"I was stunned by the suggestion that the government, GM's only source of fresh capital, was somehow out of bounds for asking for the resignation of a CEO who had lost $13 billion of taxpayer money in three months and was now asking for more."
Why all the hate for what this guy had to say. After reading the article it gave me the idea that there were no good options.
He wasnt a car guy.......so what. Have you seen the crap that those 2 companies produced? If there are many car guys there in management I'd be amazed. So the guy also pointed out that besides having no car guys they also had no businessmen.
Steve Rattner is an idiot, and I really don't think that it is a coincidence that he has the word "rat" in his name.
"Steve" is short for "Steven", which is an adaptation of the spelling of "Stephen". Depending on the source, the name "Stephen" roughly translates into "crowned one" or "crowned king".
So what should be the source of our QOTD? None other than the crowned king of rats.
I'm not going to sit here and defend the poltroonery of previous generations of GM management or the UAW. But, by the same token, I'm not going to place any faith in Steve Rattner.
I realize that he makes a few fair points, and I will give him that. But his gross hyperbole, utter failure to understand simple economic realities, utter lack of marketing perception, blatant bias fed by ignorance, and other tomfoolery reveal him to be the moron that he is.
He has no place being the "car czar". Being able to mouth off and point out flaws will only get you so far. At some point, someone has to start pointing out solution, and Rattner is not the man for that job. He needs to take his shenanigans and hyperbole and shove it where the sun don't shine.
@pauljones: This might all be true, but it is undeniable that even the most uninformed of all blondes will recognize there is something seriously fucking wrong when you're re-branding the same minivan over four different brands. Minivans that have worst-in-class fuel economy figures, safety ratings, and are built on decade+ behind technology that wasn't even worth a damn when it was new. Oh the glorious 4spd./3.1/FWD combo that underpinned all of General Motor's compacts from the days of Aerostar to the days of Freestar. In case you didn't notice, that's a good 3 to 1 on Ford's part. Not that Ford wasn't making BFMs too, but it just puts into perspective how bad GM product management was and is.
In case you didn't catch it, I've had some bad experiences with the Chevrolet Venture. That single car made known everything that was wrong with GM, and the world.
Edited by that ain't the way to have fun, son at 10/21/09 4:07 PM
that ain't the way to have fun, son was starred
that ain't the way to have fun, son was unstarred
Oh, I'm saying they stick with one thing, and one thing only on the indefinite goal scale. Profit.
Other than maximizing profit, which includes minimizing cost, there is little which concerns how a corporation is operated. Yes, there is a balance, but it can be quite difficult to balance individual greed with corporate greed, as we've seen of late.
How this is done is typically quite variable and in many cases, inventive. Most of it is legal...some of it is questionable...and a percentage of it deserves its own special level of Hell.
Obviously, there comes a point at which short-term greed overcomes that whole lame-ass going concern thing...like with Bear Stearns, AIG, and the rest of the crooks.
When you are presented with "X" number of items, none of which may be particularly good, the prevailing logic is to pick the least-sucky of what is available. Sure, not all of these items are necessary, but many make life easier enough to warrant purchase.
What we have is a very limited number of carnivals in town. I do my best to buy tickets wisely. Price is not the ultimate determiner in my choices. Hence, Bosch/Beck/Moog parts for my aging Benzo rather than Γro/Whamco. #steverattner
It's absurd that so many comments on this post have thrown insults at this guy for not being an auto industry expert, considering he's not going to be involved with the auto companies in any way.
Get it through your heads, people. He's in charge of distributing funds for community relief. Nothing more.
Montgomery: Your life. I'm givin' you that money so I don't hafta kill your ***. You read the Bible?
GM: Not regularly.
Montgomery: There's a passage I got memorized. Ezekiel 25:17. The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you. I been sayin' that **** for years. And if you ever heard it, it meant your ***. I never really questioned what it meant. I thought it was just a cold-blooded thing to say to a motherf**ker before you popped a cap in his ***. But I saw some **** this mornin' made me think twice. Now I'm thinkin': it could mean you're the evil man. And I'm the righteous man. And Mr. 9mm here, he's the shepherd protecting my righteous a** in the valley of darkness. Or it could be you're the righteous man and I'm the shepherd and it's the world that's evil and selfish. I'd like that. But that sh*t ain't the truth. The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', GM. I'm tryin' real hard to be a shepherd.
Sorry I thought since others had so much luck adapting popular quotations or songs to current events I thought I'd try my hand at it too. I know this quotes a stretch but Ed kinda looks to me of some bad motherfcuker named Samuel Jackson. Know who I'm talkin about.
@TexanIdiot25- we're boned....: Except as the post and the job title point out, he isn't actually becoming the Car Czar. He is in place to help with the auto communities and workers displaced by the failing auto industry. In this situation, being a specialist in work force retraining and local development sounds like it is a perfect fit for this assigned role.
This is a little reminiscent of the MLB steroid scandal. The only reason we have marginally qualified politicians getting involved is because the people who were supposed to be running things in the first place screwed things up so royally.
Seems like a smart guy with a solid economics background but No experience in the auto sector. Maybe he's a short tempered martial artist and will start kicking asses in negotiations. No really actually kick people in the ass.
10/21/09
No f'ing shit. #steverattner
10/21/09
He wasnt a car guy.......so what. Have you seen the crap that those 2 companies produced? If there are many car guys there in management I'd be amazed. So the guy also pointed out that besides having no car guys they also had no businessmen.
Big surprise there. #steverattner
10/21/09
10/21/09
10/21/09
10/21/09
"Steve" is short for "Steven", which is an adaptation of the spelling of "Stephen". Depending on the source, the name "Stephen" roughly translates into "crowned one" or "crowned king".
So what should be the source of our QOTD? None other than the crowned king of rats.
I'm not going to sit here and defend the poltroonery of previous generations of GM management or the UAW. But, by the same token, I'm not going to place any faith in Steve Rattner.
I realize that he makes a few fair points, and I will give him that. But his gross hyperbole, utter failure to understand simple economic realities, utter lack of marketing perception, blatant bias fed by ignorance, and other tomfoolery reveal him to be the moron that he is.
He has no place being the "car czar". Being able to mouth off and point out flaws will only get you so far. At some point, someone has to start pointing out solution, and Rattner is not the man for that job. He needs to take his shenanigans and hyperbole and shove it where the sun don't shine.
10/21/09
In case you didn't catch it, I've had some bad experiences with the Chevrolet Venture. That single car made known everything that was wrong with GM, and the world.
10/21/09
"We're a forward-thinking company..."
Yeah, thinking about how to maximize profit...indefinitely...and at any cost.
The shortest university course ever constructed? Corporate Ethics.
There are none...class over.
/bitter about the never-ending bullshit generator which is the American Corporate Machine
10/21/09
10/21/09
Oh, I'm saying they stick with one thing, and one thing only on the indefinite goal scale. Profit.
Other than maximizing profit, which includes minimizing cost, there is little which concerns how a corporation is operated. Yes, there is a balance, but it can be quite difficult to balance individual greed with corporate greed, as we've seen of late.
How this is done is typically quite variable and in many cases, inventive. Most of it is legal...some of it is questionable...and a percentage of it deserves its own special level of Hell.
Obviously, there comes a point at which short-term greed overcomes that whole lame-ass going concern thing...like with Bear Stearns, AIG, and the rest of the crooks.
/going concern sarcasm
@Neener:
When you are presented with "X" number of items, none of which may be particularly good, the prevailing logic is to pick the least-sucky of what is available. Sure, not all of these items are necessary, but many make life easier enough to warrant purchase.
What we have is a very limited number of carnivals in town. I do my best to buy tickets wisely. Price is not the ultimate determiner in my choices. Hence, Bosch/Beck/Moog parts for my aging Benzo rather than Γro/Whamco. #steverattner
03/31/09
03/31/09
03/31/09
Get it through your heads, people. He's in charge of distributing funds for community relief. Nothing more.
04/01/09
jodark: You're right, a socialist.
Digital Zombie: You're wrong, it's not a knee jerk reaction, a lot of the time they are socialists.
And I'm not a Republican, but I am a Capitalist. Add "Pig" if it makes you feel better.
04/01/09
I just spent some time over at Alternet. Whoa. Those guys have _issues_.
03/31/09
If its anything other then a Ford Tempo, we are all doomed.
03/31/09
GM: What?
Montgomery: Your life. I'm givin' you that money so I don't hafta kill your ***. You read the Bible?
GM: Not regularly.
Montgomery: There's a passage I got memorized. Ezekiel 25:17. The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you. I been sayin' that **** for years. And if you ever heard it, it meant your ***. I never really questioned what it meant. I thought it was just a cold-blooded thing to say to a motherf**ker before you popped a cap in his ***. But I saw some **** this mornin' made me think twice. Now I'm thinkin': it could mean you're the evil man. And I'm the righteous man. And Mr. 9mm here, he's the shepherd protecting my righteous a** in the valley of darkness. Or it could be you're the righteous man and I'm the shepherd and it's the world that's evil and selfish. I'd like that. But that sh*t ain't the truth. The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', GM. I'm tryin' real hard to be a shepherd.
Sorry I thought since others had so much luck adapting popular quotations or songs to current events I thought I'd try my hand at it too. I know this quotes a stretch but Ed kinda looks to me of some bad motherfcuker named Samuel Jackson. Know who I'm talkin about.
03/31/09
03/31/09
03/31/09
Let's get Jalopnik to cover a feminist blog next! That will go splendid.
03/31/09
03/31/09
@NotAnEvilLobbyist: Oh, so he's a community organizer! Now I see the connection!
03/31/09
03/31/09
03/31/09
03/31/09
03/31/09
03/31/09
04/01/09
03/31/09
03/31/09
First up: Gettelfinger