GM CLOSES PLANTS

You were already directed to live video of Rick Wagoner's meeting with shareholders. I can't imagine that even the coolest, calmest, and most collected CEO enjoys shuttering plants. Now the news is confirmed:

Moraine, Ohio (midsize SUVs); Oshawa, Ontario (full-size pickups); as well as Janesville, Wisconsin; and Silao; Mexico (full-size SUVs) will shut down in 2009 or 2010. The sites average about 2,500 employees. The Ontario, Wisconsin, and Mexican factories build vehicles that are manufactured elsewhere, and there is not a small amount of conversation surrounding the product of Moraine (TrailBlazer, Envoy) going the way of the dinosaur.

The possibility of the Hummer brand being sold - any takers, any takers? - was also brought up by Chairman Wagoner. Desperate times call for desperate measures.