Fox Business Happy Hour co-anchor Cody Willard called out Chrysler today during an afternoon broadcast. Willard held up a copy of the Wall Street Journal, which had a full page ad (rated at $200k) that stated, “Thank You, America”, (for that huge lump of cash we just conned you out of).
Willard kinda-sorta went off on the recently bailed-out automaker for spending so much money on the ad immediately after receiving part of a $23 billion (with a “b”) bailout. Willard notes that not only could Chrysler have accomplished the same goal with a (free) YouTube video (as one example), but they could also have placed the ad locally — injecting a teensy-amount into the strained Detroit economy.
Can these guys stop screwing up? Seriously! OK here’s the rule. Stop. Spending. Money. Multiply that by two since you’re now playing with Americans’ money — and then give us all free cars, please. You got money, so shouldn’t we get something in return! Oh right, that’s not how welfare works.
Furthermore, it’s insulting to “thank” America to begin with. First of all, nobody came to me asking if I thought it was a good idea. I’m sure you can say the same. So, thanking me after you’ve stolen from me isn’t exactly the right idea. Yes, I could have called/written Senator Clinton telling her I hated the idea, but I did not. Nonetheless, robbing Peter to pay Paul feels stupid.
And what if the bailout doesn’t work? Then what — we lose another $23 billion dollars? The automakers are supposed to view the cash as a loan, but you know who doesn’t see people getting excited about buying a Dodge Ram in the near future? This guy.
More: “Should the Big 3 Sell Cars for “Nothing” to Resolve Cash Needs?”