Obama Asks CEO of GM To Resign

The Obama administration asked Rick Wagoner, the chairman and CEO of General Motors, to step down and he agreed, a White House official said.

On Monday, President Barack Obama is to unveil his plans for the auto industry, including a response to a request for additional funds by GM and Chrysler. The plan is based on recommendations from the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry, headed by the Treasury Department.

The White House confirmed Wagoner was leaving at the government's behest after The Associated Press reported his immediate departure, without giving a reason.

General Motors issued a vague statement Sunday night that did not officially confirm Wagoner's departure. - Politico

The government intruding on private enterprise. Real nice.

Advertising War

Glen Davis Injured In Car Accident

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtic forward Glen Davis was injured in an automobile accident on the Massachusetts Turnpike Sunday as he drove to the TD Banknorth Garden for the game against the New York Knicks.

Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said the accident happened at about 2:30 p.m. and Davis suffered a concussion and whiplash. The cause of the accident was not known, though it was snowing in the Boston area much of the day.

There isn't a lot more information known about this.

582,000 Canadian Jobs At Stake

A whopping 582,000 direct and indirect jobs would be lost in Canada over the next five years if the ailing Big Three US auto makers shut down their Ontario operations, said a study Tuesday.

If output is reduced by 50 percent, 296,000 jobs would be lost nationally, said the 11-page report prepared for the Ontario Manufacturing Council.

"The economic consequences of either a partial or total shutdown of the Detroit Three are stark," said the report.

"Either scenario is sufficient to push Ontario into a deep recession while the nation may barely escape one in the 50-percent reduction scenario." - Breitbart.com

In Canada, there is a $2.8 billion dollar bailout plan on the table for the Big Three.

Funny Pic of the Day (12/11)

Commuting To Work

After the California legislature managed to pass the strictest emissions standards--zero emissions--on automobiles in America, intrepid Californians have started to “Bike Pool” to work. “It’s a real challenge keeping your balance when the rest of traffic slows. I tend to fall over several times during a commute, breaking all my stuff or like losing my cell phone, but it’s worth it because we’re saving the environment and really sticking it to the Oil companies. Although, it does take me three hours to get to work now,” says newly minted bike commuter Mark Anderson. California highway patrol reports an increase in people pulled over due to exhaustion, flat tires, and heart attacks. But there is some good news according to California highway Patrolman Chris Meyer, “speeding is down, way down.” - Vulcan's Hammer

Credit to VH for producing an Onion-esque headline.

Population Control Propaganda

Click on the image to see the full-size version. This comes from Readers of the Nation, a left leaning magazine.

Hybrids Becoming A Focus For Toyota

Toyota announced Thursday that it will begin manufacturing its iconic Prius hybrid in the United States for the first time.

According to a Toyota press release, the Prius will be built at a plant under construction in Blue Springs, Miss. Production is scheduled to begin in late 2010.

According to the press release, the Mississippi plant was originally to build Highlander SUVs. Those will now be built at a Toyota plant in in Princeton, Ind. Currently, the Princeton plant now assembles Tundra pickups, whose production will be consolidated at another plant in San Antonio, Texas.

Additionally, the company will be shut down production of its Tundras and Sequoia SUVs for three months, so that it can sell off its backed-up inventory.

The moves are a response to a sudden shift this year in American car behavior. As gas prices have spiked, the driving public has been eschewing gas-guzzlers and embracing hybrids. - Christian Science Monitor

See...high gas prices are a good thing (if you are Toyota!)

National Speed Limit (wtf?) Proposed

An influential Republican senator suggested Thursday that Congress might want to consider reimposing a national speed limit to save gasoline and possibly ease fuel prices.

Sen. John Warner, R-Va., asked Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman to look into what speed limit would provide optimum gasoline efficiency given current technology. He said he wants to know if the administration might support efforts in Congress to require a lower speed limit.

Congress in 1974 set a national 55 mph speed limit because of energy shortages caused by the Arab oil embargo. The speed limit was repealed in 1995 when crude oil dipped to $17 a barrel and gasoline cost $1.10 a gallon.

As motorists headed on trips for this Fourth of July weekend, gasoline averaged $4.10 a gallon nationwide with oil hovering around $145 a barrel. - Fox News

Hmm, this isn't dumb...right?