[Mr. Wyndham]

fwiw; this is what I sent him...

Dear Senator Shelby,

I don't live in your state...but your voice still seems to reach my ears from halfway across the country. God bless the Internet, right?

I'm contacting you regarding the current Automaker issue. More specifically, I'm contacting you regarding your recent statements about a filibuster. CBS News has you quoted as saying, “We would like to save them, but they've got to save themselves, but I don't believe they're willing to save themselves because they could be restructured the right way and they're not willing to do that."

Now, normally, I would thank you for your service in the senate…because serving the people is an honorable job…however, I won’t. Because after considering the circumstances and realizing you would attempt to undo via filibuster what it has taken nearly a month to put together, I believe wholeheartedly you are a detriment to the congress.

Needless to say, I am appalled at the logic you’re weaving… I cannot believe you would ignore ALL the testimony of those companies’ CEOs. I cannot believe you would ignore ALL the details outlined in their plans for viability…plans that they are committed to.

I’ve read all 37 pages of General Motors’ submitted plan, sir…and I can tell you that as an outside observer, they are poised to take back the market that was once theirs. It seems to me as though you have NOT read it and the others. Because there are notable portions of the above “plan” that specifically addresses your statement above; they ARE willing to change themselves, Senator Shelby. And in fact if you open your eyes – you can see that they’ve BEEN changing for years now. Total hourly pay per hour is now 25 to 35 dollars at GM, and it’s 45 to 50 for the likes of Toyota. How is that not competitive? All three companies still hold approximately 52% market share and likely larger once the economy returns to growth, how is that failed business when it’s three companies against more than 6? On top of that, 3 of the 4 last Car/Truck of the year awards in the United States has gone to GM vehicles. Further, GM alone has more vehicles with over 30mpg than any other manufacturer. Fuel-efficient vehicles are what people “want”, so how is that a failed product portfolio?

Also, the $15 billion bridge-bridge loan is not NEW money…you are not saving the taxpayers ANYTHING by attempting to delay or ‘debate’ this. You have the very likely potential of causing more harm than good, because an auto Industry meltdown, which is within sight, will cost the country 100s of billions of dollars of irretrievable losses. The 15 billion, as I’m sure you well know, is coming from the pool of money originally destined for retooling plants to meet the new CAFÉ standards. Why resist this? It’s just reallocating the purpose of money already being sent to the automakers. Money that, I might add, is going to be useless if there are no automakers around to use it.

I want to ask you sir…to promise the people of the country you serve that your motives are not related in any way to having foreign manufacturer’s car plants in your state. I've learned in my research that you were in favor of hundreds of millions of incentives for foriegn automakers to build plants in your state. If that is the case, then you are undeniably part of the problem in this country: a growing population of sellouts, and narrow-minded individuals unable to see the big picture. If not, then I’m afraid you’re ignoring the most important parts of this issue. I say that because a man of your experience and standing would surely not look to filibuster this move of congress if he had all the facts at his disposal.


Finally, I want to repeat a piece of common rhetoric, but I hope it hits home this time: you do realize that if you succeed in influencing votes against this, you will be singularly responsible for putting more than 3 MILLION people out of a job, and dealing the final blow to the American economy? I’m not buying into fear-mongering, Senator – I’m well versed in this situation, and I’ve read many arguments for and against that possibility; it’s the God’s-Honest truth.