Obama not to blame for dealership closure

John Clark, the president of the now defunct Avenue Chevrolet in Batavia, was quoted in the Dec. 27 Daily Herald as saying, “Our fine president closed us.”

I assume that he was referring to either President George W. Bush or himself, and not to President Obama.

In December of 2008, General Motors and other automakers asked the government to lend them money to be able to make consumer loans and avoid bankruptcy. In January of 2009, $17.4 billion was lent to GM out of the $700 billion in TARP funds. Since President Obama wasn’t even sworn into office until Jan. 20, 2009, it seems improbable that his administration was responsible for the bailout.

Regardless of which party was in office when GM cut its dealerships, GM did the cutting — not the government. Mr. Clark is quoted as saying that his business was “viable, flourishing” in May of 2009 and that by July of 2009 it was in “survival mode.” Quite a spectacular fall in a very short time. Somebody wasn’t paying attention.

I find it curious that no other automobile companies were interested in franchising Mr. Clark’s business. The location seems ideal. Perhaps those companies’ concerns lie elsewhere.

David R. Murphy

Geneva