Bush blowing off U.S. automakers? Get real Detroit

Not long ago President Bush told U.S. automakers to make more relevant vehicles. Automakers answered, that they didn't have to, E85 would save America. Yet, the science behind E85 is not nearly as convincing as the E85 rhetoric coming out of Detroit. Some scientists claim it takes more energy to produce ethanol than ethanol provides and that ethanol is purely a huge pork-barrel distraction. Others claim that only cellulosic ethanol - which isn't yet reality - can provide any real help to America's oil addiction.

Still, even those that think ethanol can provide help are quick to note that if Detroit doesn't produce more fuel efficient vehicles, ethanol won't help much.

So when Bush blows off Detroit's request for a meeting to discuss what Washington can do to 'protect' American automakers, can you really blame him? According to the Detroit News besides asking for government help, the Big 3 want to use the meeting as a PR campaign - It's ethanol or bust.

"The automakers have been trying to meet with Bush to discuss soaring health-care costs, energy and trade issues. The Big Three have been waiting to follow the summit with an announcement about their commitment to producing more flexible fuel vehicles."

Give me a break!

How about a commitment to fuel efficiency? It's as if Detroit wants mandates on the oil industry, a massive government bailout, but they don't want to be forced to change. We can all drive Hummer-like gas-guzzlers filled with E85 and the world will be perfect - right!

While Detroit does have some legitimate legacy issues, many of those issues were self-created. More important, Detroit's failures cannot be completely pinned to legacy issues. When it takes 16 more labor hours for Detroit autoworkers to build a car versus Japan, as it did for DECADES, you have to realize there is a problem. Yet, Detroit did very little.

Over and over Detroit has stubbornly refused to change.

O.K., Detroit has reduced this labor gap to 8 hours, yet it still seems painfully obvious that Detroit needs to be more efficient if it wants to be competitive. Additionally, why did it take so long to even address this issue?

Perhaps if the Big 3 were announcing a huge transition to hybrid cars, or the development of some other fuel-efficient, real-world technology, Bush would be more inclined to meet with them.

However, if the best the Big 3 have to offer is E85, then it is obvious that even after 9/11, even after Katrina, even after $3.00 gas, Detroit still doesn't get it.

The world has changed and it's time for Detroit to do the same. If they can't do more to change, then they shouldn't expect taxpayers to do more to bail them out.