Chrysler’s drive into bankruptcy

Re: “Chrysler driving without a map,” May 1:

I can’t imagine the circumstances under which I would ever purchase an automobile from a company that is 55% owned by the UAW and 35% owned by the government.

They both are the problem rather than the solution to the many travails of the auto industry.

Emphasis of company policy will be on the well-being of the union members rather than the consuming public.

Bob Pilshaw

Bakersfield

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Many Americans may not know that Chrysler had its inception in a Supreme Court decision in the early 1900s that forced Henry Ford to release accumulated cash from his corporation in the form of dividends. Two of the major shareholders were the Chrysler brothers, who used the proceeds to start a competing company.

Ford Motors, which initially had the reputation of being insensitive to organized labor, later relented and made generous concessions to forestall worker riots.

Still, Ford has remained viable amid economic turmoil, and appears to have achieved the right formula for success in North America.

Government has repeatedly involved itself in the progress of the automobile industry. As both a Ford and a GM shareholder, I have concerns that government is once again changing the playing field. What government giveth, it also taketh away.

Henry Oster

Ventura