Dear Sirs and Madames,
My husband and I bought a car this past Saturday. His car is going on 10 years and is starting to require some major work, so we figured it was time. We did a lot of research before buying a car. And since his car got over 20 MPG, it was not eligible for the "Cash for Clunkers" program. But, fuel efficiency and environmental concerns were high on our priority list.
We decided on the VW Jetta Sportswagon TDI, a clean-burning, well-engineered diesel vehicle that exceeds the 40 MPG rating that we required and can burn biodiesel fuel as well. We qualify for the 'no sales tax' program due to the MPG rating, we get a hefty rebate on our Federal income tax this year as well, and a very good trade-in for his current Subaru. Win-win all around.
Now, you may wonder why we did not even consider a General Motors vehicle. Well, here some reasons that you should take to heart if you care anything about the consumers in this country:
1) We are entrepeneurs and business owners and your total lack of leadership and vision is a model for exactly what business people who wish to be successful should not do. GM should be taught in every business school around the world as a major case study in how not to run a successful business. We personally have no interest in rewarding you for being stupid and short-sighted.
2) You had a chance 20 years ago to be the premier car manufacturer not just in this country, but the world, with the EV electric car. You not only squandered that chance, you blatantly colluded with the oil companies to outright demolish it. Only total fools work against their best interests, and real idiots do so thinking that it will help them in the long run.
3) Instead of looking to the future and being good corporate citizens, you not only eviserated your 0 emissions programs, you decided to give us the Hummer, the quintessential symbol of exactly the opposite of what the industry and the world needed. You decided not only to shoot yourselves in the foot, but to thumb your nose at the Earth's inhabitants while doing it.
4) You continued to blame your total incompetence, greed and lack of vision on the Union workers, many of whom tried to point out the error of your ways and the coming catastrophe you heaped upon yourself and the American car industry. And while crying poor, you continued to pay obscene salaries and bonuses to your top executives, the very morons who were driving your business into the ground.
So, in about a year I'll be looking to replace my car, which will be about 12 years old at that point and I will be hoping that some real visionary company, like Tesla, has been able to produce an electric car using advanced battery technology (which has been around for years but, again, you were too stubborn or stupid or in cahoots with the oil companies to use) that is affordable. So, even if you think that you'll be able to catch up at this point, forget it. Because I hope other Americans like me will not soon forget your total incompetence, lack of vision and greed.
Sincerely,
A Very Happy New VW Owner
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Comments: 56
The Hummer was like a slap in the face and I just cringe everytime I see one on the road.
:-)
I happen to think that the Hummer and the people who bought them represent a lot of what is wrong with this country.
You can imagind what he decides
FYI - I have a chef friend who makes his own soap AND furnace oil from his used grease. Eventually he hopes to have enough to burn in his car. Talk about self-reliant!
I envy your friend for having such an excellent and reliable source of biofuel. Good for him!
Well, no wonder you didn't buy a GM product. People who camp are filled with shame and self-loathing. They think rocks and twigs are superior to real human beings. Did a tree invent air conditioning? Coca-Cola? Spray cheese? The underwire bra? I didn't think so. Campers are people who harbor a secret desire to be intimately violated by forest creatures.
And biking? Please. A bike is what you ride when you don't have a car, or have been ordered by law enforcement authorities not to drive a car. Shroud the whole 'biking experience' in as much romantic planet-hugging hogwash as you like, it's still just the transportation mode of choice for p***ies.
All that being said, it makes perfect sense that you also have a kayak. "Kayaking--the sport in which no one will hurt you, so you have to do it yourself". Real sports involve people pushing themselves to the limit in the pursuit of the only two goals worth pursuing: 1) to hurt somebody so bad they can never play that sport again, and b) to keep everyone else from doing the same thing to you. "Kayaking--it's like canoeing, but if the boat flips over, you can't get out". "Kayaking--you'll probably drown, but it'll look like an accident".
"Wow, look at those enormous, sharp rocks! And the way the water thunders over and around them! I'll bet if I wrapped some birch bark around my legs and held on real tight to a stick, I could jump in there and maybe not die!"
Nowhere in the course of the 'sport' of kayaking does the opportunity arise to smash someone's face in. Kayakers would rather have their spines ripped out by mother nature than compete with each other to see who can rip the other guy's spine out first. That's not a sport, that's Darwinism hard at work right there.
Come to think of it, hooray for kayaking! Maybe if everyone who wants to kayak would jump into some white water, the Starbucks and Whole Foods Markets would revert back to liquor stores and strip clubs like nature intended.
I do confess - I love Starbucks coffee, though. :-)
I saw a video last night of an electric car that could do 110 mph in 11 seconds. I want an electric motorcycle like that! W00t!
You know, as far as being patriotic? What could be more patriotic than getting our country off dependence on foreign oil? Beyond the economic and political implications, think how many lives of soldiers that would save.
I remember seeing the CEO of Ford on "60 Minutes" in the mid-70s explaining that Ford would continue to produce big cars because that's what Americans really wanted. Given the success of SUVs, that may be true. I think Americans mostly don't want cars that will fall apart regardless of size.
I actually own a Pontiac right now. If it wasn't for the 0% financing they were offering and the fact that the transmission was still under warranty when it died prior to 50k miles, I would not have bought or kept it. Since my first car, a VW beetle, I have consistently owned Japanese cars. And they have been bery, bery good to me. :-)
Didn't buy a Ford but we did look.
Bought an American made Honda,made right here in my state , love it .
GM deserves to die but the misery it would cause.......
I don't care about where cars are made. I just think bad products and bad business strategies should not be rewarded. I feel the same about WalMart. I think their business strategies suck and I will never, ever buy anything from them. Not to mention their low-quality products.
About the only power I have left in this country anymore is the power of my pocketbook. And, I cannot see why in hell anybody would buy a GM car. When I buy a product, I look at the health of the business, not just the product.
But, the people of the planet are going to pass them buy. They want to gamble on politics? Doesn't matter who is in power - people are going to eventually want what they want. And if they can only get it with foreign cars, then so be it. They'll become dinosaurs and a thing of the past.
By all means, submit this to newspapers, online sites (Huffington Post?) and send a copy to GM headquarters and their largest dealerships.
I was speaking to my husband about this and he thinks he recently heard of a large influx of capital into a small electric car start-up company. It's going to take capital, but I'm hoping Americans have the vision and determination to carry this off. It would be a crying shame to have developed this technology only to lose it to foreign markets because of the greed and stupidity of a few in power who don't know their ass from their elbow when it comes to business success.
I think I may submit it to a few places. Thanks, Ruth. Always a pleasure to hear from you.
:) wishing you laughter
Thanks for posting this to Obama YES! Palin ~ NO!