[Mr. Wyndham]

Here's what I sent...

EDIT: Wouldn't it be neat if GM took note of it's Camaro community's efforts on their behalf?

Mr. President,

I want to show my support for the American Automotive Industry (hereafter the “Big 3”), and tell you that I want the treasury to approve the $34 billion in loans and credit lines to the automakers; or at the very least, approve the $14 billion dollars in loans. They play a tremendous role in our country’s economy. In addition to supporting nearly 5 million former and current employees in this country, they are the driving force behind the majority of our technological innovation; as one of the number one buyers of computer chips, and investing tens of billions of dollars into other forms of research and development. This R + D eventually does find its way down into our mainstream society, and if our country is to compete in this new global economy, we need to have a “home team” capable of innovating the way Americans can. The Big 3 make up that home team.

There is much talk about reducing our dependence on foreign oil, reducing our vehicles’ emissions, and increasing miles per gallon. Such goals would require a monumental undertaking the likes of which have not been seen since the Manhattan Project on the mid-1900s. The Big 3 have already started! For instance, many site Japan’s Toyota Prius hybrid sedan as the route our vehicles should take. I say that is not enough. As great as this vehicle is, General Motors did it first and they did it better. The EV1 was the first electric vehicle on the country’s roads, and it was not produced by an import company. Unfortunately, the associated costs and parts-availability coupled with low consumer interest at the time for this technological marvel rendered it dead. But GM’s doing it again with the Chevrolet Volt, and once again, they are doing it BETTER. It has the very real potential to never use a drop of gasoline so long as you live within 40 miles of your destination. And after that, it can provide anywhere from 50 to 100mpg…more than double what the Prius is capable of. Further, this vehicle employs cutting-edge Lithium Ion battery technology. The Toyota Prius still uses old-tech Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries because they are unable to figure out how to use newer batteries. GM can, and has. CEO Richard Wagoner drove a prototype Volt to Capitol Hill not too long ago. That was a real electric-drive car using the new Lithium batteries.

The Big three aren’t so short-sighted as to invest in ONE type of alternative propulsion, either. They’ve got significant experience in Hydrogen fuel cells, the biggest fleet in history of which was deployed by General Motors earlier this year – NOT an import company. They are investing in ethanol-fueled vehicles. In fact, they’ve partnered with two ethanol companies that do NOT produce ethanol from corn or some other fuel. And they are advancing their current propulsion systems through the use of smart engine technologies like direct injection and turbo charging. This advancement allows the big 3 to say that they sell the most models that get 30 mpg or more than anybody on the market. Specifically, General Motors offers twice as many 30+mpg vehicles than Toyota and Honda combined.

There has been talk of change in the corporate structure of these three companies. I would agree that some changes need to be made, but let’s not forget that the Big 3 HAVE been changing over the past years, and we’d all be stupid or blind to ignore it. For example, General Motors has reduced operating costs from 39.6 billion dollars in 2004 to 30.3 billion in 2008, and it will drop down to an estimated 23.3 billion dollars in 2012. They’ve also lowered their hourly manufacturing costs from $18.4 billion in 2003 to $8.1 billion in 2008.

Mr. President, for all the reasons above and more, I am emailing you to show my support for bridge loans to the automakers. They are not failed companies, and their products are far from undesirable. They were a principal factor in winning World War II, and they drive more innovation in this country than anybody thought possible. President Bush, with your last major directive in office, please instruct the Treasury to give the Big 3 the $34 billion in bridge loans and credit lines that they asked for, not this $14 billion joke of a bill that Congress miserably failed to pass.