Tag Archives: Automotive industry

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General Motors Is Alive – a reminder


| By ThinkProgress War Room

The article below was posted in October 2012

The Rescue of the Auto Industry — By the Numbers

At the height of the financial crisis, some people, including Mitt Romney, said we should “let Detroit go bankrupt.” And Bain Capital was one of the many private investors that refused to invest in the auto industry when it stood on the brink of collapse.

Fortunately, President Obama saved the U.S. auto industry and now it’s roaring back. For example, just today we learned that General Motors is adding another 2,000 jobs in Michigan. These jobs are coming to Michigan as part of larger effort to insource thousands of jobs at the world’s largest automaker.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Here’s a look at the auto rescue — by the numbers.

  • More than 1 million: Jobs saved by the auto rescue.
  • $85 billion: Totalspent by the U.S. government on the auto rescue.
  • $60 billion: Amount the government will likely recover.
  • $7.2 billion: Savings to taxpayers from reducedunemployment, Social Security, and other benefits in 2009 and 2010.
  • $97 billion: Estimated losses in personal incomes prevented by the auto rescue.
  • 26 percent:Remaining stake (of the initial 61 percent stake) held in GM by the government.
  • 0: Number of Chrysler shares currently held by the government.
  • 167,000: Number of jobs the automakers and their suppliers are forecasted to add by 2015.
  • 2.5 million: Number of people employed by the U.S. auto industry today, up from 2.3 million in August 2009.
  • 3.3 million: Cars and light trucks sold by GM and Chrysler in the past 12 months, up from 2.9 million in the previous period.

Figure 1

BOTTOM LINE: Mitt Romney said to “let Detroit go bankrupt,” but we didn’t do that and now the auto industry is helping to fuel the recovery in states across the country, particularly Michigan and Ohio.

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You Might’ve Missed

Leading GOP voter suppression expert says voter IDs laws are “a favor” for poor people.

Big Bird stars in a campaign ad and he greeted Mitt Romney today in Iowa.

Leading Democratic Senator says we “ought to scrap” tax reform that lowers tax rates.

After one Arkansas Republican lawmaker called slavery “a blessing in disguise,” another suggests that Jesus condoned it.

Mitt Romney’s tax plan: defeated by arithmetic. (Again.)

Another fail on foreign policy from Mitt Romney.

Billionaire CEO threatens to fire employees if Obama wins.

Buckle up: Super PAC spending is about to explode.

Australia’s female prime minister delivered a blistering speech on sexism and misogyny.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Determination – Obama for America TV Ad


Oct 23, 2012 by

Read the President’s plan: http://www.barackobama.com/plans
There’s just no quit in America and you’re seeing that right now. Over five million new jobs, exports up forty one percent, home values rising, our auto industry back and our heroes are coming home.
We’re not there yet. But we’ve made real progress and the last thing we should do is turn back now.
Here’s my plan for the next four years: Making education and training a national priority; building on our manufacturing boom; boosting American-made energy; reducing the deficits responsibly by cutting where we can, and asking the wealthy to pay a little more. And ending the war in Afghanistan, so we can do some nation-building here at home.  That’s the right path.
So read my plan, compare it to Governor Romney’s and decide which is better for you. It’s an honor to be your President and I’m asking for your vote. So together we can keep moving America forward.

 

 

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Josh Mandel won’t tell you where he stands … Ohio – Support Sherrod Brown !


 

Our opponent, Josh Mandel, recently sat down for an interview with the Atlantic Monthly1. And he made a remark that really stood out.

 Defending his habit of dodging questions about his positions, he said:

“We don’t pretend to cast votes on all these different pieces of legislation going through Washington. You know, we leave that to Sherrod Brown and the other career politicians.”
But here’s the thing. You don’t have to be an elected official to know that it’s wrong to call a woman a “slut” just because she disagrees with you. You don’t have to be an elected official to know that President Obama did the right thing when he saved the auto industry and hundreds of thousands of Ohio jobs.

 Josh Mandel won’t say what he thinks about those — and many other — issues. Even worse, when the reporter asked whether Ohioans deserve to know where he stands, he said that “when I’m a U.S. Senator…they’ll know exactly what my position is.”

I know that you’re not an elected official — but I bet you have opinions on these issues. And if you want a Senator who isn’t afraid to tell you where he stands, it’s clear that there’s only one choice in this election. Stand with Sherrod by contributing $5 today!

 Frankly, Josh has it backwards. After all, in his current elected position, he has skipped every single meeting of an important state panel he was supposed to chair. In Josh’s world, you don’t have to tell people what you think until you’re elected — and then you don’t have to show up for work.

 That’s not how Sherrod treats his job. Sherrod’s always been proud to tell people where he stands — on the side of workers, on the side of women, on the side of Ohio’s manufacturers and small businesses. And whenever there’s a fight over the future of the middle class, Sherrod shows up to work hard for Ohio families.

I think Ohio can do better than Josh Mandel — someone who, according to the article, “quickly turns evasive or just blank on unfamiliar ground.” And if you agree, we need your support — will you give $5 or more now?

 You don’t have to be a “career politician” to know where you stand. And you don’t have to read between the lines to know where Sherrod stands.

 Thank you for helping us hold Josh Mandel accountable.

 Sarah Benzing
 Campaign Manager
 Friends of Sherrod Brown

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Does Ford’s clean car press match what they’re saying in DC?


Make Sure the Media Gets it Right on Clean Cars

Make your voice heard and hold the automakers accountable both for their words and their actions as we aim to secure our clean car future.

Tell USA Today that Automaker Sales Show Why We Need Clean Car Standards >> http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=cBRjbrJcoXRmIxbo0qEWCQ .. 

The time to secure our clean car future is now. The federal government and California are collaborating on new emissions and fuel economy standards (aka “clean car standards”) which will cover vehicles from model years 2017-2025. These standards will help break America’s dangerous addiction to oil and are a significant piece of the Union of Concerned Scientists’ plan to cut our nation’s projected oil use in half by 2030.

U.S. automakers, such as Ford, are already benefiting from the current round of clean car standards. Indeed, USA Today notes that Ford’s main sales winner is the remodeled Explorer SUV model, which focused on fuel efficiency improvements. In acknowledging the U.S. consumer, Ford said “With oil nearing $100 per barrel and gasoline prices continuing to rise, consumers’ consideration for fuel economy once again is taking top billing.”

But as Ford sings the clean car song to the press, they and the other U.S. automakers are actually pushing to weaken the 2025 standards. Ensuring full and accurate coverage of the automakers in the press will be critical to pushing back against this effort.

We’ve proven time and time again that the public voice is an essential counterbalance to the automaker spin machine. So head to our online Action Center and help make sure the press is covering this story with your interests in mind, not just the automakers’.

Take Action Today!      http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=cBRjbrJcoXRmIxbo0qEWCQ..

Take care,

Scott Nathanson

National Field Organizer

UCS Clean Vehicles Program

P.S. Are you a FB user and want to use the power of “The Social Network” to clean up our cars? Then “like” our new UCS Clean Car Watchdog Facebook page. It will give you the latest news and even more real-time opportunities to make your voice heard on this crucial issue.

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Stop auto makers from weakening fuel efficiency laws


 

Change.org

Do you want new cars and trucks sold in America to get 60 MPG by 2025?  

Sign the Petition

The White House made a major announcement this week about its plan to set new fuel economy standards as high as 62 MPG for cars and trucks by 2025. The new rules could save Americans billions of dollars at the pump and help curb our dangerous addiction to oil.

But the auto industry is expected to put up a big fight to keep the new fuel economy standards as low as possible.

Right now the EPA is accepting public comment, and this is our chance to make sure Washington policymakers hear us loud and clear: We don’t want our country held hostage by Big Auto or Big Oil anymore. It’s way past time to bring more fuel-efficient cars on the market.

Don’t let the car manufacturers drown out the American consumer. Tell the White House and EPA officials to aim high and set new fuel economy standards that put consumers and a cleaner, greener future ahead of corporate profits.

The truth is, the technology exists right now to improve fuel economy for cars and trucks – and automakers know it. But the auto industry has always been slow to adopt new fuel-saving and safety technology in the absence of strong standards. They opposed mandatory seat belts and air-bags and claimed that the first fuel efficiency standards would prevent Americans from being able to choose the kind of car or truck they want to drive. Today, we know that these standards have made Americans safer, saved them money, cleaned up our air, and lessened the country’s dependence on oil.

60 MPG is entirely doable, but the auto industry is lobbying federal policymakers right now to keep new fuel standards low. Make sure the White House and the EPA know where you stand on the new standards.

Tell the EPA and the Obama administration to stand up to Big Auto and set the bar high for fuel economy- at least 60 MPG by 2025!

Thanks for taking action,

– The Change.org Team