GM Bankruptcy

So GM might be claiming bankruptcy even after taxpayers donated billions to bailing them out. Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't bankruptcy happen to people who either mismanage their money or aren't selling a product that people want to buy? Does it make sense to keep beating this dead horse and prop it up as though it's healthy?

It sounds as though the same people will be running the bankrupt GM and the workforce will still be earning unbelievably high wages to produce a product that is priced too high for most of us to purchase. And, worse than that, they'll receive more taxpayer dollars to continue this fantasy. Someone needs to wake up.

I'm a bargain shopper who hates to spend more for something when I know I can get it elsewhere for less. Living close to the border and spending my winters in Florida gives me the opportunity to compare prices in both Canada and the U.S. and, sorry, it costs way too much to shop in Canada. A young man in a very expensive Honda sportscar stopped at my yardsale (go figure!) and gave me another point of view. He said he bought his car directly from Japan and had it shipped to Vancouver where he picked it up. All of this cost him half what he would have paid at a dealership here in Canada.

We know we're being gouged at every turn in our own country and the world is so well travelled these days that we're finding we can buy elsewhere for less than at home. "Buy Canadian" propaganda doesn't work on me because I understand that our goods are way over priced in order to keep greedy manufacturers and distributors high on the hog. I don't remember if I mentioned this in another blog but I bought a t-shirt at Walmart in the States for $7 (regular price) and found the identical one here at Sears with a different label and it was priced at $28. This is unforgivable.

I'm going to be shopping for another car next year and it scares me to death. There's no way I can afford a new car and I know a used car is still going to cost me a lot. My second choice of car is a Buick but I know it won't reach it's tenth year without major problems. My first choice is a Honda (foreign made) but I'll have to buy an older model in order to afford it. The sad truth is that buying a 3 year old Honda for the same price I'd pay for a 1 year old Buick will give me better value for my money.

It would cost much less if I bought either one of these cars in the States but I'm a little afraid of dealing with warranties, duty, and licencing if I do. I'm sure it can be done but I don't want problems so I'll bite the bullet and buy here in Canada...but it might well be a foreign car.