See the USA in your Toyota Camry?

I admit it. I have a Ford Focus and I am suffering from car shame. Why do I have a Ford? Is it because I wanted to support America? Nah. I really can't say that it is. It is more because about two years ago, I was desperate and needed a car, and Ford was desperate and needed a sale, and I figured, why not put those two things together. If money were no object, I would have gotten a hybrid. Interestingly though, it is not my first Ford. Also, the Ford Focus has proven itself to be a good car for me. It handles well and gets good gas mileage. But, despite those positives, I have had American car shame for years now. I am 45 years old and have heard negative things about American car manufacturers my entire adult life. You know, things like Ford stands for "fix or repair daily." Even now, telling someone in my age bracket or younger that I have a Ford Focus, I get one of those head tilt reactions. You know, like when you tell someone some sort of bad news and they feel sorry for you. The statement, "I have a Ford Focus" inevitably leads to a "oh, they're nice" with the accompanying head tilt.

Why is my car shame on my mind now? Mainly because CEOs from GM, Ford, and Chrysler are testifying this week before a House Financial Services Committee basically begging for their lives. They are asking for a "bridge loan" to give them a large infusion of cash to prevent layoffs and bankruptcy. Part of me wonders, how does this happen? Look at this old Chevy commercial from the 1950s (see below). Would Dinah Shore ever picture this kind of financial scenario?

Who is to blame about the car companies troubles is as big of a debate as is whether or not to bail them out. There are those who say that the American car manufacturers are at fault because of their not being innovative and producing the more fuel-efficient (or non-fuel using) cars that people are looking for. There are others who say that the car companies are just a victim of this terrible economy, and that basically, any and all companies are at risk.

How this will end is anyone's guess. The only thing that is for sure is that these economic troubles are severe and not going away quickly. I think that Tom Friedman said it best on Sunday's edition of Meet the Press when he compared our financial strife to the scene in Jaws, when Roy Scheider gets his first glimpse of the shark and says to the captain, "we're gonna need a bigger boat." Mr Friedman feels that America, and perhaps the world, is "going to need a bigger boat." Hey - don't some of those old Chevys have fins?