Tuesday, November 22, 2005

GM - Transform and Rollout!

It was announce this week that General motors will close more plants across the country. My city Lansing, will experience 2 plant closings, on top of 2? other plants that are shutting/have shut down in the area. Its time the city asks and answers the hard questions... What to do with all the unemployed workers that have little to no higher education. If we don't ask questions like these, we'll end up like Flint and Detroit, on the list of top 5 most dangerous cities in the country. True, Michael Moore is a turkey, but he did an awesome job with his documentary, "Roger & Me", where he showed what happens to cities that rely on a single form of income, with little education needed to do the job. You ask anyone in Flint, why its so bad there, they'll say GM did this. People will turn to crime when the money drys up. To make things worse, the last mayor of Lansing, cut back the police force (although not street patrol, whatever). Creating a larger recipe for disaster. One of many reason I bought property outside of Lansing.

Sure Lansing has a large University, Agriculture, and the Capital (government jobs) to fall back on, but what do we do with those that become desperate. Those that chose not to take night classes while they worked the line, those that choose not to move to other plants outside the state, those that couldn't make it into the new plant built just outside of Lansing, those that will give up. Anyone choosing to ignore the signs of a failing company and its horrendous business choices, are already guilty of a crime. The crime of not looking out for their families and themselves. True it was a good run, that paid well, but its over. Lansing needs to let go of GM, and be happy with what it has, perhaps build on that.

I am a GM family. My dad was a Fisher Body worker, then Delphi, then Peregrine (all the same plant, now no more). My garage currently contains a Pontiac, Geo, and Chevy. I always had the feeling I would make my dad proud of whatever I did, as long as it didn't involve following his footsteps by working for GM. I see now, he was right.

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