Gm Supplier answers GM President's Plea

Mr. Knox certainly lays out the mess America is in! Well worth reading.
> GM supplier answers GM President's "plea"
> AMEN! This is one of the greatest responses to the requests for bailout
money I have seen thus far. As a supplier for the Big 3 this man received a
letter from the President of GM North America requesting support for the
bail out program. His response is classic, and has to Make you proud of a
local guy who tells it like it is.
> Dear Employees & Suppliers,
> Congress and the current Administration will soon determine whether to
provide immediate support to the domestic auto industry to help it through
one of the most difficult economic times in our nation's history. Your
elected officials must hear from all of us now on why this support is
critical to our continuing the progress we began prior to the global
financial crisis..................... As an employee or supplier, you have a
lot at stake and continue to be one of our most effective and passionate
voices. I know GM can count on you to have your voice heard. Thank you for
your urgent action and ongoing support.
> Troy Clarke President General Motors North America
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Response from:
> Gregory Knox, Pres. Knox Machinery Company Franklin, Ohio
> Gentlemen:
> In response to your request to contact legislators and ask for a bailout
for the Big Three automakers please consider the following, and please pass
my thoughts on to Troy Clark.
> Politicians and Management of the Big 3 are both infected with the same
entitlement mentality that has spread like cancerous germs in UAW halls for
the last countless decades, and whose plague is now sweeping this nation,
awaiting our new "messiah", Pres-elect Obama, to wave his magic wand and
make all our problems go away, while at the same time allowing our once
great nation to keep "living the dream". Believe me folks, The dream is
over!
>
> This dream where we can ignore the consumer for years while management
myopically focuses on its personal rewards packages at the same time that
our factories have been filled with the worlds most overpaid, arrogant,
ignorant and laziest entitlement minded "laborers" without paying the price
for these atrocities.this dream where you still think the masses will line
up to buy our products for ever and ever.
> Don't even think about telling me I'm wrong. Don't accuse me of not
knowing of what I speak. I have called on Ford, GM, Chrysler, TRW, Delphi,
Kelsey Hayes, American Axle and countless other automotive OEM's throughout
the Midwest during the past 30 years and what I've seen over those years in
these union shops can only be described as disgusting.
> Troy Clarke, President of General Motors North America, states: "There is
widespread sentiment throughout this country, and our government, and
especially via the news media, that the current crisis is completely the
result of bad management which it certainly is not." You're right Mr.
Clarke, it's not JUST management.how about the electricians who walk around
the plants like lords in feudal times, making people wait on them for
countless hours while they drag ass.so they can come in on the weekend and
make double and triple time.for a job they easily could have done within
their normal 40 hour work week.
> How about the line workers who threaten newbies with all kinds of
> scare tactics.for putting out too many parts on a shift.and for being too
productive (We certainly must not expose those lazy bums who have been
getting overpaid for decades for their horrific underproduction, must we?!?)
Do you folks really not know about this stuff?!? How about this great
sentiment abridged from Mr. Clarke's sad plea: "over the last few years .we
have closed the quality and efficiency gaps with our competitors." What the
hell has Detroit been doing for the last 40 years?!? Did we really JUST wake
up to the gaps in quality and efficiency between us and them? The K car vs.
the Accord? The Pinto vs. the Civic?!? Do I need to go on? What a joke! We
are living through the inevitable outcome of the actions of the United
States auto industry for decades. It's time to pay for your sins, Detroit .
> I attended an economic summit last week where brilliant economist, Alan
Beaulieu, from the Institute of Trend Research , surprised the crowd when he
said he would not have given the banks a penny of "bailout money". "Yes, he
said, this would cause short term problems," but despite what people like
politicians and corporate magnates would have us believe, the sun would in
fact rise the next day. and the following very important thing would
happen.where there had been greedy and sloppy banks, new efficient ones
would pop up.that is how a free market system works.it does work.if we would
only let it work."
> But for some nondescript reason we are now deciding that the rest of the
world is right and that capitalism doesn't work - that we need the
government to step in and "save us".Save us my ass, Hell - we're
nationalizing.and unfortunately too many of our once fine nation's citizens
don't even have a clue that this is what is really happening.But, they sure
can tell you the stats on their favorite sports teams.yeah - THAT'S really
important, isn't it.
> Does it ever occur to ANYONE that the "competition" has been producing
vehicles, EXTREMELY PROFITABLY, for decades in this country?... How can that
be??? Let's see. Fuel efficient. Listening to customers. Investing in the
proper tooling and automation for the long haul.
> Not being too complacent or arrogant to listen to Dr. W. Ed wards Deming
four decades ago when he taught that by adopting appropriate principles of
management, organizations could increase quality and simultaneously reduce
costs. Ever increased productivity through quality and intelligent planning.
Treating vendors like strategic partners, rather than like "the enemy".
Efficient front and back offices. Non union environment. Again, I could go
on and on, but I really wouldn't be telling anyone anything they really
don't already know down deep in their hearts.
> I have six children, so I am not unfamiliar with the concept of wanting
someone to bail you out of a mess that you have gotten yourself into - my
children do this on a weekly, if not daily basis, as I did when I was their
age. I do for them what my parents did for me (one of their greatest gifts,
by the way) - I make them stand on their own two feet and accept the
consequences of their actions and work through it. Radical concept, huh. Am
I there for them in the wings? Of course - but only until such time as they
need to be fully on their own as adults.
> I don't want to oversimplify a complex situation, but there certainly are
unmistakable parallels here between the proper role of parenting and
government. Detroit and the United States need to pay for their sins. Bad
news people - it's coming whether we like it or not. The newly elected
Messiah really doesn't have a magic wand big enough to "make it all go
away." I laughed as I heard Obama "reeling it back in" almost immediately
after the final vote count was tallied."we really might not do it in a
year.or in four." Where the Hell was that kind of talk when he was RUNNING
for office.
> Stop trying to put off the inevitable folks . That house in Florida
> really isn't worth $750,000. People who jump across a border really don't
deserve free health care benefits. That job driving that forklift for the
Big 3 really isn't worth $85,000 a year. We really shouldn't allow Wal-Mart
to stock their shelves with products acquired from a country that unfairly
manipulates their currency and has the most atrocious human rights
infractions on the face of the globe. That couple whose combined income is
less than $50,000 really shouldn't be living in that $485,000 home. Let the
market correct itself folks - it will. Yes it will be painful, but it's
gonna' be painful either way, and the bright side of my proposal is that on
the other side of it all, is a nation that appreciates what it has.and
doesn't live beyond its means.and gets back to basics.and redevelops the
patriotic work ethic that made it the greatest nation in the history of the
world.and probably turns back to God.
> Sorry - don't cut my head off, I'm just the messenger sharing with you the
"bad news". I hope you take it to heart.
> Gregory J. Knox, President, Knox Machinery, Inc., Franklin, Ohio 45005

By Golly, there is a man with a head on his shoulders.

After spending 25 years in the airline industry, I totally agree with this man's opinion on unions. Too bad the only way to hear about this letter is via the internet.

Incredibly well said. and Mike, you are dead on...let's see the news folks put this on the air

I know folks in the gotcha brigade will check--don't bother--completely genuine:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/knox.asp

http://www.knoxmachinery.com/index.html

Snoped by the fifth post. Not bad.

I agree completely. I did a project on how the Army awards negative results. How we are to soft on people who don’t perform and how an organization that is suppose to be the epitome of performance all to often doesn’t have the "grapes" to tell a person that they are performing poorly and can either fix it or find themselves doing an obviously menial task until they prove they are either ready perform at a respectable level or resign. (hows that for a run-on sentance)

When I slack off I know I’m slacking off and when something doesn’t go my way deep down inside I know I am the one to blame. I guess I’m a dying breed.

I preach two things accountability and responsibility. It doesn’t mean I’m a shining example of either but it does mean that I seldom have a finger to point at anyone but myself.

rant over...

Peter,
Isn't this the jist of what the Senate GOP is saying relative to the proposed Stimulus legislation? If so, welcome to the 2009 Republican Party.

Peter...I am confused...

...WHY did you indicate that you were supporting Obama? Based on your posting of this letter, and tacit support of what it contains...I can not imagine why you would have voted for Obama. (I obviously don't know how you voted, but assume you voted for BHO based on our pre-election threads)

Now...don't get me wrong...I don't think McCain was the best man for the repub. ticket...but we KNEW this is the kind of stuff BHO wanted to do.

Wow. I think he might be my new hero..

I honestly don't see why any company would allow unions by choice. They make me sick.

Greg's a very smart and extremely hard working guy who says what's on his mind.

some fresh air,.,.,. we still have hope,.,.,.

No, I voted for Obama. I don't agree with BO totally, but at least he has brains. I agree with Mr. Knox about unions. I don't think the car companies should have been bailed out, but wasn't that done before BO? AIG got bailed out because if I heard it right, they handle the retirement funds for Congress. Republican or Democrat, the banks got bailed out and the car companies got loans. Both sides would have done the same. At least BO will tie some strings to the money.(He'd better).
It is a major conundrum...

And I prefer to be a puzzlement.

comart45 Wrote: