Early in the 18th century, the Staudenbecker family of Solingen, Germany decided they would relocate to a place that would allow them freedom of religion and of their personal lives. In 1736, they set out for America bound for a new home in Philadelphia, PA. The immigration clerks, unfamiliar with the German language recorded their name as Studebecker, Studibacker, Studebaker and other variations. They adopted the Studebaker name and while many went into farming, several family members went into blacksmithing and wagon making, designing what was to become the famous Conestoga wagon.

The Studebaker Wagon Company built wagons for the Union army during the Civil War. Later the company began making automobiles and built wagons and motorized vehicles for the U.S. Army in WWI and WWII. Their reputation for building rugged, reliable vehicles made them an easy choice for the armed forces.

For the automobile market, they hired Raymond Loewe, a famous French designer, giving the company a reputation, not only for reliability, but for style as well. Loewe designed the bullet nose, the Avanti, the Hawk and the streamlined Commander coupe. His designs were characterized by sweeping, flowing lines with a distinctive “European Look”. Unfortunately, the company did not adopt high volume tooling rapidly enough and after being absorbed by the Packard Company, they simply “got out of the business”.

My grandpa had a 1948 light green four door Studebaker. He was a Studebaker guy and often reminded me that the Studebaker was “the most dependable car on the road”. Since gas at that time was 18 cents a gallon, gas mileage was not a big concern, but he topped the tank off once a month need it or not. He would drive to the Standard Station and an attendant in a white uniform with a black leather bow tie and his name embroidered on the breast pocket would come out to fill the tank, check the oil, check the pressure in the tires and wash the front and rear windows. He would then thank you for your business. Ah, the good old days!

The Pomona Swap Meet recently had the pleasure of hosting members of the Beach Cities and Inland Empire Chapter of the Studebaker Clubs of California at our October 16th meet. The proud owners exhibited their cars for swap meet attendees. For more information regarding the Studebaker Drivers Club, contact Don Cox at 951-734-1816 (evenings) or eMail Don at: studebaker_don@yahoo.com.

We enjoyed having the group at the swap meet and hope they had as much fun showing their cars as our attendees had viewing them.

Thanks folks, please come back and see us, you are what the Pomona Swap Meet is all about.

-Citizen Wayne73

THE 34TH ANNUAL “Run to the Sun” car show was presented on October 19-23 by the Rods and Relics car club of Lake Havasu City. The event was held on the golf course next to the beautiful Nautical Inn on the island at Lake Havasu, Arizona. This event showcases hundreds of outstanding classic cars vying for awards in a variety of categories. There were 728 cars entered, all pre 1972, and 132 car clubs were represented.

There were no spectator numbers available as we went to press, but take it from an eyewitness, the crowds were huge. There were entrants from Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and Canada. The organization was first class, with booths offering a wide variety of food and drink, including a BBQ’d, smoked turkey leg that I could not resist. There I was walking around, visiting with folks, gnawing on my turkey leg, sipping a cold beer and taking pictures of some of the most beautiful cars in the world. It just doesn’t get any better.

I had the pleasure of entering my 1940 Ford convertible in the street rod category. I thought my car was beautiful. It had enough wax on it to start my own wax museum. The valve covers were so highly polished you could use them as shaving mirrors. Every nut, bolt, was chromed and polished the wiring was neatly shrouded and tied down. My car did get an honorable mention from my neighbors.

I’m happy to report that the cars that did win truly deserved the awards and the recognition. Every car at the show was a work of art, representing thousands of hours of thought, design and labor. From the paint to the smallest details in the undercarriage and engine these owners/builders are true artists. They are sculptors in metal and fiberglass, technicians bringing a bygone era back to life. These cars are true Americana, recalling a time in history when the good old USA dominated the market through mass production technology and design innovation – a time of pride in our country and our success.

Take a look!

I wish we had more space for photos, this is just a small sampling of all that was on display, but you get the idea, that if you cannot appreciate the marriage of function and beauty, you will never truly appreciate the classic automobile.

A side note; as I strolled around, wearing my Pomona Swap Meet hat and shirt, people would give me a thumbs up salute “hey Pomona, right on, I go there all the time”.

Ah! Show biz, this is my kinda crowd.

-Citizen Wayne 73

As an aside, I have a three cylinder engine in a backhoe. The engine is reliable, economical and provides all the power I need for jobs.

The Bonneville Salt Flats in Northwestern Utah

The Bonneville Salt Flats in Northwestern Utah is central to the history of motorsports.  It is the fastest race course in the world with scores of world land speed records having been set on the Flats, the first of which being 141.73 mph in 1914. The “National Landmark” is home to the historic circular race track and the 10-12 mile long International Track.  During the 1930’s and 1940’s the Bonneville Salt Flats was able to support the weight of 10-ton twin-engine streamliners that roared down the 13.5-mile long race courses.  The Hot Rods roared onto the salt flats in 1949 with the first Speed Week event and have run every year since, with the exception of a few years due to bad weather.  I can remember hearing about “Bonneville” and the “Blue Flame” before I was old enough to know what racing was all about.  The famed black line of the Salt Flats has been used to break speed records, the sound barrier and of course a few engines and hearts along the way.  There have been books written, movies made and songs sung about the flats and the racing that is a tradition and lifestyle for those who participate.

Unfortunately, this iconic proving ground has been steadily shrinking in size.  As a result of decades of salt removal by an adjoining potash mining operation, the Salt Flats have decreased in size, strength and thickness.  The Salt Flats which were once 96,000 acres in size have been diminished to about 30,000 acres.  As salt is removed by the mining operation, the size of the race tracks and suitability of the surface for racing is greatly diminished.  Preservation of this fragile resource will be crucial to this motorsports existence, as well as this Historic Landmark.

This public land and its preservation are under the authority of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).  To aid in the management of the public lands, they ask that visitors follow proper land use etiquette such as Tread Lightly! and Leave No Trace.  The BLM has also conducted multiple studies to confirm that salt is being removed and not adequately replaced by the mining operation.  For decades, they have been working to understand the problem and find a viable solution.

Save the Salt, an organization founded in 1989 with the goal of reversing the salt depletion, includes members from the Southern California Timing Assn. (SCTA), Bonneville Nationals Inc. (BNI) and Utah Salt Flats Racing Assn. (USFRA).  For decades, they have been instrumental in working with the BLM and chemical companies (currently Intrepid Wendover Potash, LLC) to solve this continuing problem by attempting to replenish salt to the flats via the Salt Laydown Project.   Brine water is pumped via canals from the mining operation back onto the Salt Flats where it is discharged and added to the natural salt crust layers at Bonneville.  This had been somewhat successful, having added 8.2 million tons of salt to the flats and, at times, racers have noticed a difference in the hardness and durability of the racecourse.  Some race courses have even been extended.

Unfortunately, Intrepid has slowed down the pumping and the worry of the Bonneville Salt Flats wearing away is at the front of racers and racing organizations minds.

These effort needs to be extended and with Public Land Order 6941: with 30,203 acres of Bonneville Salt Flats withdrawn from surface entry and mining set to expire in 2012, a permanent solution needs to be found for protecting the area.  There needs to be a federal mandate now and forever.

Forever; so that my children and grandchildren will have their own “Blue Flame” to name their wagons, bikes or cars after, as I did.

Please contact the BLM to urge for a permanent solution:
The Honorable Robert Abbey
Director, Bureau of Land Management
U.S. Department of the Interior
e-mail: director@blm.gov
fax: 202-208-5242

Anyone wishing to contribute to the Save the Salt fund may do so by mailing to:
Save The Salt
Russ Eyres
3673 Millikin Ave.
San Diego, Ca. 92122

For information on World of Speed events at Bonneville contact:
Utah Salt Flats Racing Association
www.saltflats.com
e-mail: usfra@saltflats.com
P.O. Box 27365
SLC, UT 84127-0365
801.485.2662

For Speedweek and World Finals news and info contact:
Southern California Timing Association (SCTA)
www.scta-bni.org
e-mail: office@scta-bni.org
P.O. Box 10
Orosi, CA 93647
559.528.6279

For BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials at Bonneville contact:
www.speedtrialsbybub.com

The Iconic Ford Edsel

Come See The Car That Had Its Reputation Destroyed By Madison Avenue Hyper-Hype Before It Was Ever Shown

The Pomona Swap Meet will host the Southlanders Edsel Owners Club at the June 5th Swap Meet. This group of owners will gather at the meet to show off their beautiful Edsel automobiles and have a great time meeting and greeting friends and visitors. You will catch them gathered on the main aisle in the vintage vehicle section next to the Pomona Classifieds Booth.

The Edsel is a classic – roomy, comfortable, lots of innovations and tons of horsepower. The folks that own them, love them.

I discussed the upcoming show with Larry Noper, a member of the Southlanders Edsel Owners Club, and found that this club is the first Edsel club in the U.S. Subsequently, the club spread from SoCal across the country and around the world as the Edsel Owners Club. The local club has 75-80 members and we expect 20 or so to show up at the June 5th Pomona Swap Meet. As is typical of most automobile clubs, this is a family oriented organization drawn together by their love of their vehicles.

We welcome the group and look forward to sharing pictures and comments from the visit in our next publication.

- Citizen Wayne

Honda and Toyota no longer dominate the “family sedans” category, priced at around $30,000. A dozen entries scored well enough in the surveys to earn solid recommendations. The best among them was the Ford Fusion.

Consumer reports top picks for 2011 by category are:
Budget Car: Honda Fit | Small Car: Hundai Elantra | Family Sedan: Nissan Altima | Green Car (I assume they are not referring to color): Toyota Prius | Small SUV: Toyota Rav4 | Family SUV: Kia Sorrento | Sporty Car: Ford Mustang | Family Hauler: Toyota Sienna | Sports Sedan: Infinity C37 | Pickup truck: Chevrolet Avalanche.

Cars Running On Wood?………… Solving A Knotty Fuel Problem!

	Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy (Public Domain)

When I first heard that autos might run on wood, I had the mental image of a big truck like vehicle with a guy standing in the bed throwing logs into a steam furnace. The greens of the country would go nuts, what with the smoke, ash and all the air contamination. But that’s not the case at all. According to the Wall Street Journal, a number of groups are working on technologies that produce oil substitutes or the base products of gasoline from wood chips or other biomass through a process called pyrolosis. The technology is intriguing because it creates oil and other petrochemicals like benzene from cellulose, but without most of the troubling drawbacks that other biofeuls have.

“We are making gasoline. The molecules we make are exactly the same as what is made in the petroleum today,” said George Huber, the UMass chemist who created the process used by a company called Annellotech.

Most plant material can be used, but wood chips or sawdust are best. Annellotech says the process is so inexpensive that a plant should be able to make a profit as long as crude oil sells for $30 a barrel or more- it was above $100 a barrel as this article went to publish. If the government, environmentalists and other special interest groups stay out of the way, we the American people, can and will solve the problem and provide lower cost fuel.

50% Boost In The Economy Of The Internal Combustion Engine… Surely You Jest!
I’m not kidding, and don’t call me Shirley. A start up called Scuderi Group has developed an engine that causes combustion to occur after the piston reaches the top of the cylinder. Scuderi says that change alone when coupled with a turbo-charger and a small air tank could result in a 50% fuel economy improvement.

The technology isn’t entirely new as Scuderi splits the compression and fuel intake into one cylinder and the combustion and exhaust into another. Existing engines use the same cylinder to do all the work, but combustion only occurs every other revolution of the piston.

The “split cycle” engine is not a new concept but Scuderi’s innovation is a small air tank that stores energy and helps maintain high compression throughout the cycle, maximizing fuel usage and producing large improvements in fuel economy. Here again, if we can keep the government out of the way, another innovative idea will help our fuel cost problems.

-Citizen Wayne

My current truck is a Chevy, with fairly low mileage for a diesel powered vehicle. I had decided that since the government took over Chevrolet, I would never buy another GM product. I was angry at the bailout of a failed business. However, habits are hard to break and since I’ve always had Chevy trucks, I decided I would amble down to my local dealer and take a look at the new offerings. Besides, rumor had it that car dealers were hard-up and offering really good deals.

I found the truck of my dreams, a loaded brand new 2500 diesel with that wonderful new smell. I was in love; all I needed was a salesperson to pursue the deal. I strolled around the truck admiring the shiny new paint and bright chrome. I looked at the sticker to see the list of goodies that were included.

My heart stopped! The sticker price was $59,950.00

Sixty Grand! What happened to hard times, to needing to sell to get the economy moving, again?

A nice looking blond salesperson arrived at my elbow. “Good looking truck isn’t it” she asked? I told her I came to buy a truck not make a down payment on the dealership. “Ha, ha”, she chortled, “but this one has everything, it’s loaded”. I told her the truck might be loaded but I wasn’t and with my head held high, I left.

With every step I took toward my used but trusty ride, the better it looked.

The answer was to visit the Pomona Swap Meet and upgrade my truck. A spray can of new car smell, new floor mats, filters, oil, wax, Armor All – aimed at restoring the pride of my old friend.

Thank goodness we have places like the Pomona Swap Meet, a place that supports older vehicles and an auto enthusiasts dream shopping experience.

There are those in our society that would take places like this from us; that would have us throw all our wonderful older vehicles on the scrap heap and drive vehicles powered by wind and peddles. We need to be alert to all that these people are doing to sway our government representatives in this direction. One of the ways we can do this is to join organizations that are dedicated to watching out for the threats to our industries and our freedoms.

The following are among the most active organizations in protecting, preserving and promoting the collector car industry.

Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) is a council of Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), an association of 2500 producers and marketers of specialty equipment products and services for the automotive aftermarket.

http://www.sema.org/armo

The Center for Concerned Citizens for Automotive Safety (CCCAS)

Chris M. Zora, ASA, ISA, Director

P.O. Box 9939, The Woodlands, TX, 77380 (Houston)

(800) 559-8258, Fax: (936) 477-4027

Clean Air Performance Professionals (CAPP)

Charlie Peters, President

Stella Pyrtec-Blond, Public Relations 84 Hoy Avenue Fords, New Jersey, 08863

(732) 738-7859, Fax: (732) 738-7625

E-mail: stellacapp@earthlink.net

Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE)

105 Oronoco Street, Suite 115, Alexandria, VA 22314

(703) 519-7555, (800) 229-5380, FAX: (703) 519-7747

http://www.careauto.org/main.html

National Motorist Association (NMA)

James J. Baxter, President

402 W. 2nd St., Waunakee, WI 53597

Membership info: (800) 882-2785, Administrative Office: (608) 849-6000, FAX: (608) 849-8697

E-mail: nma@mortorist.com

http://www.motorists.org

World Organization of Automotive Specialists (WOAS)

Eric Baltzer, President

P.O. Box 1331 Palm Desert, CA 92261

(800) 428-1883, (760) 346-1984, FAX: (760) 568-6354

Membership and information for many of these organizations is free or the cost is minimal. We urge you to stay informed and active in these all important issues.

Our freedoms were earned by fighting for them; let’s not lose them because we have forgotten how to do battle.

-Citizen Wayne ]]> http://blog.pomonaswapmeet.com/2010/10/06/changing-the-smell-isnt-so-swell/feed/ 0 http://blog.pomonaswapmeet.com/2010/08/17/oh-canada/ http://blog.pomonaswapmeet.com/2010/08/17/oh-canada/#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:52:20 +0000 Citizen Wayne http://blog.pomonaswapmeet.com/?p=109 What could be more beautiful than a Canadian sunset? A Canadian sunrise of course! That is, unless you are one of the thousands of Canadian motor heads, then your idea of true beauty is a fully restored, totally customized 1932 Ford Roadster.

Recently, our Pomona Swap Meet Vice President, Kim Cross has been receiving copies of “CANADIAN HOT RODS” magazine courtesy of Allen Anderson, editor at large of this outstanding publication. The magazine is chock full of articles, tech tips and great photos like the one above. It’s great to know that Canada has thousands of enthusiasts supporting and enjoying a passion for outstanding automotive works of art.

The Pomona Swap Meet salutes our friends to the north.

	Photo Courtesy of Canadian Hot Rods

We are proud to support members of our industry, represented by businesses and enthusiasts around the world. I live in Lake Havasu City, Arizona and every winter we are delighted to host hundreds of Canadians visiting to escape their cold, COLD, winters. They golf, swim, sight see, and generally kick back and take in the sun. Several bring their hot rods and collector cars to participate in the many shows we have during the winter months.

Fred and his lovely wife Pat have been lifelong friends and we correspond during the year by written word. Letters actually, yes people still do write letters. It’s slower but more personal than email. At any rate Fred, who considers himself quite a humorous fellow started addressing his letters with the salutation, “to the bad and the beautiful”. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m flattered, but at 6 feet one inch and 230 pounds I’m certainly not beautiful – Ruggedly handsome, maybe. In my next letter I opened with the “to the bald and the beautiful” so there could be no question as to who was who.

Canadians are a laugh riot.

All you Canadian car fanatics, keep on “rodding” and “trucking”, stand up for our industry, fight for your freedoms or they will be slowly eroded.

There will always be those small groups with loud voices that will push to have you conform to what they consider is right and proper for the world and for you and me.

What is right for me is to build hot rods and collector cars. How about you?

-Citizen Wayne

Steve Macias and Alex Ramirez

I just finished a telephone conversation with a delightful lady named Alex Ramirez. It’s not unusual to have a chat with a lovely lady, it is unusual to discuss Ford 4R70W electronic controlled 4 speed automatic transmission with an over drive gear and lock-up feature. Or a GM TH-400 automatic transmission built to handle the high horsepower of the big block Chevy engine. It was unusual for me but not for Alex as she and her brother Steve Macias are the owner/operators of MP Transmissions.

MP Transmissions (a family owned business) was founded in 2008 by CEO Steve Macias and Co-Owner Alex Ramirez. MP Transmissions specializes in domestic automatic transmissions for the street-strip and racing enthusiast.

Don’t let the 2008 conception date fool you – MP Transmission’s team has a combined experience of 25 years re-manufacturing and repairing performance transmissions for top manufacturers. They specialize in rebuilding automatic transmissions to stock or to yours specifications. You want a rock crawler, a strip runner or an all out high speed, highly reliable transmission? They provide the expertise and the service. In addition, they provide accessories for your transmission needs such as: cooling pans, oils, shift kits, shifters, radiators (transmission coolers), torque converter work and a variety of expert information.

If you have ever tried to rebuild an automatic transmission you soon realize after your dissemble little thingies: springs, slides and those steel balls, via gravity, scatter, bounce, run and roll out all over the floor, inevitably finding their stay in the most remote places of your garage never to be seen again. However, if you do get it together, how are you going to test it? You put it back in the car – that’s how. This is quite a job and a huge struggle just to find out after testing you probably have to take it out again – start all over – and try to keep the little thingies from running away again. There is another way. The folks at MP Transmissions have a Dyno tester where they mount the transmission, put a load on it and rev the heck out of it until they are satisfied that your tranny is running great!

We at the Pomona Swap Meet are happy that this excellent company has chosen our Meet as one of their venues for their products and services. Check out MP Transmission’s Featured Products listed below:

GM 4L60E – Get the best highway cruise speed and MPG out of your street rod or muscle car with the 4L60E. This is a 4 Speed, computer controlled automatic transmission that incorporates an overdrive gear and lock-up feature.

GM TH-350 – GM’s most popular and transplanted 3 speed transmission. Its light weight and compact design are desirable to Hot Rodders and Muscle Car enthusiast. We custom build it to handle horse power levels from 350Hp to 700Hp max.

GM TH-400 – Developed as GM’s work horse transmission known for its strength and durability. Its strong design enables it to withstand most small & big block V8’s. It can be built to handle 450 Hp to 1,000Hp max.

Ford 4R70W – This is an electronic controlled 4 speed, automatic transmission that incorporates an overdrive gear and lock-up feature to get the best high way cruise speed and MPG out of your street rod or muscle car.

Ford AOD – This is a hydraulic controlled 4 speed, automatic transmission that incorporates an overdrive gear and lock-up feature to get the best high way cruise speed and MPG out of your street rod or muscle car.

I asked Alex how she selected the Pomona Swap Meet for their venue, she said that the website was excellent and we were the largest show of our type on the West Coast. It’s a perfect fit: great show, great vendor.

Thanks Alex!

MP Transmissions are located at:

14140 Alondra Blvd.

Santa Fe Springs CA, 90670

(562) 404-9307

http://www.mptransmissions.com

Be sure to stop by MP Transmission’s vendor space at the January 17^th Pomona Swap Meet. They are located on Road 18, Space 77. They would be happy to answer any question you may have.

One Persons’ Clunker Is Another Persons’s Great Used Car!
Time brings change, not always for the better. We Americans love our cars. We often have names for them and they become part of the family. They have been with us through the birth of our children, they have taken us on vacations, visiting loved ones, there in emergencies, sitting waiting patently for us to have a use for them, and almost always responding to the call. They are, for the most part, marvels of human engineering and inventiveness. Used vehicles and the used car market have allowed those of us with limited funds to buy good, reliable transportation at a reasonable cost. My first new car (actually a truck) was carefully researched and budgeted, and was a marvel. The truck hauled kids and equipment to ball games and sporting events. This was our vacation vehicle, our packhorse, camp vehicle at the lake, bleachers at ball games and lodge seats at the drive-in theater. Yes folks, back in the olden days we would back up the hump at the drive-in, set up lawn chairs in the bed of the truck, and with our home made popcorn, ice chest and kids, and be entertained by Hollywood’s best.

We loved that truck! A solid piece of Detroit steel from Ford: A 1966 three quarter-ton with a four-speed tranny. Through the years it never failed to start, never got stuck and hauled loads of stuff.

When it came time to part with the truck, I sold him to a good friend who promised me with crossed heart that the old truck would have a good home.

Our government is calling the “cash for clunkers” program a “tremendous success”? The crushing of running automobiles and the subsequent selling of the residual lumps of metal to China strikes me as a waste of a resource and hard-earned taxpayer dollars. I don’t know about you but some of the autos I’ve witnessed being flattened are not bad looking and certainly not that old. I know many used car lots that would be graced by their presence. Not only that, but the cars could at least have been parted out, supporting the huge used part market in the world.

This is of particular interest to us at the Pomona Swap Meet, the West Coast’s Largest venue for used cars, parts and miscellaneous items for the used car market.

The U.S. Government is famous for laws, dictates and programs with massive unintended consequences. Our current administration seems to be in such a hurry that they try to stimulate the economy by helping one part and destroying another.

So, we bail out GM and Chrysler with hard earned taxpayer money. Taxpayers didn’t cause the problem, weak management and powerful greedy unions drove the companies to bankruptcy. Apparently giving them 5-700 billion dollars was not enough, our politicians have now used more taxpayer money to incentivise people to buy the cars produced by the companies that we gave money to produce. Am I the only one that sees the insanity here?

My money went into the program, yet when I see my neighbor come home with his new car purchased under the “cash for clunkers” program and I tell him that I would like to use the car once in a while since a portion of it belongs to me, he tells me to pound sand.

Our politicians didn’t think through the impact of the program. “Free money”, halleluiah! They planned on spending one billion dollars, but that amount was used up in a week. They then added another 2.1 billion dollars to the pot and that amount has now also been used up.

The irony is that most of the money was spent on foreign cars. Most of the cars purchased were:

• Toyota
• Hyundai
• Kia
• Honda
• Ford
• And bringing up the rear were GM and Chrysler

This program will not rescue the auto industry. The people that bought would have done so sooner or later. They just took advantage of free money. There will be no “auto envy” built up in the American consumer initiating a wave of new car buying. In fact, early statistics for the month of September indicate that auto sales have dropped precipitously. Most Americans are going to pay off their debts with any money they have. They will not be spending on other than the necessities of life. Anything left over they are going to save, save, save. Personally I’m going to save as much as I can for that rainy day I know is coming. Why, because it is difficult for me to trust a government that is putting our country into massive debt and the politicians that are growing government at an unprecedented rate. Bailouts, stimulus, more bailouts, cap and trade, more bailouts, cash for clunkers, cash for old appliances, cash for whatever the President’s Czars can dream up.

Meanwhile, unemployment is at an all time high of 9.7 percent. Of course this figure is with the government spin. Careful analysis of this figure including the people who have given up looking for jobs, those that have dropped off the unemployment payments, those on part time, etc., puts the number closer to 16 per cent.

For the first time in my life, I fear my government. I fear what they are doing to the greatest country on this earth. In your heart you know it’s wrong.

Our Government has made fools of us – politicians lying, making unrealistic promises in order to get elected, and then selling us down the river into an ocean of debt.

Remember the words of Abraham Lincoln:

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time,

but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” – Abraham Lincoln, (attributed), 16th president of US (1809-1865)

Let us not be fooled any longer!

- Citizen Wayne

I’m deeply hurt! I feel like a jilted lover. For 50 years I’ve had an affair with a car company. My family has been carrying on with this same company for generations. My great grandmother drove Chevy trucks; my mother had a Cadillac and then a Buick. Over the years I, proudly drove and owned four Oldsmobile’s, five Chevy trucks, a Pontiac and two Cadillac’s. My wife’s first car was a Chevy convertible. My daughter drives a Chevy Suburban and my son-in-law, a Chevy diesel truck. My son drives a Chevy truck. My brother-in-law and his wife both have Chevy Corvettes and share an Avalanche. I have owned Chryslers, Plymouths and Fords, but I always came back to General Motors. Even when I bought an old Toyota Land Cruiser, I put a small block Chevy V8 under the hood.

I guess what it boils down to is that my family and friends love American cars and trucks, especially GM. True my current truck has a diesel made in Japan and the vehicle was assembled in Canada, but it still proudly bears the Chevrolet bow tie emblem.

Like so many Americans, we watch with breaking hearts, as weak management and a voracious demanding union brought this worldwide giant of the auto industry to its knees. The management could have taken a stand and declared Chapter 11, which would have allowed them to renegotiate their union contracts, close companies and manufacturing divisions trim down and recover. Instead, they crawled, hat in hand to the federal government and got a fifteen billion dollar loan from the taxpayers so that they “would not have to ruin their reputation and go bankrupt.” Guess what? They went bankrupt anyway and flushed those billions of taxpayer dollars down the drain.

Inter the federal government and the “Car Czar” who concocted a “structured bankruptcy” with the Federal Government dictating the terms.

According to Wall Street Journal, the “structured bankruptcy” required the taxpayer to pony up another $50 billion dollars for which the taxpayer would allegedly own 60% of the company. (Have you received your shares of stock? Neither have I… Don’t hold your breath.)

The Canadian government put up 9.5 billion and will own 12% of the stock. But, and this is the icing on the cake, or the stake in the heat of GM, the United Auto Workers Union, who reportedly “made concessions”, will own approximately 18% of the business. How can the folks who helped bankrupt the company end up owning the company?

In addition to owning a portion of the company, the Union Health Care Agreement is structured so that GM will still be sending 600 million dollars each year in preferred stock dividends to the Union Retirement Program.

General Motors market share dropped from 45% in 1980 to 22% in 2008 and is currently in the low teens. In this economy, the picture is dismal. Even if GM builds and sells 2 million units per year in the US (which is not likely in the projected 10 million per year vehicle market), they have a multitude of financial obligations that have to be addressed before showing a profit and starting to pay back the taxpayers.

• First, $300 in Union Retiree Health Care costs will be added to every vehicle built in the United States adding to GM’s non-competitive status.
• Second, the Union Pension Funds are under funded by 12 to 13 billion dollars and would need “significant contributions” as early as 2013. Where will these “significant contributions” come from? You got it! The good old, ever squeezed American taxpayer. Our current government will no doubt buy out most of GM’s pension funds insuring that the United Auto Worker Retirees continue their gold plated retirement.

You begin to wonder if the government has initiated a new “affirmative action” program that we weren’t told about. A new program which insures the union members receive preferential treatment in funding and benefits. Isn’t that the bias against the rest of us in the U.S. labor force?

• Third, the savior of the company is the new management, the U.S. Government. No problem there, congress and the White House have done a wonderful job with the U.S. Post Office, Amtrak, Medicare, Medicaid, Education, Social Security, etc.
• Finally, don’t forget about the new, environmentally friendly, economical battery powered, “green car”. (Humph!) Words escape me!

I recently received a letter from Mr. Tony A. Clarke, Group Vice President and President of GM North America. It was a nice letter, assuring me that the warranty on my wife’s car would be honored no matter what. The balance of the letter expressed GM’s thanks for my business over the years and hoping that I would return for yet another car. I feel compelled to write him and tell him that I stuck with GM in spite of huge price increases and shabby quality, but recent events have caused me to fall out of love with GM. After all, once jilted, twice shy. Plus, I would be very reluctant to ever buy a car or a truck from a company run by two such inept organizations as the Federal Government and the United Auto Workers Union.

As an aside, the current “Car Czar”, S. Rattner, is stepping down. Apparently like all the other choices for government high positions, he is under investigation for something. We’ll find out more later on or it will be swept under the rug. His replacement is…surprise, surprise, and ex high ranking official of the Steel Workers Union, Mr. Ron Bloom.

Having said the above, I recommend everyone hang onto your old GM cars and trucks. Someday they will be priceless. You can keep them repaired and looking great by stopping by the Pomona Swap Meet and buying from out vendors who stock thousands of used and new parts as well as aftermarket parts.

If you maintain your old vehicle it may truly and proudly be referred to as a “GM”, a rolling “Gold Mine”. Automobiles will be harking back to the good old days of a great American Icon.

Note to our readers:
As this article is being written, many of the details of the bankruptcy have yet to be ironed out. I realize that GM management has stated that they are now out of bankruptcy, but I assure you there are many shoes left to drop. Not the least of which is what do they do with the old GM. That is, all the odds and ends that were left when the new, leaner GM was formed. Pontiac, Hummer, Saab are all up in the air, as well as many manufacturing plants, distribution operations and spare employees.

And finally, even though I don’t love GM anymore; I must admit that I lust after the new Camaro Convertible.