There is the old diddy about Baseball, Hot Dogs, Cheverolet, and Apple Pie. It is supposed be the "all American" thought. So, why not apply the fundamentals of baseball to General Moters, the maker of Cheverolet?
I recently listened to GM's new CEO, Fritz Henderson, on Meet the Press with David Gregory. David tried to talk about what went wrong at GM. CEO Henderson balked and changed the subject. Strike One. He asked what lessons could be learned for going forward. There are things that can be learned, but CEO Henderson wasn't going to talk about any of them. Strike Two. What about the future of GM? Gregory asked about what was instore for General Moters. Is it success, failure, bankruptcy, Government ownership ... Once again, Mr. Henderson refused to address any of these topics. He feels that GM will be what it will be. Strike Three.
When you are tossed some softballs and you strike out, it is one thing. It is completely another thing when you are watching 96 mph hard balls whiz by your face. However, on MTP, Gregorry was actually very nice. He set the ball on the Tee and asked Mr. Henderson to swing. Nothing. No hits. Nothing but air. And we wonder why GM is losing billions of dollars each year.
It isn't the workers' fault. It isn't the suppliers' fault. It is management's fault. When asked about his salary, Mr. Henderson quickly quipped that he was going to stick with the 20 or 30% decrease that he'd taken a few weeks before becoming CEO. How great! What is that amount, asked Gregory. $1.3 Million. As a non-CEO of the company, Henderson was making $1.3MM. Of course, that is down from his original salary (add another 30%). It is no wonder there is a big vaccuum in Detroit. This is major league salaries for tee ball league players!
No one is willing to make any concessions. Well, it is time that we stand up and refuse to bail out a dying company. If they can't compete on quality or price or even perception, they won't be successful. Why should we, as taxpayers, be the ones to pay for them to fail?
3 strikes equates to an out. Years of striking out means a big zero on the scoreboard. We've gone past 9 innings. It is time to focus on where we can be successful. Unfortunately for Fritz Henderson, General Motors, and the lot of the Detroit automakers, things are not in their favor. So, let's go pick up a game, eat a hot dog, and cheer for some winning teams.
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