The General Motors situation
here's an idea ...
Why doesn't G.M. just go into the employment training business. Instead of having a bunch of idle and underutilized workers getting paid good salaries to do next to nothing, why don't they just train the workers to help G.M.A.C. Most people who can learn to work in a factory could also learn to --
1. sweep up an office
2. answer a telephone
3. type
4. close a loan (let's face it, it's not rocket science)
Why have a whole bunch of perfectly capable people sitting around twiddling their thumbs on what is ultimately the U.S. shareholder and taxpayer dollar? Let's get worker's working. It's not economical to produce automobiles in this country. We're a service based economy. Let's face it and move on.
If they let me manage G.M. I'd close every factory tomorrow. Transport the machinery to India, pay off the U.S. workers whatever the government and public opinion will accept, and just call it the end of an era. We'll all be better for it in the long run.