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Dec. 13, 2005 - Rush Limbaugh Program
36:31
December 13, 2005, Tuesday, Hour #3
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Thanks, Johnny Donovan.
What a pleasure it is to be here on this great radio program as, well, like you, I'm a faithful student at the Limbaugh Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies.
I continue to be a student and continue to learn.
There is no final exam, but we are tested every day, that's for sure.
I am coming to you from the Golden Tower of the Fisher Building in Detroit, heart of the Midwest, Motown, the Motor City, and site of the Super Bowl No. 40 coming up next month.
And it is truly a privilege to be here.
And frankly, to have an opportunity to talk with you about something that I think you need to know about.
I think you need to know about it.
And we're going to find out why here in just a moment.
From the White House, just at lunch today, celebrating Representative John Dingell, who has marked a half century in Congress today.
And in fact, as it says in, I think this is last week's USA Today, in 50 years, change hasn't hindered Dingell in Congress.
Democrat from Detroit inspires loyalties even among Republicans.
And a number of people were there at the White House paying tribute to John Dingell today, including the chairman of the board and CEO of General Motors Corporation, Mr. Rick Wagner, who is on the other end of our line just coming from the White House.
Rick, nice to have you on the program nationwide.
Thanks, Paul.
It's always great to be with you.
And there's been a lot in the news about General Motors, a lot of it you wish wasn't in the news.
There was a guest editorial you did December 6th, an op-ed page in the Wall Street Journal, where you said, despite public perception, the answer is not that foreign automakers are more productive or offer better quality or more fuel-efficient vehicles.
You went on to say you're not looking for a handout.
And then just this yesterday in the Wall Street Journal, Return of the Rust Belt.
And one of the lines they throw in there is, for too long, Michigan has let itself be hostage to the fortunes of the big three auto firms, which would be like Pittsburgh waiting for the steel mills to come back.
The only thing less likely is that the Detroit Lions will make it to the Super Bowl sometime soon.
All right, they're taking shots at us from every direction.
The fact of the matter is, there are other headlines.
GM can't shake Wall Street's bankruptcy fears.
S ⁇ P cuts GM rating to lowest in 52 years.
Here's the thing, Rick.
I thought this would be an opportunity.
We know in Detroit and in Michigan how important the outcome is for General Motors.
But the average person across this great country of ours may not know that it matters.
They may say, in fact, what difference does it make how this all turns out for General Motors?
Much has been written about what GM is trying to do, what it can do, what it should do.
Tell us what you're doing and why it should matter to the rest of the country.
Sure, Paul.
Thanks.
Let me start with your second question.
Why does it matter that we have a domestically owned, robust auto industry?
I think the answer is pretty simple.
Manufacturing generates a huge amount of the R D investment in our country, generates a huge amount of the exports, creates 15 million jobs.
And the auto industry is the biggest part of that, the biggest single industry that provides those jobs in that role in manufacturing.
The auto industry, the domestic auto industry, GM Ford, and Chrysler invest more than $16 billion in research and development every year.
That's more than any other U.S. industry.
So from that perspective, we think a robust manufacturing industry is important for the U.S. economy and really important for the future growth of the economy and job creation.
So we think while we've got a lot of work to do to get General Motors turned around, and I guess that's true of our domestic counterparts, we think it's worthwhile work because the stakes are high for us and we believe high for the country as well.
So what are you doing to fix the problems that you have that are many?
Well, I think first and foremost, we are trying to build off the areas of strength we have, and we know that to really do well in this business, you have to have great products.
So even despite a very difficult year financially, which you are very familiar with, we are actually spending more money on new cars and trucks.
And all the research on those cars and trucks and the journalists that see them tell us that we are very much on the right track with them.
So we are working very hard on the product side and the technology side so we can offer consumers products that are fully competitive, whether it is from a quality, durability perspective, whether it is got the styling that catches their eye.
We recognize that is very important.
At the same time, we have to address the fact that our cost base is not competitive.
If you look at our productivity levels, we are actually pretty good.
We can do better, but we are in pretty good shape there.
But we have very high costs, in part related to our history.
We provide a lot of health care and pensions for a large retiree base, and those health care costs are running just like they are for the average American who pays their health care bills or their health care insurance bills.
They are kind of running out of control.
So we have been working very hard on ways that we can reduce that burden on our company in a fair way to our employees and retirees so we have money available to invest in our future products.
We are also taking some tough calls on slicing back some of our manufacturing capacity.
And those are tough things to do, but things we need to do again to get our business sort of slim and trim and ready to compete in what is now a global auto industry.
And we are convinced as we execute those plans, we will be back and just as strong as ever.
Rick Wagner is with us, Chairman and CEO of General Motors Corporation.
There has been no shortage of negative ink about GM.
I read some of the headlines just a moment ago.
Some negativity from Wall Street, the media.
No shortage of critics and those who question if there may even be a GM in the future and what would it matter.
What do you say to those people and the same people who also say that these are problems that you brought upon yourself?
Yeah, when you read all those headlines, Paul, sometimes you forget that the GM still sells a lot more cars and trucks than anybody else in this country and anybody else around the world, and that we have got some very robust businesses in places like China, where we are the number one player in Latin America and a lot of the places that are growing.
So we have got some good businesses.
Our most important business is here in the U.S., and we have to get it back in a profitable track.
You know, I think that is why I wrote the op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal about a week ago, because we wanted to address the situation, the challenges that we face, and made the point very clearly that there are a lot of things that we need to do within our company, with our unions, with our suppliers, with our employees to make our business more competitive.
And we are doing those, and as I said, we are investing in new products which are being well received.
There are some other issues that relate to the fact that our country's policies in support of manufacturing are not as competitive globally.
Our health care costs in this country are much higher than our competitors based in Japan and Germany, for example.
We do not believe that all of our competitors engage in completely fair trading practices.
The Japanese yen, for example, has been artificially weakened for years.
And so we very much recognize there are things that we need to do on our side of GM, and we are working hard at doing those and making good progress.
We need to do more.
And at the same point, we recognize we have a responsibility to make clear what the issues that need to be addressed at a broader level.
And we are willing to participate in those, but addressed at a broader level to make sure that we can have a robust manufacturing, job-creating base in this country for the long term.
Rick, with all the talk of the China price and what's happening in India and elsewhere around the world and the thought oftentimes for suppliers that the farther away they get from the United States, the better it's going to be for them with the price they need to get that you and the automakers are demanding that they give them as a supplier.
Tell me why you think you can turn it around.
Why you think American companies can still be competitive?
Well, I look no farther than the data which talks about the manufacturing productivity in our own plants in the U.S.
And if you look at those, the independent studies, the so-called Harbor Report, placed GM plants in three of the top five most productive assembly plants in North America, for example.
We're confident that given 11th level playing field and addressing some of the issues that we've had that I've just described, we can be competitive doing a lot of the work that is value-added in our industry in this country.
And we believe that's true of a number of elements in our supply base.
Perhaps not everything can be done competitively in the U.S., but that's really what global trade is all about.
But what we do need to do is make sure the higher-level manufacturing jobs, the high-value added jobs that can be done competitively in this country are done because not only does that provide jobs for Americans here, but it also provides us an export base, which we think is very important, particularly given the huge U.S. trade balance deficit.
So it's in our interest, and it's in the interest of our shareholders and customers, but I think there's a broader interest than that even.
How do you fight the perception that the Japanese, for example, are making better cars?
People remember planned obsolescence.
They remember the three-year styling cycles.
They remembered cars that used to rust out.
They remember a lot of bad things about our American-made cars.
How do you let them know?
I know you're not asking for a handout from the government.
You're not asking for people to go out and buy your cars if they don't like them.
But I think you're asking people to go out and at least check them out now if they haven't done that in a long while.
Well stated, Paul W. That's exactly what we need to do, and that's our job.
I mean, first and foremost, we need to have designs that excite people, and we think we're getting more and more of those out there, whether it's the Pontiac Solstice, which has been recognized as the most innovative design in the auto business this year, or products like the Hummer H3 or Chevrolet HHR.
We're trying to give people some breakthrough designs.
But behind that, we need to give them terrific quality.
And, you know, for example, this year, among the top five nameplates in the quality studies that are done independently by J.D. Power and such, we had two of the top five brands, Buick and Cadillac, rank higher than well-known brands like Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz.
So that tells us that we can execute at the level of quality that the U.S. customers expect and demand and deserve.
And we just got to keep working hard to get the message out.
Another area where I don't think we get our due is in fuel economy, where a lot of people don't know that GM is the fuel economy leader in most class of vehicles that we sell in.
And, for example, we have more vehicles on the road today that get more than 30 miles per gallon than any other auto manufacturer.
So we need to work hard to get that message out ourselves.
I want to have a final word with you.
I know how busy you are, and I appreciate the time you're spending with us, but a couple of very important issues still.
The B-word still out there, bankruptcy, and a reminder to the rest of the country of what General Motors did for this country after 9-11.
Just stay with us, and when we come back, we'll continue.
Final comments from Rick Wagner, chairman and CEO of General Motors, and then back to your calls at 1-800-282-2882.
This is the Rush Limbaugh Show.
I'm Paul W. Smith.
Paul W. Smith in for Rush Limbaugh.
Nice to be with you.
It's a pleasure and a privilege.
Hopefully, Rush will be back with us.
He's been under the weather.
We hope he'll be just fine and back with you on your favorite radio station tomorrow.
Rick Wagner is with us.
This.
He's chairman and CEO of General Motors.
About a week or so ago, he had an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal.
Part of it says: You see, I've asked the question: why does it matter to the rest of the country on how this GM story ends up?
And then he had said in his editorial piece: there are those who ask if manufacturing is still relevant for America.
My view, you bet it is.
Manufacturing generates two-thirds of America's RD investment, accounts for three-fourths of our exports, and creates about 15 million American jobs.
And the auto industry is a big part of that, accounting for 11 percent of American manufacturing and nearly 4 percent of the U.S. GDP.
Together, GM, Ford, and Daimler Chrysler invest more than $16 billion in research and development every year, more than any other U.S. industry.
And GM alone supports more than 1 million American jobs.
You are often described, far too often described these days, as GM's embattled chairman and CEO, Rick Wagner.
Yet you seem to be okay.
You seem to be energized.
How do you do it?
Well, I have to say, Paul, to be honest, I'm energized by the challenge.
I don't obviously don't like the fact that we're losing money or all those people are taking potshots at us, but I think it's fair to say at GM, we feel like we've got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to really restructure this company to get it in the direction so we can be successful in our second hundred years as we have been the first hundred years.
And we're determined not to let the opportunity we have slip by because we understand it's important, obviously, to our employees, to everyone in the communities where we have plants.
But we've got so many customers, and we've got shareholders.
And so we've got a responsibility to get this thing turned around, and we're confident that we're taking the steps to do that.
It's not necessarily easy, but it's important.
And I think I can speak for my whole leadership team and really for all of our employees and dealers when I say they're all behind the need to step up the performance and do what we need to do and keep bringing out cars and trucks that help get General Motors right back on the winning track.
You spun off your parts maker, Delphi, some time ago.
They have filed for bankruptcy.
Can General Motors avoid bankruptcy if there is a long Delphi strike which is being talked about?
Well, I think it's premature, Paul, to speculate on a Delphi strike, or particularly a long one.
I think it's clearly in everyone's interest, whether it's Delphi, its customers, which include us, its employees, everyone involved, to try to work out what is obviously a challenging situation that they face.
But, you know, I think, if anything, the fact of Delphi being in bankruptcy and the problems and the challenges that that brings to everybody involved really shows that bankruptcy is not a good solution for a company if there's any alternative.
And certainly from GM's side, we've made it clear that we have no plan, strategy, or intention to consider an alternative like that.
We take our responsibility to our customers, to our shareholders, to our employees real seriously.
And we're determined to get the business fixed and work with Delphi to help make sure they can come out of bankruptcy and be a successful supplier, too.
That's certainly in our interest.
You talked about the fuel economy and how well your GM cars are doing.
Do you think you missed the boat on hybrids, or are you of the thinking that maybe you did the right thing, given that there are a lot of people now rethinking hybrids in the supposed fuel economy and cost factor?
Well, I mean, hybrids are, I think, an interesting technology and one that we need to play in seriously, and we are, and we'll be playing very hard over the next two or three years in a fairly broad array of hybrid products.
What I think is still not clear is how big that market's going to be, because the hybrid systems offer some nice advantages to the consumers, but they are pretty expensive.
I don't think we really know yet how big that market is going to be, the hybrid demand, but we're for sure running hard to get not only competitive, but to try to bring out an industry-leading system, particularly for larger vehicles where we think more fuel can be saved with a hybrid system.
So we'll have a chance to see that play out over the next couple of years.
And I think we'll have a great system, and we'll be competitive in the sector.
How big the hybrid segment of the market gets, I think only time will tell.
You want new product out there, and I know you're working on it.
People, cars and trucks that people want and they can afford, and that's very, very important.
And I should again stress: why do I stress that people should give GM a chance?
Here's why.
We have short memories.
This I remember.
Right after 9-11, we were all numb.
Business stopped.
Nothing was happening.
General Motors stepped up and gave the economy a boost, a real shot in the arm.
You remember, it was 0% financing.
And I can't help but think that what you did was helped save the U.S. economy, but somewhat at the expense of General Motors.
And I don't think the rest of us should forget what you did for the economy after 9-11.
And now you're on hard times.
You're not asking for charity.
You're not asking us to buy your cars if they're not the best car for the money, but you're asking us to at least give them a chance.
Take a look.
Well stated, Paul W.
I mean, after 9-11, you and I even talked about the difficult situation that the industry was facing and all industry.
And our guys came up with what I thought was a creative idea, and we went out with a Keep America Rolling.
And lo and behold, it did work.
And it got certainly our industry back on its feet, and I think helped right the economy.
And I thought at the time it was the right thing for GM too.
And it certainly kept our factories running and kept our suppliers going.
We've had some challenges getting out of the incentive-based sales since then, and so we probably paid a price.
You've spoiled us.
Well, I think it was the right call at the time, and now we've got to change our marketing approach a little.
And I think we'll do that.
But I think in the end, what you just said is the most relevant point: that we just need to convince people to give our new cars and trucks a look because they're completely competitive, if not in the upper segments of quality.
We're executing them very well, and they have great fuel economy, and they look great.
And we're going to keep bringing out those new products and keep trying to convince Americans to come out and buy a product from the home team.
Rick, always a pleasure.
I thank you so much for joining us, and we wish you good luck.
Thanks very much, Paul W. Appreciate it.
Rick Wagner, the chairman and CEO of General Motors.
You've heard what he has to say.
Now I want to hear what you have to say at 1-800-282-2882.
1-800-282-2882.
Thanks, Johnny Donovan.
Thanks to Rick Wagner, Chairman and CEO of General Motors.
And the question really has been, and I wondered about this because I'm coming to you from Detroit, the heart of the Midwest, Motown, the Motor City, outside of Super Bowl number 40 coming up next month.
We're very proud about that.
I just wondered if anybody else cared and if it's relevant to you on the fortunes of General Motors.
I think it should be, but I live here now, so it's hard to be sure that you understand the importance of what's happening with General Motors is really kind of a study in what's happening with manufacturing in these United States and in business and how our lifestyles may very well be challenged and changed in the days ahead.
And so I wanted you to hear right from Rick Wagner, and I'd like to get some of your thoughts at 1-800-282-2882.
That's 1-800-282-2882 on the Rush Limbaugh Show.
I'm Paul W. Smith, and I'm going right to you on the phone.
Not far from here, Dan is in Sterling Heights right here in Michigan.
Dan, welcome into the Rush Limbaugh Show.
Thanks, Paul W. Appreciate you taking my call today.
Sure.
And I really appreciate you having Rick on to tell us a little bit about what's happening with General Motors.
I think he's right on point with having us look at, and I mean everybody in the listening audience, take a look at General Motors products and domestic cars in general.
I think our cars are outstanding.
I think we have great product, and we really need to have everybody take a look at these cars.
One of the points that I do have to make directly to Rick or to the auto manufacturers themselves is that there seems to be, in my opinion, a segment of the automobile market that I don't think that they are addressing.
And I think a very important part of the market, if you were to travel, I think, around the country and many of the fine cities and see what people are driving, I think you'll see that here in the Detroit metropolitan, you're going to see a lot more domestic cars than you're going to see in some of the other areas.
And there are some great products out there.
What is it that you feel they're ignoring?
Well, I think that they are ignoring the sports sedan segment of the market.
These are cars that I think are very appealing to a lot of people, especially to car guys.
And I guess I put myself in that group.
I've grown up always liking and enjoying automobiles my whole life, and I'm somewhat of an enthusiast, and I really care about cars.
I really care about the automobile industry, and especially here in the Detroit metropolitan market, where the survival of what's going on in our marketplace really is dependent on the success of the automobile business.
But in that market, there are products that are very, very fine products.
Are you talking like some of the I can't give you the, I don't know the names and numbers, but like some of the Lexuses or the BMWs.
You were going to look at, say, a new Infiniti G35, a BMW 3 Series, a Audi A4, a new Lexus IS.
These are great products.
We, in my opinion, do not have a high-end, mid-sized sports luxury sedan to appeal to the group of people that buy those.
And if you drive around the country and look and see, you're going to find that there are lots of these cars on the road.
And this is a huge segment of the market that we are not addressing.
And why do you think that is, Dan?
How could that happen?
We don't know.
This is a driver's segment of the market.
These are automobile enthusiasts, for the most part, that buy and like these cars.
And I don't think they're buying them because they're imported.
I think they're buying them simply because they like them.
And if we made them, I know, in fact, that American people would buy these products.
I recently bought a new Cadillac CTS.
I love that car.
I'm going to tell you, that is a great automobile for anybody listening.
Take a look at it.
It's a fabulous product.
I looked at all these other products and was very tempted at that time to buy one.
Well, I'll tell you something.
A little difficult for me to want to do, being that I live and work here at Sterling Heights and very close to General Motors, and I like this new Cadillac CTS.
Obviously, there are certain things being a car guy that may be little things that they could certainly do to improve, but I could probably find that on any product.
Sure, you can.
And I just, you know, I've mentioned this to my listeners here locally on WJR, and I'll say to the Rush Limbaugh audience, I just, we did a broadcast from the UAW Solidarity House, hearing their side of the story and their role in helping turn things around.
And Ron Gettelfinger, the president of the UAW, put me in three different vehicles.
One of them was a GM product, the GM Solstice, which is a fabulous little sports car, but it's a niche vehicle.
It's not a sports sedan like the G35 or the BMW 3 Series or the Audi A4, the ones that you mentioned.
And it's a good question, Dan, as to why they missed that, if they've missed it altogether or if they've got something in the pipeline.
You know, they've got new product coming.
Knowing Bob Lutz, as we do, an enthusiast, a driver who's always been very complimentary, for example, of BMW vehicles, that's certainly the goal that they're shooting for with their vehicles.
Dan, I appreciate the call.
Let's go to Seattle, Washington.
Mark is on his cell phone on the Rush Limbaugh Show with Paul W. Smith.
Hello, Mark.
Hi, Paul.
How are you?
I'm good.
I hope you're well.
I'm doing great.
Good.
I think the president missed the point, manager of the General Motors missed the point in that the cars I don't think are good looking.
I'm a car guy.
I own five GM cars.
You own five?
You don't own five GM cars right now.
Yes, I do.
Well, I collect cars, and I have a GM pickup and 69 Camaro that I've had since I was 16 years old.
And their cars are great, but they're not good looking.
They miss the point.
They look horrible.
Most people I know just do not like the looks of cars.
They don't make you, they do not elicit the response from you, a car guy, that says, wow, I got to get one of those.
That's a fact.
They just.
And you have five of them.
And I've been a loyal GM purchaser for most of my life.
I recently bought a car other than GM because it looked better and it had the features I wanted.
But there is another item that I don't, a little bit nervous.
Excuse me here.
Don't be nervous.
There is another item that I don't like about the GM cars, and that's that they have the OnStar system that basically tracks you anywhere you go.
And I do not want to own a car that does that for me.
Oh, I love that OnStar system because I get lost all the time.
I love that you can press a button and somebody can help you.
I go from one gas station to the next gas station asking for directions.
That's not the item I don't like about it.
The feature I don't like is the fact that it can and does track you.
And also, if you get in a collision, that car will record everything that happens during and prior to that collision.
And they also will call the police or an ambulance, which is a good thing.
Correct.
Well, that's interesting insight, Mark.
I do appreciate it.
Keep an eye on Seattle for us, will you?
I sure will.
Thank you, sir.
Bob is in California and on the Rush Limbaugh show on Paul W. Smith InforRush.
Hello, Bob.
Good morning, Paul.
Hi.
I'm also a great car guy.
I'm a vintage racer, have several cars.
And I mentioned that Rush's audience was the most informed.
I didn't realize you were also the wealthiest audience.
But it's nice to know.
I've got cars for a lot of years and bought them when they were not that expensive.
I kind of kid with my wife now that those are her dowry if anything ever happens to me.
But the main thing I kind of wanted to call about is I'm a devout guy of cars and love them.
I bought my wife a couple of years ago a 2002 Malibu.
A wonderful, wonderful car.
She loves that car.
I drive a Ford pickup truck.
I've always tried to support.
I'm a former active duty Marine, try to support the United States.
But I don't think a lot of people know and understand that, you know, we don't get the same support going elsewhere.
Japan, for example, you don't see any General Motors dealerships there.
We bring in all these Japanese cars, which are wonderful cars, but we can't bring cars over there.
Right.
And it just seems unfair.
You know, I'm reminded of something that Lee Iacoka said a long time ago.
Here's the other point, too, about buying American, buying foreign, or buying domestic, buying foreign, is that it was Lee Iokoka who said a long time ago, if, you know, if somebody wants to sell cars here, they should build them here.
Well, they are.
You know, people who work for Toyota in Tennessee are Americans working for Toyota in Tennessee, and they make their money and they spend their money in their community.
It's getting harder to know what's domestic and what's foreign.
When you buy a domestic car, there might be 10, 20, 30% or more, depending on the car, of foreign product and parts in those cars.
That's very true.
So the whole thing can get a bit confusing.
There is no question about that.
I appreciate your call, Bob, very much.
And we'll get to our other callers at 1-800-282-2882 in just a moment.
1-800-282-2882 as we continue on the Rush Limbaugh Show.
As we continue, Paul W in for Rush.
And good news, I've just been told it's official.
Rush will be back in this chair tomorrow.
Well, actually, he won't be back in this chair because I'm in Detroit.
He'll be in his chair, I suspect, under the sunshine at the Southern Command.
That's where I presume he'll be.
What matters to you only is that Rush Limbaugh will be coming to you through this, your favorite radio station, this time tomorrow.
And that's certainly good news.
It was 1955.
Charlie Wilson, the chairman of General Motors, summed up GM's philosophy at the time.
You know it by now.
I'll remind you.
He said, what's good for General Motors is good for the rest of America.
Now, that's not what Rick Wagner said, the current chairman and CEO of General Motors, but he did talk about the importance of manufacturing in America and the importance of the automobile and automotive manufacturing to America.
And we're getting your thoughts at 1-800-282-2882, 1-800-282-2882 as we go to Jim on a cell phone in Youngstown, Ohio.
Hello, Jim.
How are you today?
I'm good.
I hope you're well.
Okay.
I'm very nervous.
A lot to say.
We're all friends here, so there's nothing to be nervous about.
You're amongst friends.
Okay.
The comment on the cars I'd like to talk about a minute.
I've been buying cars since 1962, and I've been buying all American cars.
My last car here I bought 2005, I bought a 2004 300M.
At 17,000 miles, I had to get new brakes.
They said because they made them thinner so they could cut the cost of the car.
When's the last time you had a car, you only got 17,000 miles and you needed new brakes?
Yeah, well, furthermore, I'm sorry, sir.
That's okay.
I need to mention that.
I want you to get this off your chest.
They're complaining about how the all the car companies are hurting.
I worked for General Motors, for Chrysler, and for Ford.
And at each one of those plants in the Cleveland area, there has been more wasted time by the employees there.
They would work Monday and Tuesday.
Wednesday, they would start slowing down.
Thursday, they did little, very little production.
Friday, they would pick up the production a little bit so they could work Saturday and Sunday, time and a half and double time.
I've seen them sit in cafeterias two, three hours at a time.
They would break a piece of equipment.
They would go and just rest on their laurels until two or three hours later before somebody from maintenance would come and repair it.
Okay?
I've seen it gone on over and over and over.
On top of all their expensive benefits they get, the benefit package, they also get all these cars at discounted rates.
Now, I wonder if they didn't get those discounts.
I wonder if they would be buying those cars.
If they didn't get all that extra hourly wages they got for their non-productive performance.
I got to ask a question here, Jim.
And I appreciate what you're saying.
Trust me when I tell you, being born and raised in the shadow of Detroit and the auto industry there in Monroe, Michigan, I've heard stories like this since I was old enough to hear stories about people sloughing off, people hiding in the factories, people not showing up for work, having friends punch them in or however.
I've heard all those stories.
I've brought them up to Ron Gettelfinger, the president of the UAW.
He said most of those stories are not true.
But the fact of the matter is, I've heard so many of them that many of them are true.
Did you work in those plants, Jim?
I worked in those plants.
And what did you feel?
What did you say?
What did you do when you saw all of these people, in a sense, stealing from the company?
That's the way of life.
See, that's the problem.
This is the problem.
That's how they work.
And look where we are today.
And there's plenty of blame to go around for everyone.
The guys work in the line don't plan the cars.
They aren't the ones that say, gee, no one's going to want these small compact cars until Toyota brings them in, and all of a sudden they've secured 20% of the market.
And we say, gee, whiz, maybe people do like these small compact cars well-made.
I know management's made lots of mistakes, but it just bothers me when I hear stories about people who are on the line doing this sort of stuff because they get away with it and because no one has stopped them.
Exactly.
That kind of is like going into a bank and saying, I'm going to take this money because they've removed the glass that was the security glass, so I'm just going to take the money.
And then who suffers in the long run?
You do?
They do because we want to buy a car.
But the workers suffer too.
That's what I can't figure.
And this is the argument that I've had with Ron Gettelfinger.
It should be that if you're in the UAW, it means you're the best.
It means you have pride in what you do.
It means that no one can build a better car than a UAW member.
But that means that UAW members that see anything like this, even if it's happening 1% of the time, have got to put their foots down, step in and say, stop this.
Right.
I totally agree, sir.
But it won't happen with the unions.
Well, then we're in big trouble.
Real big trouble.
All right.
Thanks.
Let's go to Tom in Chicago.
Real quick.
Tom, it's your turn on the Rush Limbaugh Show.
Hi, thanks for taking my call.
Actually, the last three calls kind of compelled me to call because I think everyone's missing the point of what Mr. Wagner was trying to say.
All right.
And just to let you know, I've been an automotive enthusiast for my entire life.
I'm not in the industry, but I just read about it.
I study it.
I love cars.
I'm a big General Motors fan.
But his point was, and I think even what you mentioned, was come in, you know, don't look at what was done years ago.
Come in look at what we have right now or what General Motors has right now.
And the first caller who indicated that, you know, even though he was mainly positive about General Motors, indicated that they didn't have anything to compete in a sports sedan.
Well, I mean, look at the G6, I think they call it a GTP with 240 horsepower or the Pontiac Grand Am that has 300 horsepower.
The same with the Chevy Apollo or the CTS V-Series of 400 horsepower.
I think there's a lot of choices there in the performance sedan segment for people to look at.
And as far as the caller after him with the styling, I don't know what he's looking at, but have you taken a look at Toyota's bread and butter Camry lately, and you're going to tell me that that's head turning styling versus, say, a Pontiac G6?
Or, I mean, take a look at any Cadillac or.
You know what?
You're preaching to the choir here, Tom.
I'm with you.
I agree with you.
Not 100%, but 1,000%.
The problem is there are a lot of people who don't agree with us or haven't taken a look, a serious look lately at what the domestic automakers have to offer.
All I'm saying is they should.
Well, back when I shared a cigar with Rush many years ago on the set of his old television show or on the golf course with him together when that guy, Mike Romold, got the hole in one, never did I know I'd have this opportunity to work with Mike Mamone, Brett Winterbull, Kit H.R. Carson, Johnny Donovan, and of course our own Anna Bartolotta here at WJR on Detroit running the controls.
The good news is Rush is back tomorrow.
I guess that would mean that Bo Snerdley would be back tomorrow, too.
Rush is back tomorrow right here on your favorite free radio station.
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