916WI - They may not be as bad as the others, but they're hurting.
The auto industry sucks, period.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/busine...

Spark, you can't seriously place Toyota in the same position as GM or Chrysler......Toyota might be in the worst shape it's ever been in, but it's worst shape in comparable to the best shape GM has been in for the past couple of years. Toyota is an extremely stable, viable company and every investor rating service holds it in high regard.....absolutely NOTHING like GM or Chrysler......Yes, I love my Toyota cars:)

Also I will be buying Fords from now on, They have not cost me a dime.

I am so glad we bailed out Chrysler, Obama is such a smart man, how much was it we lent them?
all for not and we are left with the bill.
Thank you Obama voters well done.
GM will follow suit.

Legalize marijuana. It will save us 15 billion dollars a year. Then you can also tax it. It will make plenty of jobs. There is definitely a market for it. Go Green.

Regarding the flight of many skilled and unskilled manufacturing jobs out of Wisconsin and the United States. Blame can be shared by all for this current state of affairs. NAFTA signed into law by Clinton headed by Republican controlled Congress back in the 90's was a significant step in the wrong direction for American workers. The continuing push for lower cost goods by the likes of Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowes, Blains, etc and we the American consumer makes it almost impossible to produce these goods on our soil versus China, India, Mexico and even Canada. The Wall Street Greed for profits to satisfy the shareholders pushes CEO's towards foreign nations to produce the goods we want to buy. While at the same time these so called leaders of Industry take large bonus payments in return for cutting jobs and putting money to the bottom line. WTO (world trade organization) and our participation will keep the status quo. Frankly the horse is out of the barn and down the street and any hopes of turning the tide towards the days of old is next to impossible unless there is a real change in the American Consumer and Voter where accountability has to start. Especially now that we’re being hit from all sides and trying to make the devalued dollar stretch. Vote with your money and do not buy at these Big Box Retailers that put American manufacturers and smaller retailers out of business. Vote for change in the ballot box and require our representatives to fight for the old American dream of a stable good paying job. Regarding real jobs for Wisconsin this task needs to be first priority for Doyle and making Wisconsin a top 5 business friendly State will go a long way towards getting everyone jobs other than service sector employment. Waiting for the local companies to expand hiring will not fill the void of losing all that we have in the last 5 years.

Why blame government?
Private companies can have factories any place they want.
For one thing there were too many cars being built for the amount of buyers. Prices were high and there were/are a glut of cars on the lots. The companies also caved to the unions and are saddled with high benefits for workers and retirees.
They will still be in business. They are restructuring.
But, next year when you see the huge tax increases put upon us all, including corporate, don't be surprised if more business don't leave or fold up. After all, businesses aren't here to just make money for the gov. which has no other way to make money then tax the populace.

Now that this happened, I bet Chrysler will be the first to recover from the recession.

janesvillean - I understand the government had their hand in hurting the industry, but when you read most of the posts, the entire blame is on the government and that is simply wrong. Wages, supply and demand and the list go's on and on, came back to bite them hard. I think everyone is starting to see the light when ALL the automobile companies are having big problems now. Not just GM.

spark, you do realize that the auto industry, while a victim of its own mismanagement, is also a victim of a broader credit crisis that certainly could have been avoided by more opportune intervention by a certain do-nothing President? It isn't just the auto industry in trouble, you might see.

Will the bankruptcy negate the current UAW contract?

How about you all stop blaming any of the Presidents and wake up and place a majority of the blame on the actual automobile companies themselves. There's a revelation. Or do you want to blame an American President for Toyota announcing it's in the worst shape it seen in 60 years? It amazes me how many people are in denial and defending how piss poorly managed and how badly wasted money was spent in the automobile industry.

I like how y'all start blaming Clinton for this mess. Wow, out of office for over 8 years and presided over the largest peace time prosperity in our nation's history, leaving us with huge projected budget surpluses...hmm..sounds evil to me.

To set the record straight, NAFTA was initiated in the U.S. by G.H.W. Bush, and signed into law by Clinton, during a Republican controlled Congress.

But really, NAFTA doesn't have much to do with our current problems. If anything, the cheap labor in Mexico allowed the U.S. companies to compete with the transplants, though now those companies have plants in Mexico too.

This recession has nothing to do with NAFTA. If US automakers collapse, plants in Mexico and Canada will close.
.
And by the way, the first part of NAFTA was the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement, signed by Ronald Wilson Reagan.

Clinton started NAFTA but Bush did NOTHING to help American jobs at all... for his 8 years he did nothing for American jobs.. but ship the out of the USA

Clinton started NAFTA not Bush. Maybe Bush wasn't Abraham Lincoln, but don't blame him for things that he didn't do. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!

The auto industry had a lot to do with putting themselves into their own mess. It was just a matter of time. Toyota is now in trouble and you can't blame that on us. I still recall everyone blaming the Janesville plant closing because of the gas prices. This is proof that it was much more than that. Clinton was also for shipping jobs.

Yeah, It's gonna get worse before it gets better I think.What a mess Bush put us all in including himself.

GM's next in line - should of been the first

Good thing I own GM stock...