Chevy Volt a Failure - GM to Layoff 1,300

Once again...

Should Chevy not make electric cars?

 

Chevy should make electric cars if doing so makes Chevy's stockholders richer. Chevy should not be doing so just to make some people (who oversee others' forced investment in GM) more politically secure.

 

The evidence would suggest no.

 

Hate, hate, hate to see government waste money on unproven technologies for the enrichment of the few at taxpayer expense.

Since 2008, DOD's portfolio of major defense acquisition programs has grown from 96 to 98 programs, and its investment in those programs has grown to $1.68 trillion. The total acquisition cost of the programs in DOD's 2010 portfolio has increased by $135 billion over the past 2 years, of which $70 billion cannot be attributed to quantity changes.

www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-233SP

 

I give up. What's your point? Does that make the Volt worth it?

For the record, I am against wasteful spending on stuff that doesn't work by the Defense Department. Though I still don't get what that has to do with the Chevy Volt.

 

His point, which is very well-taken, can be traced to the Gospel of St. Matthew (7:3), to wit:

 

That I'd be more inclined to take seriously the complaints of those who squawk about misdirected government spending if they squawked a little more often when confronted with exactly the same phenomenon in the defense sector.

Every year - year in and year out - we waste the equivalent of the entire auto industry bailout on Defense Department cost overruns alone.

 

The bondholders won't rest until there is JUSTICE!

 

Twofer: Use drones to drop surplus Chevy Volts on evildoers. Win win.

(Thanks, dq. Much more eloquent description of the phenomenon.)

 

And I'd be more inclined to take the defenders of the Chevy Volt seriously if they felt the same way about defense contractors who provide jobs for significantly more people than GM does.

 

Come on., government investment on a project like the electric/hybrid car, which actually has a future, is wasteful spending but billions upon billions upon billions on unwinnable, unnecessary wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and bloated DOD weapons systems is helping to keep America free!

 

So people who work for defense contractors are less worthy of employment than people who work for GM? Ummm... ok.