Seems lawmakers listening to the bosses of the Big Three automakers weren’t too enamored with how the Detroit men traveled to Washington.
In a story on CNN.com, Rep. Gary Ackerman, a New York Democrat, called it “a little bit suspicious” that Ford’s Alan Mulally, Chrysler’s Robert Nardelli and General Motors’ Richard Wagoner flew corporate jets to request money to help rescue their businesses.
“There is a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying into Washington, D.C., and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hand, saying that they’re going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses.
“It’s almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high hat and tuxedo.”
None of three responded the criticism during the hearing, but their companies defended the CEOs’ travel as standard procedure. All three have policies requiring their CEOs to travel in private jets for safety reasons, CNN said.
“Making a big to-do about this when issues vital to the jobs of millions of Americans are being discussed in Washington is diverting attention away from a critical debate that will determine the future health of the auto industry and the American economy,” GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson said in a statement.
I’m also guessing that there are a fair number of people who work in our city that are OK with the Big Three owning business jets.
2 Comments
GM’s executive labels science as a “crock of sh*t”. Why should I not label him and his bailout similarly?
The Detroit Three are not the only automakers in this country; why should they be given preferential treatment by the taxpayers?
The Detroit News had a great front page today putting all three on the spot, especially Ford CEO Alan Mulally, who said, “I think I’m OK where I am,” in response to the idea of taking a pay cut.
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/pop_up.asp?fpVname=MI_DN&ref_pge=map&tfp_map=USA