Monday, June 1, 2009

Welcome To Goverment Motors (GM); Obama Comments On $30 Billion Government Takeover and GM Bankruptcy (Video)

Fyi...



Town Hall reports:

President Barack Obama pushed a humbled General Motors Corp. into bankruptcy on Monday and said the federal government will act as "reluctant shareholder" when it assumes a 60 percent ownership of the smaller carmaker that emerges.

The president said he hopes GM _ once a proud symbol of American capitalism _ would emerge quickly from bankruptcy court, and pledged up to $30 billion in additional federal assistance to help it get on its feet.

The government's partial stake in GM comes on top of a far smaller ownership of Chrysler LLC, as well as significant federal equity in banks, the AIG insurance giant and two mortgage industry titans _ all victims of an economic crisis unrivaled since the Great Depression.

Republicans lobbed questions in Obama's direction even before he finished speaking.

"The only thing it makes clear is that the government is firmly in the business of running companies using taxpayer dollars," said House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio.

"Does anyone really believe that politicians and bureaucrats in Washington can successfully steer a multinational corporation to economic viability? It's time for the administration to fully explain what the exit strategy is to get the U.S. government out of the board room once and for all," Boehner said.

But the president said the actions were part of a "viable, achievable plan that will give this iconic company a chance to rise again."

Speaking at the White House, where he was flanked by Cabinet secretaries and top economic advisers, he added, "What I am not doing, what I have no interest in doing, is running GM."

The president said auto executives "will call the shots and make the decisions about turning this company around." He said the government would refrain from playing a management role in all but the most critical areas.

"Our goal is to help GM get back on its feet ... and get out quickly," he said of the federal government.

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