With Detroit's bankruptcy on my mind, I've been hitting the "liberal welfare statism" component heavily, but my liberal friend's comments on corporate responsibility did set me to thinking. And on second thought, my 1971 - and last - personal experience with General/Government Motors and its Chevrolet Vega had little to do with liberal thinking or welfare:
[I] had quite an affair with the Chevy brand into young adulthood, including a '57 Chevy Bel Air and a '68 Camaro. It came to an end when I bought a '71 Chevy Vega, arguably in the bottom three pieces of junk ever produced by the American auto industry. Under that modest design and spiffy concept rested an engineering and performance nightmare wrapped in paper-thin sheet metal. The engine warped into an oil burner in a matter of weeks. The dealership was embarrassed and spent thousands to make things right while the corporate suits at General Motors wrote nice letters. As months turned into a year, then two years, there was no end to breakdowns, recalls, and repairs.
* * *
[I] will never own another General/Government Motors product. Ever.
Strong opinion there about the corporate suits. Not so much about the rank and file on the line. Today, Steven Hayward's Power Line post highlights some significant comments by George Will on the role of corporate leadership in Detroit's decline. Some valuable links there as well.
Nothing is ever as simple as it seems therefore, we should be thankful that learning never stops.
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| Reuters photo/Rebecca Cook |
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