snax,

i'm with ya on the need for action. i think the big 3 need to take a REAL look at their expenses.

certainly they could learn from businesses w/ relatively low profit margins like the one i work for(food distribution). trust me, there are ways to make accountability imperative...

we work with sister companies, customers, growers, employees(including but not limited to drivers, shippers, buyers, receivers, salesmen) etc. the point is we make EVERYONE accountable at EVERY level and in every conceaveable way. we HAVE to because of low profit margin...

US companies PLEASE TAKE NOTE!

BTW, we are very slow in regard to sales, yet we have not made layoffs. we simply have not refilled positions that were vacated or removed(disciplinary action).

I do the same in my business. I never fire someone because business slows down, but when someone quits I don't fill their position until business picks up again. Most of my employees stay very loyal to me for it.

Ford is hot on that, they were actually the company that appears to have invented that kind of vertical integration. That's probably why they aren't as broke as GM and Chrysler claim to be right now.

The other two do it, but dunno what they do with the savings, spend it on a few extra layers of management or something.

no doubt. they were the first to plan converting truck/suv plants to smaller car manufacturing. plus, i read an article recently that reported them being dedicated to SEVERAL new 4 cyl models.

If they only knew how simple it is to make a very efficient car.

CAFE should be 45 for everything in 5 years, 55 in 10.

regards
gary