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View Full Version : GM & Chrysler Seek Government Aid for Merger



hjmick
10-28-2008, 10:13 AM
First the the financial bailout, to which I was opposed, and now this? Another bad idea. How long before the government takes over all industries and businesses?


GM, Chrysler Ask for $10 Billion to Aid Merger

General Motors and Cerberus Capital Management have asked the U.S. government for roughly $10 billion in an unprecedented rescue package to support a merger between GM and Chrysler, two sources with direct knowledge of the talks said on Monday.

The government funding would include roughly $3 billion in exchange for preferred stock in the merged automaker, according to one of the sources, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The U.S. Treasury Department is considering a request for direct aid to facilitate the merger and a decision could come this week, sources familiar with the still-developing government response said earlier on Monday.

An injection of $3 billion in equity to support a GM acquisition of Chrysler would be roughly equivalent to the current, depressed value of the top U.S. automaker.

It would also give U.S. taxpayers a large stake in the turnaround of a struggling auto industry that employs over 350,000 American workers and is credited with supporting employment for another 4.5 million in related fields.

Complete story... (http://www.cnbc.com/id/27409944)



The government had no business bailing out the financial institutions and they certainly have no business investing in the auto industry.

5stringJeff
10-28-2008, 07:18 PM
Bankruptcy is a good thing for the economy. It's like weeding your garden - all the bad stuff gets pulled out so the good stuff can grow. I wish the US would let its economy go through its natural corrections.

KitchenKitten99
10-28-2008, 09:07 PM
Funny, I always thought GM & Ford would merger... or Chrysler & Ford.

hjmick
10-28-2008, 09:42 PM
Bankruptcy is a good thing for the economy. It's like weeding your garden - all the bad stuff gets pulled out so the good stuff can grow. I wish the US would let its economy go through its natural corrections.

I'm with you, Jeff. Sink or swim, it's the nature of business.