The U.S. government does not allow most corporations to use their own stock to finance health care plans for their employees. Then again, after being bailed out by that same government, General Motors is no longer “most corporations.” (more)

According to the telephone survey, fully 54% of those queried are against the measure, while 35% are in favor and 12% aren't sure how they feel about it. That's up from a similar survey done last month, in which just 34% were against consumer vouchers for trading in older, less efficient cars and trucks. In fairness, Rasmussen Reports indicates that the change could have been influenced by a change in the wording of the respective surveys (the initial survey did not indicate how much the program might co... (more)

Remember last fall when the CEOs of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler flew on corporate jets to Washington, D.C., to plead for a taxpayer bailout? The resulting bad publicity prompted GM to try to prevent the public from tracking its planes in databases compiled by the Federal Aviation Administration. (more)

On Monday, after President Obama unveiled his plan to nationalize General Motors, G.M. Vice Chairman Robert Lutz exulted, "Their No. 1 goal is to make us successful." But Obama seems to have three No. 1 goals: turning a profit, building cleaner cars, and creating American jobs. These priorities clash with each other, with the president's professed desire to "get out quickly," and wit... (more)

It is not every 31-year-old who, in a first government job, finds himself dismantling General Motors and rewriting the rules of American capitalism. Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image Stephen Crowley/The New York Times Brian Deese, who interrupted his law school career, is the little-seen force behind the revamping of the American auto industry. Multimedia Interactive Feature G.M.’s Road From Prosperity to Crisis Related G.M. to Seek Bankruptcy and a New Start (June 1, 2009) T... (more)

After a century in business, General Motors will cease to exist as a private company in this - its 101st year. Technically, it should have died last year, but the infusion of $13.4 billion in taxpayer money last October - and another $6 billion since - has kept it afloat. Sort of. Now, with the government in complete control of its destiny, GM is set to enter a White House-engineered bankruptcy that has even ex-Great Society types ... (more)

Cheney said he disagreed with President Bush's decision to provide a short term loan to General Motors, which the former Vice President said was intended to keep GM solvent until then-President-elect Obama could take the reins. (more)

May 13 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp.’s likely bankruptcy filing is being cast in some quarters as a fight between “money people” intent on making a killing and honest efforts by the government to save a company and jobs. In reality, GM’s demise comes down to a fight between retirees. (more)

After striking a deal to acquire a major stake in Chrysler, Italy’s Fiat now wants to gobble up GM’s European operation under terms that include government subsidies. And in Chrysler’s case, a quick bankruptcy would relieve Fiat of a few troubling obligations. If Fiat is successful in both these bold ventures, its auto production could increase from 2.2-million vehicles to 5.5-million per year, making it an automaker of impressive scale. But would this dramatic growth be a win for Fiat? There’s plenty of... (more)

DETROIT — The Treasury Department is directing General Motors to lay the groundwork for a bankruptcy filing by a June 1 deadline, despite G.M.’s public contention that it could still reorganize outside court, people with knowledge of the plans said during the weekend. The goal is to prepare for a fast “surgical” bankruptcy, the people who had been briefed on the plans said. G.M., which has been granted $13.4 billion in federal aid, insists that a quick restructuring is necessary so its image and sales... (more)