Ford in the USA?

The government, local officials, and every single politician from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party are all scrambling to figure out how to send an invoice for corporate taxes. Meanwhile, opportunities like this just sail right past us...

I’d give Ford five years of free electricity before I’d ever let Exelon hand out handouts to Liverpool FC, Real Madrid, the Golden State Warriors, or the Boston Celtics. Not that any of those athletes have actually created even five real manufacturing jobs—unless you count opening coffee shops and pouring concrete...

Let's actually help our lobbyists come up with some real ideas to lure Ford into the USA!

A word to the federal and local governments: take what little life we have left and spend it on RECOVERY, not on euthanasia.!!!!!!

That bit about the guys across the border is pretty interesting... makes you wonder if what they're saying about Fiat is actually true.

Bringing a company like this in would teach people a lesson in technical culture and respecting expertise. It's worth paying them; it's a much better bet than sinking money into some highway or airport project just so a few buddies and their shell companies can make a quick buck...

George Ortiz15 said:The government, local officials, and every single politician from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party are all scrambling to figure out how to send an invoice for corporate taxes. Meanwhile, opportunities like this just sail right past us...

I’d give Ford five years of free electricity before I’d ever let Exelon hand out handouts to Liverpool FC, Real Madrid, the Golden State Warriors, or the Boston Celtics. Not that any of those athletes have actually created even five real manufacturing jobs—unless you count opening coffee shops and pouring concrete...

Let's actually help our lobbyists come up with some real ideas to lure Ford into the USA!

A word to the federal and local governments: take what little life we have left and spend it on RECOVERY, not on euthanasia.!!!!!!

That bit about the guys across the border is pretty interesting... makes you wonder if what they're saying about Fiat is actually true.

Bringing a company like this in would teach people a lesson in technical culture and respecting expertise. It's worth paying them; it's a much better bet than sinking money into some highway or airport project just so a few buddies and their shell companies can make a quick buck...

First off, we should probably hire someone actually competent to put together a proposal and figure out if we even stand a chance. We need someone who understands the auto industry and knows exactly what Ford is looking for. That person is probably sitting in Germany right now, but it wouldn't hurt to reach out to DuPont or other parts manufacturers.

If the proposal ends up being drafted by some government agency or "experts" from various departments, then honestly, don't even bother wasting your time.

Gary Kelly87 said:First off, we should probably hire someone actually competent to put together a proposal and figure out if we even stand a chance. We need someone who understands the auto industry and knows exactly what Ford is looking for. That person is probably sitting in Germany right now, but it wouldn't hurt to reach out to DuPont or other parts manufacturers.

If the proposal ends up being drafted by some government agency or "experts" from various departments, then honestly, don't even bother wasting your time.

I’d give them everything they ask for, but on one condition: every American machine shop specializing in custom engineering gets the orders for the specific components Ford needs. I'd also bring in all the local PLC and CNC programmers for the commissioning phase. That way, you concentrate all that specialized knowledge in one spot, making it easier and faster to train future operators on modern tech. It would save the Germans a fortune on training costs, too...

Along with DuPont, we should pull in companies like SAS, HSTEC, ITAS, LTH, Prvomajska, and any other outfit still standing in this industry...

Personally, I’d hand them thousands of acres in the outskirts of a Midwestern town and simultaneously start building a power plant on some old clay site near a small town, then hand the job back to the Germans as a thank-you for investing here. Meanwhile, I'd tell all the laypeople that it's best to let the Germans run the plants because they actually follow the standards!

Then you get electricity and jobs, and maybe we could actually find a way to make those subsidies useful instead of just dumping money into concrete...

You still have plenty of discussion left to go on this topic!

Man, seriously? Instead of just handing them our land on a silver platter, giving them cheap power for years, and practically bowing down to them just because they want to move in, we’re kicking Ford out of America right in the middle of a crisis?!

And what the hell is the government even doing?!

Why is nobody saying anything about this thread?

Honestly, we should be jumping at this chance and bringing that massive global campaign right here to America. Where is the government when they’re actually needed? Instead of doing their jobs, they’re just caught up in endless political games. They really ought to be putting together a rock-solid offer and practically begging them to set up shop here.

Taylor Vaughn8 said:Why is nobody saying anything about this thread?

Honestly, we should be jumping at this chance and bringing that massive global campaign right here to America. Where is the government when they’re actually needed? Instead of doing their jobs, they’re just caught up in endless political games. They really ought to be putting together a rock-solid offer and practically begging them to set up shop here.

Nobody seems to give a damn about industry or manufacturing.

I’m honestly wondering how many people around here would actually show up to work at a factory like that if they offered the kind of salaries you see over at General Motors in Mexico?

Amanda Diaz said:I’m honestly wondering how many people around here would actually show up to work at a factory like that if they offered the kind of salaries you see over at General Motors in Mexico?

That's why we aren't seeing anyone leaving America anytime soon—not until every single country in the European Union flings their doors wide open. It's not that Americans don't want to work; they just want a slice of that sweet government job pie.

Taylor Vaughn8 said:Why is nobody saying anything about this thread?

Honestly, we should be jumping at this chance and bringing that massive global campaign right here to America. Where is the government when they’re actually needed? Instead of doing their jobs, they’re just caught up in endless political games. They really ought to be putting together a rock-solid offer and practically begging them to set up shop here.

What is there even to discuss?
The only way we're getting them here is if we hold a gun to their CEOs' heads.

Prayers only work when you're opening a church—not a factory.

Richard Wilson4 said:That's why we aren't seeing anyone leaving America anytime soon—not until every single country in the European Union flings their doors wide open. It's not that Americans don't want to work; they just want a slice of that sweet government job pie.

Look, I think there are plenty of people willing to put in the work. But let’s be real—if I were in that position, would I actually choose to grind in a factory for an annual salary that I could easily beat by waiting tables during peak season and doing some farming off-season? No.

It is nearly impossible to find a skilled, high-quality worker here who is willing to settle for $350 or $400 a month.

The heavy hitters here are definitely Slovakia and Canada because they’ve already got all the groundwork laid out. In Slovakia, you’ve already got massive plants for Ford, Kia, Peugeot, and Citroen running full tilt, and over in Canada, they’re busy churning out Mercedes-Benz models.

Amanda Diaz said:Look, I think there are plenty of people willing to put in the work. But let’s be real—if I were in that position, would I actually choose to grind in a factory for an annual salary that I could easily beat by waiting tables during peak season and doing some farming off-season? No.

It is nearly impossible to find a skilled, high-quality worker here who is willing to settle for $350 or $400 a month.

Ford isn't exactly General Motors, but hey, $1000 it's a decent paycheck considering how bad unemployment is. The real issue is that most folks would rather just sit around on government handouts.

Richard Wilson4 said:Ford isn't exactly General Motors, but hey, $1000 it's a decent paycheck considering how bad unemployment is. The real issue is that most folks would rather just sit around on government handouts.

If you turn down a job, they cut your benefits immediately. You lose everything—all your rights and perks. They’ll just hand your spot over to someone else who actually wants to work.

Richard Wilson4 said:Ford isn't exactly General Motors, but hey, $1000 it's a decent paycheck considering how bad unemployment is. The real issue is that most folks would rather just sit around on government handouts.

Sure, it’s a great salary if you're a cashier at Walmart. But for a skilled worker who actually knows how to do something—someone willing to keep learning and has the brains to actually pick up new skills—that pay is insulting.

I’m hiring at least 20 more people at my company tomorrow. I'm looking for qualified workers for standard 8-hour shifts, and I'll be offering $667. How many people do you honestly think are going to show up?

Richard Wilson4 said:Ford isn't exactly General Motors, but hey, $1000 it's a decent paycheck considering how bad unemployment is. The real issue is that most folks would rather just sit around on government handouts.

That's nonsense. $3,000 isn't a good wage for a skilled worker.
Why? Because it doesn't even cover basic survival.
I don't care how much neoliberal propaganda you've swallowed. ☕

Amanda Diaz said:Sure, it’s a great salary if you're a cashier at Walmart. But for a skilled worker who actually knows how to do something—someone willing to keep learning and has the brains to actually pick up new skills—that pay is insulting.

I’m hiring at least 20 more people at my company tomorrow. I'm looking for qualified workers for standard 8-hour shifts, and I'll be offering $667. How many people do you honestly think are going to show up?

Maybe they will, if you aren't just trying to spite them by sending them back to their hometowns. 😁

All that hype and nothing to show for it... just a whole lot of nothing.

I can't help but wonder if anyone else remembers back in '87 during the Universiade in Washington, D.C. The official vehicle sponsor was Mitsubishi, and those Japanese executives arrived with actual intentions of setting up an assembly plant somewhere in America. Instead, they spent weeks being dragged from one fancy dinner to the next, being shuffled through endless meetings and social obligations, until they finally realized we weren't serious about any of it and just walked away.
From 1987 to this very moment, we haven't changed one bit. Actually, if anything, we've gotten worse...

Where on earth is this idea coming from—that a worker's salary will be around $1000 a month? All Ford knows right now is that they’re building a new plant outside of Germany. They haven't even decided which models will roll off the line yet, but apparently, everyone here already has the exact pay scales and required qualifications figured out.

There is really no need for alarm... even if Ford decided to break ground on a massive manufacturing plant right here in the States, someone would find a way to sabotage the whole endeavor before the foundation was even poured. You can practically see it now: local sheriffs would be looking for their "incentives" to look the other way, and within days, a swarm of radical environmental groups would be out there protesting anything that moves. So, rest easy—there is absolutely no threat of Ford moving in, which means there is zero risk of any American workers having to actually answer to some wealthy German capitalist. Instead, everyone can continue to lounge comfortably on unemployment benefits, living off the hard work of the rest of the taxpayers. Sleep soundly, ☕

Thomas Davis4 said:Where on earth is this idea coming from—that a worker's salary will be around $1000 a month? All Ford knows right now is that they’re building a new plant outside of Germany. They haven't even decided which models will roll off the line yet, but apparently, everyone here already has the exact pay scales and required qualifications figured out.

Honestly, just pure nonsense.