?
I'm quite sure this new Malibu has an engine that creates MORE horsepower than my measly 115 BHP V-6. But again, wherever I'm going doesn't require any more "horses" to speed my journey along. My destination will STILL be there, whether I do 55 MPH or 65 MPH, or even 75 MPH. The only difference is the amount of fuel I'll consume at relativistic speeds to get there. We can also thank the government for screwing up the speed limits on our highways, while we're at it.

That did absolutely nothing to save a drop of gas, did it?
GM does have some intriguing technologies in the wings, but executing their designs will take YEARS, if not decades. And with the problems they currently face financially, it makes one wonder HOW MANY "back burners" the company has, because their first concern will be VIABILITY.
You can't do squat if you're bankrupt, can you?
Will they be bought out?
Well, GM already has been working with foreign car makers for decades, so it seems the logical choice at this time.
Maybe those of us with "classic" GM cars should start getting together a parts surplus for the future.
Or we could just blow the wad and buy a NISSAN.
Decisions...decisions.

(Brief tangent & comparison alert)
Still, it's not like GM is one of our local judges that is being charged with judicial misconduct when he cursed out a drug dealer in another judge's courtroom (who happened to sell his son drugs, and the son died last year). And this is the same judge that has had alcohol-related issues in years past.

(Tangent-comparion complete)
Like Dad said...some people have it a LOT WORSE OFF than I do.
All we have to do is look around.
So, we must be doing pretty good then...all things being relative.
And I always DID like my "relatives".