Michael Moore's Plan
A couple of years ago, I attended a "green living" show in Toronto. One of the exhibitors was General Motors, who were showing off a prototype for a hydrogen-powered SUV. I assume that it actually functioned. I'm pretty sure that it wasn't running at the time since there wasn't oxygen and water coming out of the tailpipe.

I took the opportunity to challenge the GM representative for the company's refusal to build more energy-efficient vehicles at a time in history when oil was about to go into decline. At the time, thousands of people were still driving off car lots with shiny new Escalades and Navigators. He replied that it wasn't General Motors job to tell consumers what to buy. Basically, they just made the vehicles available and let the market decide.

Do I feel sorry for GM today? Uh, no.

Yesterday, Michael Moore published a letter on his website that made a lot of sense. He proposed that if American automakers receive a government bailout, they should be forced to manufacture better products, and those products should be less dependent on oil.

"Transporting Americans is and should be one of the most important functions our government must address. And because we are facing a massive economic, energy and environmental crisis, the new president and Congress must do what Franklin Roosevelt did when he was faced with a crisis (and ordered the auto industry to stop building cars and instead build tanks and planes): The Big 3 are, from this point forward, to build only cars that are not primarily dependent on oil and, more importantly to build trains, buses, subways and light rail (a corresponding public works project across the country will build the rail lines and tracks). This will not only save jobs, but create millions of new ones."

I would go several steps further.

First of all, no more six-passenger, my-dick-is-bigger-than-yours behemoths. They've already built more than we will ever need. Even if the price of a barrel of oil IS less than 40 bucks. It won't stay in that range for long. Let's save some for the grand-kids to use someday.

If automakers are to receive financial aid, companies like GM need to be responsible for building an end-to-end transportation system, from the ground up. That means that if they develop an electric-powered vehicle, they need to also create partnerships with companies to build wind turbines and solar installations to power those vehicles. They also need to create programs to recycle their vehicles like Smart and Volkswagen have. No more off-loading the responsibility on someone else.

They should be required to develop rail and urban transit, with government leadership. Hell, why not? The government is going to own them before it's over, they should have some say in how things are done. Remember how GM bought up transit systems in the US decades ago, and then destroyed them? It's payback time.

I know, it's not likely that any of this will happen. Honestly, in the long run I think it would be better to let a couple of automakers bite the dust. The strongest will survive.

I just hope they don't come back with another Navigator.

Barry