Letter to Congressmen

Dear Senator:

I am very troubled by the prospects of the US Government providing $50 Billion in funding to the domestic auto industry. This industry has time and again failed to operate by basic business principles. Executives have failed to deliver what customers want and negotiated labor deals that were sure to send the companies into bankruptcy.

The US Government needs to stay out of the auto industry malaise. If these companies go bankrupt, so be it. Company assets will be bought by other investors at pennies on the dollar and labor agreements will be renegotiated. This will result in stronger companies and better long-term industry prospects.

Another item that needs to be reconsidered are the CAFÉ standards. If Congress wants people to use less gasoline, tax it. Forcing the auto makers to design cars to use less gas makes them design products consumers do not want. If the price of gasoline stays around $4/gallon, people will start buying those fuel efficient vehicles that GM, Ford and others are selling around the globe. We can solve the energy conservation problem without legislation by a Congress that knows little about automotive design. What we need is a market-based solution, not a bureaucratic one.

Sincerely,

Wichita, KS