New Zealander Chris Liddell, (an old boy of my old school, Mount Albert Grammar) is GM’s CFO and CEO in waiting. He resigned his position as CFO at Microsoft to move to Detroit earlier this year. He is learning the ropes very quickly and already he has written checks for $billions repaying TARP money. Uncle Sam still is the majority shareholder and not that the media or Wall St want to say anything positive about Treasury’s investment in GM, Tim Geithner and his buddies are rubbing their hands in glee. Citicorp will return at least $7 billion profit once the government unloads all its stock, but this will be postage stamps compared to General Motors IPO!

When the auction of GM stock takes place later this year, 20% of my 401K plan will be reinvested in the new GM. Why? There are some American manufacturing companies that are at the top of their game. No-one will ever topple Microsoft in technology, Proctor and Gamble have weathered all sorts of storms but is still the global leader in its field, Du Pont has no peer in chemical products, the list could go on and on. For me, I never lost faith in GM because every day once the garage door opens my Pontiac G8 or GTO takes me to work or play. No mat gets stuck between my foot and the accelerator pedal! Sales of GM products around the world are starting to boom and once their new age electric hybrid cars hit the roads, all those greenies will be scrapping their ugly, worthless Prius Toyotas for the Chevy Volt! I like V8 power myself so old petrol heads like me will never change to a car powered by an Eveready battery. For me it’s all about 0-60 in less than five seconds being such an adrenalin rush. 0-60 in ten seconds is what I achieve driving my GTO in reverse!

Long live General Motors (and for me long live the 700 horse power V8 Corvette) the symbol of America at its very best for nearly 100 years, yes followed by a small hiccup but now proudly the brand that epitomizes true 21st century excellence. While Toyotas are being sold at fire sale prices GM have jacked theirs up. People will pay more for quality, even in tough times!

Of course we are led to believe Geithner is really a very smart bloke who knows what is going on, but something as simple s correctly completing his tax return was beyond his capability. I can never understand the democrats. Even President Clinton when he appointed Robert Rubin as Treasury Secretary (much of the deregulation came under his watch) he went into partnership with the devil. Washington now all but owns Citibank because as Chairman, Rubin went to Vegas with the company, thinking he could put into practice and take advantage of all the rules he created while he was President Clinton’s money man.

Bernanke to me comes across a boring Rabbi and I although he doesn’t speak gobblygook like his predecessor, I still cannot grasp where he fits into the picture apart from setting the interest rate. When it comes to that I am absolutely perplexed why credit card interest rates are now through the roof but Fortune 500 corporations can borrow money at 3%! With Barney Frank and Chris Dodd as the people’s representatives leading the way to make laws so America would never be held to ransom again by Wall Street, I have lost confidence in this administration’s ability to do the right thing by the American people. The posturing and grandstanding that takes place when the bankers are hauled in to answer questions by our elected representatives makes the gathering look like a pantomime with Hollywood writing the script! Nothing is ever going to change.

Last week I had plenty to say about Geithner and his band of libertarians who enjoyed signing Treasury checks for a $trillion to bail out Wall Street from last year’s financial meltdown. This week Congress is calling for his head. The fact is they have just discovered they don’t like him, they don’t like what he is doing, but moreover they don’t trust him. The whole thing has me beat. My life is about keeping a thirty two man company’s head above water, looking after my family and like everyone else – surviving. I started out as a freight clerk and not a good one at that, forty years ago. As my ex-wife said to me once, “The only way I get your attention is when I mention the word; FREIGHT!” and I think she probably is right. At least freight has done one thing for me; it has given me some common sense. No common sense was applied by the Obama administration appointing Summers, Geithner et al to be our economic gurus. Get rid of all these libertarian assholes now!

It looks as though it is going to be a bleak Christmas for much of America. Nearly twenty years ago I asked my family to forget about a present for me and quite frankly it never affected the Christmas spirit and how we enjoyed Christmas Day. Now most of Middle America will be doing the same for 2009 and I think it will herald a new era of celebrating Christmas. The Internet has all but destroyed Hallmark when it comes to buying expensive but worthless cards and thanks to the Banks screwing us on our credit cards with new penalties and high interest rates, maybe we will baking cakes for presents this year than wasting money on See’s chocolates. Our resolve should be if a present is necessary then make it a practical one. I will never turn down a pair of cotton sox or underpants! I am positive America is entering a new era, one where buying junk no longer appeals to the masses and friends and family are not rated by the amount of money they spend on junk for others, but by the thoughtfulness behind the gift.