General Motors

Before we get to the subject of GM, let’s start with a pop quiz. Who owns Chrysler? If you are like most Americans, you know it is a foreign company. You may even know that it is an Italian Company. If you are really in the know, you would have said FIAT. And like most Americans, you would have been about 20% correct. FIAT only owns about 20% of Chrysler. The UAW owns most of it. The US and Canadian governments combined own about half as much as FIAT owns.

Isn’t it amazing how the news media and the US government have used the truth to deceive us? It is true that FIAT owns part of Chrysler. However, the way it was presented has led us to believe they bought the whole thing.

I am not a big fan of Oliver Stone. I am very skeptical of conspiracy theories. As I watch the news regarding GM, however, I am beginning to see a pattern of deceit which has led me to my own conspiracy theory. Unlike Oliver Stone’s theories, mine will be proven right or wrong in the next 6 months.

Originally, I thought the government’s ownership in GM was the first step to government control of all business through the purchase of or outright take-over of US businesses. I now see something more sinister. The government is going to use GM to cement the current batch of elected official’s stranglehold on their offices. They will do this by controlling how we perceive reality.

The reports have been coming out steadily on how various GM divisions have seen increasing sales. The government and news media conclude this means the recession is over. The problem with this is that GM closed Pontiac, Saturn, and Hummer. If a potential car buyer was going to by a now defunct GM product, it would follow that they would most probably buy another GM product, thus driving up the other division’s sales. Additionally, the owner of GM, the US government, announced that cars produced by one of GM’s competitors were unsafe and should not be driven. How’s that for conflict of interest?

I am not saying that there have not been increases in sales. I am simply saying that they are manipulating the numbers so that it looks better than it actually is.

Now, GM’s CEO, Ed Whitacre, is making commercials touting how GM has paid back their loans to the government. They have paid them back early and with interest. The problem is that GM paid back the loans using the money the government gave them when the government purchased 60% of GM.

What could possibly be the incentive to make reality sound better than it actually is? Here is where I move from fact to conjecture.

The government intends to divest itself of GM through an IPO (initial public offering). In other words, they are going to offer shares of stock in GM to the public for purchase. The government has been criticized from all sides on the purchase of GM. “The government has no business running a business.” “The government paid more for 60% of GM than what 100% of GM is worth.” How are they going to make the IPO attractive to investors? They are going to manipulate the numbers so that things look better than they are. Sales are up. Loans are being repaid. GM is a sound investment. Step right up and buy your stock in a success.

The government unloads GM to investors. They go to the voters and say, “See, we knew what we were doing. We got all your money back and saved GM. Re-elect us so we can do more of the same for you.”

If they time it right, it will be after they are re-elected when the investors and the voters realize they traded their cows for a bags of magic beans. Unlike Jack, they will get something less desirable from their goose than a golden egg.

As I said, the next six months will prove me right or wrong. However, we need to get the word out in order to stop this from happening. You need to talk about this with your friends and family. The 2010 election has to be played out on a level playing field, not some government and news media contrived field. Americans deserve a fair and honest election. If we allow Washington to buy our votes with funny numbers of perceived prosperity, we may be on the verge of losing America.