Senators Propose Sending Automotive Executives That Place Profit Over Safety To Prison - Is That A Good Idea?

Why not? We send banking executives to prison for incompetence, so why should those who cover up, lie, or are simply make incompetent decisions (life over profit) not be sent to prison?

If this was law when Toyota or GM debacles first broke, there would be more than a few in jail at this time.

The days of no accountability have to go, and both GM and Toyota are sterling cases of where profit was all that mattered.

Banking exec(s) went to prison, when? They were fined at most...now the small time "ponzi scheme" orchestrators, i.e. not big enough to fail or bring down the economy, they were raked over the coals, then jailed, and rightfully so...

Until the crooks on Wall Street go to prison for looooooooooong periods of time, NO ONE in this country, guilty of non-violent crimes, should be sent to prison. Period.

Next.....

Car makers have a moral imperative to make their cars safe and to protect consumers when they discover an issue. Yes, executives should go to prison for their criminal actions.

I think prison should be mandatory in addition to a heavy fine. These executives are greedy by nature and a heavy fine does more damage to them than prison sentence.

Certainly anyone who knowingly commits a crime should be subject to trial and judgment by his/her peers as to guilt or not. But how do you define the crime? This is all about judgment, particularly judgment about risk. People in charge of business and government make decisions about these things everyday. Cancer drugs are expensive, so to save money government officials limit their use and therefore people die. Is that a crime? Greed in itself is not a crime and the bankers haven't been proven to have committed a crime. Indeed the same Senators mentioned where the ones that forced the bankers by law to make a LOT of loans to people who could not afford to pay them back. This is all about boosting the ability of "greedy" trial lawyers to get more business and then contribute to the campaigns to these Senators. Who is really Greedy?

The United States can not last long if this kind of negligence and stupidity continue. Do you remember Lehman Brothers scandal? And all that stupid stuff that almost turned the U.S. into a trash country? (In fact, it already is to some extent, but the U.S. is still somehow surviving..."barely")

The Americans believe being free means to just do whatever you want to do, which is not true. The Americans think making money is everything. Well, this kind of idea is something that exists in third world countries, and I am not surprised the Americans' philosophy is this.

And what did it all lead to? Bankruptcy of Detroit, the U.S. economy suffering, etc.

And thanks to all this, now so many major countries in almost every continent is now trying to stop using the U.S. Dollar. Well, America better cry and beg them to use the U.S. Dollar again, because those countries no longer see America as a "superpower".

If the United States really wishes to keep the position as a superpower (Which is kind of meaningless in today's world to be honest), then they damn better set the standards. Jail those who only care about profit, and make the American automakers great again.

I still do not understand the continued comments about GM - since the process of producing parts like that is not that much different from any Mass Manufacturer of cars. It is not as if Ford does it any differently - or VW who just announced that they were looking to increase their profit margins on cars - at least partially by reducing costs. And I am sure Toyota pushes its suppliers to reduce costs too.

The problem with the ignition switches was an engineering problem - and is being fixed by replacing the switches with very similar ones with a stronger spring in them - and deeper detents. On a $1 part - and I doubt that any mass manufacturer spends much more on their ignition switches - and likely less if you have one without the key.

The problem was not acting on the problem and fixing it - but then at the time - Gm was involved in a Economic crisis - not of its own creation - without the position needed to stay afloat. So - the idea that the management of GM had something else on its mind - is certainly well supported.

AS far as putting them in Jail - just another thing for the Taxpayers to support with money - is nonsense. Chrysler became a foreign car company again. And today - and will be in the future - cars are no longer produced entirely domestically - they have parts from around the world - and it will only increase. How are you going to punish the guy from Sri Lanka who produces the next bad ignition switch?

That's a blurry line, I think not unless its negligence i.e. some did not put in side curtain airbags until it was required by law that's fine not smart but fine.

On the other hand what Toyota/ Lexus knowingly sold cars that they knew before hand had acceleration problems that resulted in deaths then somebody should be held accountable.

Only if they send the bankers and wall street thieves too.

Remember, "corporations are people" said the Supreme Court. Send GM to jail.

In the reality, automotive lobbyists do not have the power of financial lobbyists.

The executives that actively tried to cover up the defect should go to jail as well GM should be fined and not be given immunity through bankruptcy. Gm should also have to pay huge damages to the families.

Absolutely yes!
The greedy stupid and ignorant CEO's of the automotive industry are always trying to reduce cost at all means. Safety is not in their vocabulary. And there are equally stupid automotive engineers that are willing to follow those stupid cost cutting measures too.
Yesterday I was driving my wife's car: a VW Jetta Clasico (a 2011 versión produced in Mexico, that is basically a A4 Jetta, but cheapened a lot by replacing the rear disc brakes with older drum brakes and several other "cost cutting" measures...) In an instant a small dog ran across the road and made me brake hard enough to block the wheels (this model Jetta has no ABS and has rear drum brakes). The REAR wheels blocked completely producing a sudden side slip where the rear of the car went to the right about 20 degrees. The damn rear drum brakes blocked the right rear Wheel stronger than the left side and well before the front wheels were blocked. This is dangerous. the car is almost in new condition, having less than 14,000 miles of use and is very well cared. The stupid VW executives that allowed the equally stupid and inept VW engineers make the design change to rear drums should be sent to jail, as any design using drum brakes in present day is not only stupidly anachronic, but dangerous.