[Indy2010]

Originally Posted by The_Blur

...The loss of American jobs with the liquidation of Chrysler and GM would have led to more jobs overseas where the competition's products are made. ... Let's remember that the competition isn't all made in America... The people who have to buy American will buy Ford, but we know that the US market for cars is heavily imported, so very few customers actually prioritize buying American.

Yep, you make a good point. The business would have been divided amongst foreign companies as well, thus there would have been a loss in American jobs.

I'll add that the "temporary" losses of other industries have become fairly permanent. When Wall Street took a turn for the worst 15 September 2008, the layoffs began. I graduated 3 months later and have yet to find employment in my field of study, which ironically enough includes working for the government. Temporary layoffs have become the vocabulary for permanent or long-term unemployment.

Unfortunately, I believe this has happened across the board, not just the automotive industry. Cheap labor has forced all industries to re-evaluate their labor costs. Most companies that I am familiar with are trying to reduce the workforce and maintain production/capacity/capability by being more efficient with what they have. What we really need is for China to become a nation of consumers instead of producers (they are really lopsided).