The New York Times asked a number of economists to respond to the question, “do we need a domestic auto industry? Many American manufacturing industries, like textiles and electronics, long ago moved to other producing countries. Why is the auto industry different?”

I know this is a few weeks old, but it took me awhile to get through it all.
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Chrysler will soon be closing almost 800 of its dealerships.
Those on the chopping block represent almost 25 percent of the company’s dealers, the Detroit Free Press reports. “Some of the 789 dealerships slated to close have survived world wars, recessions and Chrysler’s 1981 federal loan guarantee. Many are family owned.”

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This is an interesting article from The New York Times about Vauban, Germany- an experimental suburb with few cars.
It is home to 5,500 residents, according to the Times, all living within a rectangular square mile. The community “may be the most advanced experiment in low-car suburban life,” according to the story.
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An economic slump.
Detroit and the auto industry in crisis.
The country taking a hard look at its dependence on foreign oil.
No, I’m not talking about the current crisis we’re engulfed in. Author David Halberstam described this very situation in his 1986 work The Reckoning.
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A sad story about Toledo in Sunday’s Washington Post.
The article describes how the downturn in the economy is hitting white-collar workers- hard. (I should know, I’m one of them!)
“In this corner of Ohio, the workforce is contracting at an alarming speed, with unemployment climbing to rates more typical of counties in Appalachia,” the article states. “In March, unemployment in Toledo reached 12.6 percent, an increase of more than 50 percent over March 2008.”
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Today’s New York Times has a story on how the auto-industry downturn and layoffs have even impacted some of Detroit’s wealthiest suburbs.
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Could this bill help the auto industry?
It proposes to allow people to trade in their larger, gas-guzzling cars for vouchers for as much as $4,500 with the idea being they have to buy a new, more fuel-efficient vehicle, The Wall Street Journal reports. It is part of a broader climate-change bill.
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My friend Claudia, who is originally from England, wanted to take a trip to Detroit. On Saturday, I volunteered to be her “guide.”
Our first stop was the city’s famed Eastern Market. We took a guided walking tour of the neighborhood with Preservation Wayne, a group that offers a number of tours of the city.
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CNN is reporting that manufacturing orders have stabilized and the industry will likely undergo an uptick.
Tempe-based Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing index is beginning to climb after a 15-month slump.
“This is definitely a good start for the second quarter,” said the institute’s Norbert Ore.
The same cannot be said for automakers.
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By now you have heard: The White House is forcing Chrysler into Chapter 11. Hold onto your chairs, kids, it’s gonna be a wild ride.
Workers will continue to be paid and provided with benefits, Obama administration officials said. The White House is going to loan the embattled maker of the Town & Country another $7.5 billion.
The UAW is urging bankruptcy court to retain the union contracts, The Detroit news reports. The UAW actually stands to gain from all of this forced reorganization, oddly enough. In the restructuring plans proposed this …