http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/11/8/10161/7557 Recognizing that the economic crisis that played such a huge part in his resounding victory over John McCain, President Elect Barack Obama lost no time.  He quickly assembled members of his economic advisory team.  Then he marched out to a set of microphones and let the rest of us in on what he considers to be his primary task -- <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/us/politics/08transition.html?ref=politics">trying to fix the American economy</a>. en-us Mon, 10 Nov 2008 07:16:29 EST Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:06:34 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/11/8/10161/7557#12 The amusing thing here is that $2.50/gal sounds cheap to us now. Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:06:34 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/11/8/10161/7557#11 Wouldn't the homeless prefer <a rel="nofollow" href="http://kijiji.ebayimg.com/i1/07/k/000/7d/50/8dc9_20.JPG">kid-toucher vans</a>, or something else <a rel="nofollow" href="http://static7.userland.com/ulvs1-c/images/mootmom/Curtains09OnVan01.jpg">with cur Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:09:22 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/11/8/10161/7557#10 Instead of loaning (or giving) money to GM the government should buy $10 billion worth of high-mileage cars and give them to the homeless. Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:14:28 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/11/8/10161/7557#9 Agreed.  I fully expect the Detroit bailout to be a massive boondoggle that stunts the auto industry in the US for a decade or more. Tue, 11 Nov 2008 07:45:18 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/11/8/10161/7557#8 <blockquote><i>...if we are going to mandate efficiency, the UAW has clearly got to go</i></blockquote>Yeah, good luck with that when the Democrats are in power. Tue, 11 Nov 2008 07:35:10 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/11/8/10161/7557#7 "forcing them to make cars that people don't want and that GM cannot make a profit on in any case?"<p> <strong>GM</strong> can't seem to make a profit on them.  Toyota and Honda on the other hand seem to have no problem making and selling fuel efficie Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:59:36 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/11/8/10161/7557#6 Ah, so when the recession ends then people will want fuel efficient cars? But the plan to save GM involves (somehow - the details are, of course, sketchy) forcing them to make cars that people don't want and that GM cannot make a profit on in any case?<p> Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:57:05 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/11/8/10161/7557#5 As the folks who rated your comment are obviously aware, the current crater in the oil market will last no longer than the current world-wide recession, if that long. <p> Clearly there was a bubble in the market this past spring and summer, and I don't bel Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:13:50 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/11/8/10161/7557#4 But, really, what would a bail-out do for it (unless they make the most awesome, totally made in USA automocars, the benchmark of transportation craft for humanoids on Spaceship Earth)?<p> Why don't we raffle off Detroit, block by block? I'm in for a coupl Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:24:52 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/11/8/10161/7557#3 A bailout just won't matter, the problem is that most of us could go 5+ years without buying a new car, and if the economy goes far enough south, most of us will.  Detroit is not prepared to reduce it's output far enough to survive such an event. &nbs Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:36:07 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/11/8/10161/7557#2 With the price of oil dropping like a stone, what's the point of demanding that a bailout of the Michigan auto industry be tied to producing more energy efficient vehicles? Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:25:21 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/11/8/10161/7557#1 Don't be excited by Obama saying the economy is his "top priority."  Over two years of campaigning, he has identified <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=153509">many such "top priorities:"</a> Afghanistan, Iraq, "pr Mon, 10 Nov 2008 07:58:19 EST string http://www.treesandthings.com/search/