From Chapter Twenty:

The Future of the U.S. Auto Industry
. . . A DeLorean with a Flux Capacitor

  “The past is of no importance.
The present is of no importance.
It is with the future that we have to deal.
For the past is what man should not have been.
The present is what man ought not to be.
The future is what artists are.”
 
—Oscar Wilde
Poet & Thespian (1854–1900)
 
"...Talented CEOs don’t want to work for the government-owned automakers. Regulations now govern all compensation plans and there is little financial reward in being among the next round of highly publicized terminations.  The adverse personalized media coverage and personal attacks levied by dissenting government overseers—attempting to dictate corporate policy and rustle votes—is a no-win proposition. Political appointees having little experience or talent, but falling under cover of the governing party now run the companies.
 
"Manipulation of the federal domestic tax code and new agency regulations give GM and Chrysler an economic advantage. Passage of Card Check legislation (billed as “the Employee Freedom of Choice Act”) further harasses car companies in competition with the government. Senator Al Franken’s confirmation empowered the filibuster-proof 2009–2010 Senate majority into passing the bill with little debate.
 
"Unionization of virtually all auto manufacturers, vendors, suppliers, and dealerships began prior to the 2010 mid-term elections. Businesses are distracted by massive waves of union collective bargaining and mandatory government intervention into pay plans, benefits, and work conditions. The NLRB has gone on a hiring spree throughout the nation in order to keep up with the new demands of government-written employer agreements. Most of the new hires emanate from unions, community organizations, and other politically connected entities. Few, if any, have ever operated a business, but are happy getting paid to tell others how to run theirs ..."