Bye, American

You might have heard the story about General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz. At a recent closed-door meeting with reporters, the 76-year-old, who's in charge of product development said he thinks global warming theory is "a total crock of sh*t" and that hybrid cars "make no economic sense."

As you might expect, the people who cover both the auto industry and the environment went nuts. Mr. Lutz eventually responded to the uproar with a post on GM's blog site (or at least a 26-year-old administrative assistant posted a response for him).

In the blog, Mr. Lutz called his remarks "an offhand comment." "But I think that the people making a big deal out of it are missing the real point," he wrote. "My beliefs are mine and I have a right to them, just as you have a right to yours."

I don't think anyone's questioning Mr. Lutz's right to have an opinion. I think, instead, when Mr. Lutz was kind enough to treat the world to his unvarnished thoughts, we all had an "Aha!" moment explaining why Toyota is overtaking GM as the world's largest automaker.

Hybrid vehicles "make no economic sense" to Mr. Lutz, who undoubtedly basks in a bloated bath of cash thanks to his salary ($8 million per year), bonus and perks, but the for rest of us poor schmucks, trying to pony up what will soon be four dollars per gallon at the pump, hybrid cars make a world of economic sense and again, explains why Toyota is eating Mr. Lutz's lunch.

"Instead of simply assailing me for expressing what I think, they should be looking at the big picture," Mr. Lutz wrote. "What they should be doing, in earnest, is forming opinions not about me but about GM, and what this company is doing that is - and will continue to be - hugely beneficial to the very causes they so enthusiastically claim to support."

Really? As fate would have it, I've driven three rental cars in the past week. One was a Hyundai Sonata, one a Dodge Avenger and one a Chevrolet Cobalt, from Mr. Lutz's beloved GM.

The Cobalt was - to paraphrase Bob Lutz - a total piece of sh*t. It was cramped, handled poorly; the interior was made of such cheap plastic that I was afraid I'd a) die from off-gas fumes or b) snap off the handle when I went to open the door. The icing on this cake of deficiency was the fact that the little monster sucked down gas like a fleet of overloaded semis. Yet another wonderful product from GM, polluting the atmosphere and making people poor and miserable while it careens toward an early grave in the junkyard. Thanks, Bob.

My favorite - by far - was the Hyundai. It was comfortable, roomy, responsive and got decent gas mileage. The Dodge fell somewhere in between.

Mr. Lutz wrote, "My opinions on the subject [of global warming] - like anyone's - are immaterial. Really."

Really? GM pays you eight million dollars a year and doesn't give a sh*t (I hate to keep using this word, but you brought it up, Bob) what you think?

And, really? Everyone's opinion on global warming is immaterial? Perhaps that's true. No one's opinion counts except that of the decider, George W. Bush and he's decided we need to keep pumping oil and mining coal.

Bob Lutz is a walking embodiment of what's wrong with America's industrial policy. He's got his head so far up his own ass that everything looks like a crock of sh*t to him. Someone find this bozo a gold watch and let's get on with trying to save ourselves from the internal combustion engine.

http://markfloegel.org/2008/03/06/bye-american/ 

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• 190 Natural Resources
• 193 Transportation
• 201 Executive Compensation
• 204 Manufacturing