[PRCo] Re: Gazzz

[Dietrich, Robert J.]

Geez Jim you must be from Texas!  Where I come from the old saying was
"""As steel goes, so goes the country""".  :-)

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of
James B. Holland
Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2005 11:09 PM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Gazzz

The Old Sayin' used to be:


"""As GM goes, So Goes The Country"""


Very Interesting Observations, Bill!!


While the Investing World is watching High-Tech companies and the future

seems to be centered around computers, Autos Still Drive The Economy, to

use a phrase.       The Big  *-D-*  *-may-*  be in the process  --  I 
hope I am wrong but History Does Repeat.       GM and USA auto industry 
have slid some already in the past couple decades compared to Japanese 
autos and appear poised to slide much further    ----    some see the 
possibility of GM filing bankruptcy!!!       Can't happen today(??)    
----    over simplistic, but this is definitely one of the reasons it 
can!       Hope I am wrong but I believe we are just seeing the tip of 
the iceberg on the downside.




Bill Robb wrote:
.

> There may be a fundamental change in the economy occurring. We have 
> seen high gas prices for two summers in a row. It's been caused by 
> somewhat uncontrollable factors. Auto makers are faced with suppliers 
> going bankrupt. Last time something like this happened was when many 
> of the manufacturing jobs disappeared in the late 80s and early 90s. 
> It'll be interesting to see what happens to gas prices next summer
>
> Not too long ago I was in a local cafe and one of most prominent local

> car dealers was there. He was very publicly telling another business 
> man that business is much harder than it used to be. Cars last longer 
> (usually about seven years), people keep their cars longer and the 
> auto companies don't even seem to make money making cars any longer. 
> GM makes more money on financing than auto sales. As gas prices kill 
> SUV and truck sales and the huge SUV profits disappear it can only get

> worse.
>
> I recently read an article suggesting the reason that trolleys 
> disappeared from the scene was that they did not have the profit 
> potential that autos, road building, gas refineries, auto insurance, 
> and hospitality facilities brought to the economy. Macro economics 
> killed the trolleys. The car culture provided more employment and 
> wealth creation opportunities than the efficient networks of trolleys.
>
> Now the car culture that supports much of the economy could be on life

> support.
>
> Bill Robb
>
>
>> Fred Schneider wrote:
>> .
>>
>>> .......Suggested solutions are to tax people by the miles they drive

>>> instead of the gasoline consumed, start a campaign to get people to 
>>> drive more and to discourage the use of mass transit.
>>



Jim__Holland


I__Like__Ike.......And__PCCs!!

down with pantographs ---- UP___WITH___TROLLEYPOLES!!!!!!!