[fbodfather]

Supermans -

There is simply too much misinformation out there --

a few thoughts: (and up front, I need to disclose a few things: 1. - these are my views and not necessarily those of the company for whom I work ...

2. the older I get, the more I realize what I DON'T know - and --

3. Most people don't know much about what's really happened to this industry over the past 40 years - -and it isn't 'simple' - rather, it's hugely complicated.....

Now - there is more misinformation out there than there is good information.

The loan was paid in full with interest.

There was no money out there to be raised due to the credit crunch - so we gave YOU the taxpayer 60+ percent of the company in exchange for working capital.

The Obama administration is not involved in the day-to-day running of the business.....and in fact, there's a good argument that looking closer at the auto industry opened many eyes in Washington - something that sorely needed to happen.......

There are several industry experts and financial experts that feel that YOU the taxpayer, may have made a good investment.

Go look at Ford Stock and what's happened to it over the past year.....and they don't have the cost savings that GM does......

It's very likely that GM will start to make some serious money - and soon. Further, once the IPO goes out, the government can then sell the stock -- and hopefully it will be a very good investment.

Now - many have said something along the lines that "GM should have been forced into bankruptcy and the government should not have loaned them money." OK - that would have resulted in Chapter 7 in all likelihood simply because there were no avenues to borrow money. You can go into bankruptcy -- but the reality is that the auto industry is a VERY capital intensive business. If the banks aren't loaning money - -something's gotta give.......and so it was a case of getting loans from the goverment and in return, giving the government a percentage of the business -- or starve for capital -- and that usually means chapter 7.

Ford, on the other hand, had mortgaged everything including the staplers on the desks a few years ago -- when funds were still available to borrow on the open market - and whoever made that decision is a genius or lucky or both........so they were able to weather the downturn. (.. i sure hope whoever it was that made that decision was given a good sized bonus -- he/she deserves it!)

Keep one thing in mind as you look at this entire situation:

Americans bought approx. 16 million new cars and trucks a year until the bottom fell out due to the housing market and the drying up of capital. Now - that 'pie' of 16 million units per year over a 4-5 year period kept getting sliced up by more and more competition from overseas competitors.....and in some cases, competitors that have, for all intents and purposes - a closed market. Suddenly, that 16 million units a year drops to 9 million units a year - and no one can sustain that drop for an extended period of time.

Now - some would say "well - -you signed the contracts with the unions!" - and it isn't quite that simple. Go look at the summer of 1998 to see what happened to the economy when there was a strike.

Should you buy a GM car or truck? I'll let the others on this board give their opinions...... I'd like you to consider GM and Ford and Chrysler as your provider of all your transportation needs........

By the way -- speaking of giving money away -- you might want to look at the deal that Mr. Shelby of Alabama gave to a couple of foreign car manufacturers -- and they don't have to pay it back!

I guess if I were to give advice:

>go drive our cars and trucks - and then go talk with those who have bought our cars and trucks in the past couple of years......

>remember - -it's YOU -- the taxpayer - who have invested in GM and Chrysler.....

And finally - -perhaps it's prudent to keep an open mind until you get all of the facts.


(......oh -- and one last fact: The stock you refer to at 75 cents or whatever is for the OLD GM - not the new one........)