Other local antitax groups, however, decided to stay away from the auto show, citing loyalty to the homegrown auto industry.
“This is a huge event for Detroit and a lot of businesses depend on the revenues form this event,” said Joan Fabiano, a General Motors retiree and leader of Grassroots in Michigan, a Lansing-based Tea Party organization. “I’m adamantly opposed to the government takeover of a private industry, but at the same time, this particular action is ill-conceived and only hurts fellow Michiganders.”
Ah. So you want to have your cake and eat it too. Good to know. Just as long as you recognize that Michigan will benefit greatly from this "government takeover". Might want to put this little fact in your teabag and steep it too...
“The government’s investment is well placed and I think they will make a lot of money,” Whitacre told reporters on the sidelines of the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. “It won’t be too long,” he added.
Whitacre has said GM will pay back $6.7 billion in U.S. government loans by the end of June.
Last week, Whitacre said he hoped GM will be profitable in 2010, a year ahead of previous predictions for the company that rushed through bankruptcy reorganization last year.
And here is another one - GM is ramping up production and hinting at reopening shuttered factories to meet demand.
Mark Reuss told reporters at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit that plants building the Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain and Cadillac SRX crossover vehicles and the Buick LaCrosse sedan are at capacity and can't satisfy demand.
Reuss mentioned an idled factory in Spring Hill, Tennessee, but stopped short of saying any plants would be reopened.
He said if he does his job right and restores faith in the GM brands, the company could hire workers again. In the short term, he said the company will try to raise output at existing plants.
Just think, if the teabaggers (and certain US Senators) would have had their way, none of this would be happening. Something to keep in mind as we go through this year and watch Republican politicians embrace Tea Party support.