[PUGACHEV]

"Passing laws that restrict Americans is one thing, but it hurts us in the global competition and we aren't the only show in town anymore."

How does that argument square with the fact that when Toyota, Nissan, and VW build plants over here, they still produce cars profitably while Detroit does not? Leaving aside the perceived quality of the product, and the corporate philosophy, which are areas in which the foreign car makers have a clear business advantage over the Big Three, the only other differences I can see are that the foreign car makers locate in Right to Work States where the unions have less power, and that the Detroit is horribly burdened with having to pay benefits to retired workers under past union contracts.

[rmlew]

Foreign companies build plants in Right-to-work states.
Also, Japanese companies built in the US primarily to get around import quotas. In the 1980s, we limited the number of cars Japan could export to the US. They responded by creating LExus and selling more expensive cars to the US, while building thier low-end cars in southern states.