General motors

Email this page to a friend

Want news about General motors and more e-mailed to you? Click here for free email alerts

Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power Mark Schapiro See book keywords and concepts

We've been hit by a tsunami," is how Michael Taubitz, the global safety officer for general motors, put it to me from his office outside Detroit. Taubitz has been an engineer at GM for forty-one years; he started working at an engine plant in Flint, Michigan, and is now in charge of the company's efforts to keep pace with the multiplicity of new standards affecting his industry.24 General Motors, of course, was long considered the very epitome of American dynamism and leadership. "What's good for general motors," the saying went, "is good for America.

Disease Economy: How the United States economy runs on "treating" chronic disease Mike Adams, the Health Ranger See article keywords and concepts

Just look at what's happening to general motors. general motors is shutting down. general motors is probably headed for bankruptcy. One of the largest corporations ever produced by the United States is about to go bankrupt. Why? In my opinion, the answer is that general motors is spending more on health insurance than it is on steel. They're operating in a disease economy, and in a disease economy, it costs way too much for workers because workers are diseased, and you have to cover the costs of treating all that disease so you can have health insurance for all those workers.

Safe Trip to Eden: Ten Steps to Save Planet Earth from the Global Warming Meltdown David Steinman See book keywords and concepts

According to Green Life, "Climate Resolve's expectations are set low, while its spotlight is turned on only when participants are flattered by it. Take general motors, which not only qualified for participation in Climate Resolve, but was noted in the Exemplary Company Actions listed in the program's first progress report. . . for initiatives including 'the removal of bulbs illuminating the front panel of over 100 vending machines.' Meanwhile, General Motors' fleetwide fuel economy—the truest gauge of an automaker's impact on the climate—is the same as it was ten years ago. . . .

Disease Economy: How the United States economy runs on "treating" chronic disease Mike Adams, the Health Ranger See article keywords and concepts

General Motors is shutting down. general motors is probably headed for bankruptcy. One of the largest corporations ever produced by the United States is about to go bankrupt. Why? In my opinion, the answer is that general motors is spending more on health insurance than it is on steel. They're operating in a disease economy, and in a disease economy, it costs way too much for workers because workers are diseased, and you have to cover the costs of treating all that disease so you can have health insurance for all those workers.

Americans betrayed by Democratic senators with surprise amendment that protects Big Pharma monopoly Mike Adams, the Health Ranger See article keywords and concepts

General Motors spends more on health insurance than it does on steel. The cost of doing business in the United States is now unbearable for many companies, and they're fleeing to other countries where health care costs are a fraction of U.S. costs. Fifteen Democratic and thirty-three Republican senators believe U.S. citizens and businesses should be forced to pay the highest prices in the world for medications. Monopoly market conditions must be upheld. Keeping Americans diseased, uninformed and financially exploited is simply too profitable to walk away from. And corporate control over the U.

Financial Armageddon: Protecting Your Future from Four Impending Catastrophes Michael J. Panzner See book keywords and concepts

By the spring of 2006, at least $200 billion of General Motors's CDSs were estimated to exist, covering $30 billion of bonds. Aside from the tail wagging and other market distortions, as well as the upheaval such a mismatch can cause, there is also the very real risk that major financial operators could find themselves in over their heads, leading to dangerous systemic pressures. Still, these instruments suit a wide range of interests.

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D. See book keywords and concepts

And general motors is hardly alone. Starbucks, one of the most successful companies of the past two decades, recently announced that it is spending more on health care for employees than it spends on coffee beans. Across the American economic spectrum, employers are trying desperately to rein in health costs, asking workers to pick up more of the tab for their care or, in many cases, dropping insurance coverage entirely.

Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry Is Medicating a Nation Charles Barber See book keywords and concepts

Neuroscience is one of the principal areas of focus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the endowment of which is $16 billion (derived from the 1985 sale of Hughes Aircraft to general motors). The emphasis on neuroscience is appropriate, as the institute's founder, the aviator, industrialist, film tycoon, and iconoclast Howard Hughes, famously and prodigiously suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Government funding has followed suit. Funding for the National Institute of Mental Health, $90 million in 1976, reached $1.4 billion in 2006.

The trend continued in 2007, when general motors, Volkswagen, and Washington Mutual all ran TV commercials that depicted depressive feelings and suicidal behavior, albeit in satirical ways. In the GM ad, which appeared during the Super Bowl broadcast, an assembly-line robot hurls itself off a bridge after committing an error; in the Washington Mutual spot, despondent bankers are poised to jump off a building; and in the VW ad, a man is about to jump off a ledge until he learns that he can buy a new VW for under $17,000.

How Everyday Products Make People Sick: Toxins at Home and in the Workplace Paul D. Blanc, M.D. See book keywords and concepts

Ford and general motors may not have been particulatly concerned about the electrical signals transmitted between nerve cells, but they have been worried about the potential degeneration of spark plugs caused by long-term exposure to this chemical. Reportedly in tesponse to the urging of the automobile industry, the major gasoline formulators in the United States, who would have had to purchase MMT from Ethyl, agreed to a de facto moratorium on the use of the additive. As if this was not bad enough, even Ethyl's old ally north of the border began to get cold feet.

Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer Shannon Brownlee See book keywords and concepts

Companies that are staggering under the weight of their health care obligations, like general motors, will find themselves able to pay their workers more, to innovate and invest in new product lines. New jobs will be created to support IT systems in hospitals, and medical researchers will be needed to conduct the studies that evaluate the effectiveness of medical treatments. There's no denying that shrinking our health care system will cause dislocation among workers and lower profits for some sectors of the medical industry.

The Secret History of the War on Cancer Devra Davis See book keywords and concepts

The War Department's official, unsigned letter on the matter, sent to the heads of Standard Oil, general motors and Ethyl on December 15, 1934, was clear: I am writing you this to say that in my opinion under no conditions should you or the Board of Directors of the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation disclose any secrets or "know how" in connection with the manufacture of tetraethyl lead to Germany.16 In response to these concerns Ethyl lied to the government. On January 12, 1935, Earl W.

Financial Armageddon: Protecting Your Future from Four Impending Catastrophes Michael J. Panzner See book keywords and concepts

As of early 2006, General Motors's unfunded pension promises were estimated to be as much as $31 billion—despite the company's claims to the contrary—while other postemployment benefits were thought to total more than twice as much, or $70 billion, according to some analysts. Despite the similarities, there is a key difference between corporate America and the public sector when it comes to retirement-related liabilities. The private sector generally has more freedom to deal with future promises.

The Secret History of the War on Cancer Devra Davis See book keywords and concepts

But for Kehoe the labs were an industrial outpost, conducting studies of rodents and "human organisms" under contracts signed with Monsanto, DuPont, general motors, Stauffer Chemical Company, the Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. Steel, Mobil Oil, the Ethyl Corporation and others. Each contract stipulated that "the investigative work shall be planned and carried out by the University, and the University shall have the right to disseminate for the public good, any information obtained.

The wife of a general motors executive, Illig chaired the public health division of the General Women's Federation in 1935. As a radiologist, she had seen dozens of young women whose X-rays revealed abdomens riddled with spreading white blotches of disease. Illig explained to her colleagues at the federation that doctors could identify subtle abnormalities of the cervix long before cancer showed up on X-rays. Women's lives could be saved if they would show up for regular physical exams.

Ethyl Corporation was owned by Standard Oil of New Jersey and general motors.) In the late 1930s, Ethyl and other companies gave their German partners the know-how to produce leaded gasoline and synthetic rubber in direct contravention of U.S. War Department orders. Nazi scientists devised innovative and cruel methods for studying the cancer-causing properties of these and other compounds in their workers, many of whom died in concentration camps.

That same year, in a small general motors plant in Dayton, Ohio, the two workers responsible for bottling liquid lead died. The production line was shut down in April 1924. Charles Kettering, chief of GM's effort to develop leaded fuels, blamed the workers. "We could not get this across to the boys," he said. "We put watchmen in at the plant, and they used to snap the stuff [pure tetraethyl lead] at each other, and throw it at each other, and they were saying that they were sissies. They did not realize what they were working with.

Too Profitable to Cure Brent Hoadley, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

Suppose all Ford and general motors automobiles with excellent safety and service records were removed from the marketplace, leaving an inventory of low-end cars with bad safety and service rankings. Eventually, when each company introduced a new automobile at a significantly higher price, the makers could state the prices are warranted. Consumers could choose between a new, higher priced vehicle (with an unproven safety and service record) or they could purchase cars with known inferiorities. (The absence of Dodge, Toyota, Nissan, etc. from the American marketplace might also be noted.

The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century James Howard Kunstler See book keywords and concepts

Meanwhile, general motors shelved the development of its once-touted EV (electric vehicle). As of late 2003, both Ford and general motors were turning their attention to fuel-cell cars instead—the idea being that a fuel-cell car would be in effect an electric car, using an electric motor, only without the bothersome batteries. However, fuel-cell cars are problematic for reasons already discussed pertaining to hydrogen and natural gas.

More Natural Cures Revealed: Previously Censored Brand Name Products That Cure Disease Kevin Trudeau See book keywords and concepts

In this book, Nader exposed how general motors lied about the safety of the Corvair. It was proven that general motors knew that the Corvair was a dangerous car and many people would die if they did not recall the vehicle. The book pointed out and proved the fact that the corporate executives knew that people would die, but decided to let those people die—all in the name of profits. It was also proven later that Ford knew that thousands of people would die with their "exploding Pinto.

The Secret History of the War on Cancer Devra Davis See book keywords and concepts

Realizing the value of being able to tap such advice on a regular basis, the Ethyl Corporation, general motors, DuPont, Frigidaire and others promised to give Kehoe $100,000 every year starting in 1929 (equivalent to several million today) to run the industrial toxicology laboratories on the University of Cincinnati campus—named for one of his main benefactors, Dr. Kettering. Just thirty years old, despite the global economic depression, Kehoe had hit the scientific jackpot. A university official told the Detroit Free Press in 1936 that the companies "would meet all salaries and expenses. . . .

Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power Mark Schapiro See book keywords and concepts

Boeing, Dow, DuPont, Apple, general motors, American Express, and Cargill. Environmental policies top their list of concerns. "Every single one of the companies we represent is touched by REACH," explained AmCham EU's Belgian spokesperson, Anja Duchuteau. "[Our companies] have to comply with whoever sets the most severe regulations. Whoever sets those establishes the standards for the rest of the world. And a lot of those standards are now coming out of Brussels.'

I wanted to see what it takes to build the defining machines of our era, and so imagined the deranged amusement Tinguely might have gotten out of sitting in the three-trailer caravan, like I did on a public tour in the winter of 2007, as we snaked through a factory run jointly by general motors and Toyota. Spreading over the equivalent of a hundred football fields, the NUMMI plant produces Toyota Corollas, Pontiac Vibes, and Tacoma pickup trucks. The great rolling assembly line rumbles on without end.

Financial Armageddon: Protecting Your Future from Four Impending Catastrophes Michael J. Panzner See book keywords and concepts

Yet when higher rates made it difficult to offer monthly terms that were palatable, Ford, general motors, and others would eventually extend the maturity dates of the agreements by 50 percent or more. Or they would push leases where, in essence, monthly payments covered only the interest and part of the principal—in exchange for 0 percent of the ownership. In March 2005, for instance, Edmunds.com reported that 19.8 percent of all vehicles were leased rather than bought, the highest rate since 2001.

Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power Mark Schapiro See book keywords and concepts

But each of the American "big three" has substantial ties to the European market: Ford has its own Ford Europe production facilities, and owns the Jaguar line in the UK; general motors owns the German Opel, the Swedish Saab, and produces its own line of vehicles in the UK under the Vauxhall label; until May 2007, when it was sold to the U.S. firm Cerberus Capital Managment, Chrysler was owned by the German manufacturer Daimler-Benz.

What's good for general motors," the saying went, "is good for America." Today, however, the company is sensing its loss of control over the new forces emanating from Europe, that dictate what goes in under the hood. "The End of Life Vehicles Directive came washing over us in 2003," Taubitz said, "and we had an immediate multibillion dollar problem." Taubitz was frank in describing how dramatically the landscape had shifted underneath the mighty foundation once laid by the U.S. car industry. In the 1990s, he explained, GM prided itself on developing a globally harmonized production structure.

Safe Trip to Eden: Ten Steps to Save Planet Earth from the Global Warming Meltdown David Steinman See book keywords and concepts

Ford, like general motors, couldn't deny it was in trouble; major workforce reductions would be announced a few months later, and after that William Clay Ford would step down as CEO of the company while announcing even more plant closings and accelerated retirements.

On August 25, 2005, USA Today reported: "The debts of general motors and Ford Motor were lowered to junk status by Moody's Investors Service."2 Conversely, not going green soon enough could already have been the death knell tolling. It might already be too late for GM. It was GM that rejected the hybrid concept and lagged years behind Toyota by the time its first consumer version came out in 2006. But it wasn't too late for Ford—or the well-paid blue collar working men and women in Claycomo, Missouri, where Ford was building its future.

Meanwhile, General Motors' fleetwide fuel economy—the truest gauge of an automaker's impact on the climate—is the same as it was ten years ago. . . . America's leading corporations aren't kids learning how to play ball. They should be treated like marquee players, whom much is expected of and on whom the spotlight always shines." Can an entire nation go green? In 1989, Dr. Karl-Henrik Robert of Sweden founded The Natural Step organization to address the systemic causes of environmental problems, according to the program's Web site.

page 1 of 4 | Next ->

FAIR USE NOTICE: The research quoted here is provided under the protection of Fair Use provisions and published by the 501(c)3 non-profit Consumer Wellness Center for the purposes of public comment and education. Authors / publishers may submit books for consideration of inclusion here.

TERMS OF USE: Read full terms of use. Citations of text from NaturalPedia must include: 1) Full credit to the original author and book title. 2) Secondary credit to the Natural News Naturalpedia as a research resource and a link to www.NaturalNews.com/np/index.html

This unique compilation of research is copyright (c) 2008 by the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center.

ABOUT THE CREATOR OF NATURALPEDIA: Mike Adams, the creator of this NaturalNews Naturalpedia, is the editor of NaturalNews.com, the internet's top natural health news site, creator of the Honest Food Guide (www.HonestFoodGuide.org), a free downloadable consumer food guide based on natural health principles, author of Grocery Warning, The 7 Laws of Nutrition, Natural Health Solutions, and many other books available at www.TruthPublishing.com, creator of the earth-friendly EcoLEDs company (www.EcoLEDs.com) that manufactures energy-efficient LED lighting products, founder of Arial Software (www.ArialSoftware.com), a permission e-mail technology company, creator of the CounterThink Cartoon series (www.NaturalNews.com/index-cartoons.html) and author of over 1,500 articles, interviews, special reports and reference guides available at www.NaturalNews.com. Adams' personal philosophy and health statistics are available at www.HealthRanger.org.