Tonight was the first lecture of the Center for Constructive Alternatives lecture series titled, “Cars and Trucks, Markets and Government.” Pictured here is John Engler, former Governor of Michigan, who delivered the first lecture. Click on the photo to view larger.

Mr. Engler disappointed me a little with his question dodging and his support of the government bailout of the auto industry. Let’s hope that the other speakers will be better. It looks like a few other people on the schedule are going to be great. I will report what I think on here in the coming days.

Here is the schedule for the week:

SUNDAY, JANUARY 25

8:00 p.m. “Michigan’s Competitiveness, Yesterday and Today”
               John Engler
               Former Governor, State of Michigan

MONDAY, JANUARY 26

4:00 p.m. “The Decline of the ‘Big Three’ Since the 1970s”

               Joseph White
               Wall Street Journal

8:00 p.m. “The Fords and the Rise of the U.S. Automotive Industry”
               Peter Collier
               Co-Author, The Fords: An American Epic

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27

4:00 p.m. “Do Ethanol Regulations Make Sense?”
               Martin Fridson
               Author, Unwarranted Intrusions: The Case Against 
               Government Intervention In the Marketplace

8:00 p.m. “New Car Technology: Should Government Have a Role?”
               Myron Ebell
               Competitive Enterprise Institute

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28

4:00 p.m. “The U.S. Automotive Industry: Looking Ahead”
               David Cole
               Center for Automotive Research

8:00 p.m. “American Cars and American Culture”
               Paul Ingrassia
               Author, Engines of Change

THURSDAY, JANUARY 29

11:00 a.m. Faculty Roundtable