The Auto Industry: Rest in Peace

Here's an interesting Obituary. The US automobile industry is dead. Or must be declared dead.

Not that we want the jobs (between 1 and 5 million jobs, according to varying estimates) to go away. We WANT GM and Chrysler and Ford to remain major manufacturers in our country.

What we as a country want is to be RID of OIL as the controlling energy in our country.
How can we do this?

1) A (much bigger) national tax gas. (Will push gas guzzlers off the road!)
2) Offer financial incentives to those driving older cars when they are retired and destroyed.
3) Alternative Fuels: Hydrogen Powered cars are Dead. Corn based Ethanol is also dead. (We need the corn to feed to our cattle and put in our soda and all our foods!)
4) Infrastructure: Putting Mass transit, and Heavy rail (TRUCK) down the center of EVERY (Eisenhower) highway in the country. (See here).

5) Most importantly: We need to PROD/PUSH/PULL the Detroit automakers to give up the automobile, and become TRANSPORTATION companies.

5.a) The initial loans will be used to help Detroit re-tool, hire technical specialists, help retrain current workers into transportation experts.
5.b) Light Rail (Streetcar/passenger) and Heavy Rail (Trucks/trailers) and heavy freight systems will need to be built all over the country, and re-engineered all over.
5.c) as an example, using plans for the recently built Jamaica (NY) to JFK airport, that was built over the Van Wyck Expressway, (The highway that Robert Moses spoke of , saying "Over my dead body will there ever be mass transit on THAT highway!") These plans can be very helpful to build also Rail Lines on Long Island (by the Robert Moses built Northern and Southern State Parkways)

Most importantly by PUSHING the companies to move out of the auto industry, and to retool, we will be putting a great tool for changing energy usage, commuting, and our future country.

The companies can also be told that by creating all this infrastructure future growth for our country that they will be setting up a new generation of energy and commuter futures for the country.

Finally, by forcing the companies out of the auto industry, there will be significant training opportunities for new jobs, and retraining in this new green economy.

oh yeah, each of the companies will also need to keep ONE line of cars/trucks active.

A van, a pickup truck, an economy car, and a taxi-sedan sized car.
But not 30 cars in 8 different car lines.