GM: TODAY IS A DAY OF MOURNING

"CRASH! Auto giant GM going bankrupt today." That's the very sad headline on page 8 of this morning's New York Post. It is very a sad day. This morning's email brought a comment from a gal named Jill who signed off as a proud former worker at Ewing's Ternstedt-Eastern Aircraft-General Motors plant. JILL, YOU HAVE EVERY REASON TO BE PROUD. YOU WERE A PART OF AMERICA THAT WE WILL NEVER SEE AGAIN.
A very large part of Americana has left the American stage, and the new company which comes out of bankruptcy will never reach the heights of the genuine article with which we in the senior citizen community are familiar. GM played a major part in America's WWII victory as they converted their plants to the manufacture of tanks, shells, and in our own local area, the Grumman Avenger, over at the Eastern Aircraft plant in Ewing.
I think the beginning of end began in the mid-1950's when I was in the business of selling ball and roller bearings. Along with Datsuns, Simcas, Opels, and other strange auto names, imported bearings came into the country with prices that were impossible to beat compared to the higher cost of the American product. Cries of "BUY AMERICAN!" were heard all over the country. But like cancer, the imports began to take hold. Huge companys like the Fairless Works of U.S. Steel told us to buy American cars, use steel cans, and tried in vain to ignore the imports. American apathy was also alive and well back then: I seem to recall that U.S. Steel was so comfortable in their manufacturing success that my neighor and many employees received 13 week vacations. Management received their astronomical bonuses and unions went after their piece of the pie. Result: Today, it is virtually impossible to "BUY AMERICAN."

From Ternstedt Division of General Motors, manufacturing GM auto hardware, to Eastern Aircraft during WWII, "GM" was a very important part of Trenton industrial history. Unfortunately, the old factory has been demolished, to be replaced by a huge vacant lot.