It's been a while. I was going through some old files and found this that I recently sent to the White House. Don't get me wrong, I like Obama and wouldn't want his job for ANYTHING but I am tired of us being picked on...


I live in the Detroit area. Growing up, my dad worked for an automove supplier so the domestic auto industry raised us. My husband also works for an automove supplier and so our life is paid for by the auto industry. I am very much devoted to the US car industry and I am just tired of them being dumped on all of the time. Rahm Emanuel's recent comments about GM have really ticked me off and I just feel like I need to say something.

I agree, the health care part of the big 3 is out of hand. Yes, the automotive has probably made their fare share of business mistakes. Can we please look at the number of industries that have done the same? Can we look at the banking industry? Can we pick on someone else for a change for doing just what the auto industry did? Can we stop this double standard that treats the auto industry as a second class citizen?

Emanuel also comments on GM pushing the gas guzzling cars. Well, Mr. Emanuel, that is what people wanted. That is what they were buying. Had it not been for a spike in gas prices, that is what they would probably still be buying. Instead the market made a quick turn to smaller, more fuel effecient cars. Here are a couple of things to consider.

Of the top 10 gas guzzlers, only 1 is a US car and it is a Jeep product.

If you have 3 small children, the choice of vehicles is very limited. We bought a minivan recently because we had wanted to have a third child and needed a car that could accomodate 3 car seats. Do you know how many cars can do that? Well, frankly, we didn't find a single car that could. The only vehicles that could were mini vans and SUV's. A smart car can't really fit 3 5-point harnessed seats in the backseat.

At the Inagural parade, the number of gas guzzling SUV's was amazing! Of course, I was proud to see all of the domestic cars, but holy cow, you are telling me that the police couldn't drive regular cars? So, the police and government are ok driving these gas guzzlers but the everyday person should not?

The large vehicle market made a very quick turn. Do you really have any idea what it takes to come up with a new vehicle. There is the design and engineering. This is for every single component of the vehicle. A prototype needs to be built and tested. That means that every part, every wire, every wiring harness, sticker, piston, etc. needs to be produced. The vehicle is then hand built and then tested for safety, driving, to see if all of the components work. Then, when the car is approved, the plants need to reconfugure the whole line. Every aspect needs to be changed. The large jaws that grab the frame of the car, you can't just take the one that was picking up and Escalade frame and use it to just pick up a teeny tiny car frame. Every supplier needs to manufacture the parts they are producing for the car, etc. My point is, they can't just switch from what everyone was demanding one week and make a 180 turn the next week.

I appreciate the aid you are loaning to the auto companies (and can we also make a larger note of the fact that these are LOANS, not handouts like the banking industry) but wish that the big 3 could get a little more respect instead of always being the kid on the playground with the glasses and funny hair that everyone feels they can just pick on. That kid means a lot to us and has taken good care of Detroit, Michigan and the US for a long time! That kid deserves some respect.