[tgagneguam]

I recall reading an interesting story about Sam Walton soon after Wal-Mart surpassed Sears as the world's largest retailer. It detailed the rise of Wal-Mart and how the man behind the scenes conducted himself. He traveled coach, and he stayed in Red Roof Inns and shared the suites with other Wal-Mart executives! Imagine that! He ran the company like it was going out of business... yet it was growing at a feverish pace.

Now, clearly Sam could have afforded the posh accommodations that Detroit executives have come to expect, clearly the money saved from Sam's trips was insignificant compared to the vast and rapidly accelerating sales and revenue of Wal-Mart, clearly comparing the cost of a trip to Washington for Rick to the overall numbers of a giant company like GM results in astronomical differences, but I think it speaks volumes to the mindset of the individuals running those companies.

It may have been dramatic for Rick to ride a pre-production Volt to D.C., but these are dramatic times.