Auto-bailout divides Americans, but...

I 'm not thrilled with the bailout--as far as I'm concerned, the people who insisted on building behemoth SUVs deserve to lose their jobs. However, I don't want to see the people who actually work at the automakers suffer.

Give them the money, but stipulate the head of each company can only make what the highest paid auto worker makes, no bonuses, no more SUVs, transition to hybrids, develop alternative fuels and alternative transit options.

Interesting parallels (and advice) re the UK subsidies for British Leyland and other "partnerships" between European governments and their national car companies.

Paging Lord Nuffield.....

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/business/economy/18car.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&sq=british%20leyland&st=nyt&scp=1

Actually, this Gallup Poll is as biased as the GM sponsored poll.

The poll uses the euphemism "financial assistance" for the bailout. NO mention of the word "taxes." As in, the TAXES that would be taken from our wallets to pay for the "assistance."

Even with this pro-bailout language in the question, the majority oppose the bailout.

And if the question were phrased more fairly, for example, "Do you favor big tax increases to bail out the Big 3 Auto companies?" I suspect the majority opposing the bailout would be even greater.

No bail out- The tax payers and comsumers will suffer-
Strickly a union ploy-

Give them the loan and knock the "clever " executives out of the box. Those same " brains " that shoved SUVs down our throats, ignored pollution-free autos and increased milage per gallon, per vehicle !!
If you can bailout the Airlines, the Bankers and Investment Houses, we can lend dollars to the Auto Industry and save millions of good paying American jobs !! As they are Bush-McCain Republicans, I don't expect them to do the right thing for America, but the right thing for their narrow-minded agenda. They are just that small-minded !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.

The big 3 should go into bankruptcy and then there should be a bailout to make sure suppliers don't pull the rug out and cause huge problems. It would require restructuring the union contracts, but I think that all parties will have to sacrifice some to get the auto industry to survive this downturn.

The Republicons can kiss Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, good-bye. I don't think those voters will have much use for the Republicons, if they torpedo the Democrats' attempt at salvaging the ( Not so) Big 3 !! The Wingnuts can blindly throw $700 Billion Bailout for their Buddies in the Banking Scandal, but not the a cent for the 3 Million workers and their families !!?
No wonder, the Republicons were trounced in the general election !!

Republicans haven't learned a thing from the beatdown they got in this last election! Sure bail out the richest sectors but not the middle class. I would also like to add that your Republican adminsitration for the past eight years gave no push for the auto industry to have incesntive to come up with new and better ideas. Not to mention that the auto industries best performing cars are not even introduced into the American market yet! You guys only care about the rich companies that dont give a damn about the average American!
Lets hope and pray the Democrats get those needed senators to block you and your losing party of un-American policies!

If we lose auto industry, we lose energy reform. The American auto industry is the last bastion of competitive heavy manufacturing - and that is absolutely essential to retain it if we are to rebuild our aging energy and transportation infrastructure.

We need the tool makers, stampers, foundries, controls makers, gear makers, etc. etc. If they are lost, we will have to import both the designs and the parts - and we won't own any of it.

With all its warts, the auto industry is our last hope to get our mojo back. Even if the auto industry limps along for another 5 years, just long enough to give us time to re-purpose its assets, that's time we desperately need.

I keep reading posts like those from "ace mcfunkenstein" and "Change Regime 08 = Obama/Biden!" (both of whom I believe are pseudonyms for John E.) - who claim the Wall Street Bailout was the work of the "Republicans" - and so the Republicans are now unfairly favoring the rich over those on Main Street by being against a bailout of the Big 3 auto makers.
.
In truth, the Wall Street bailout passed in both houses because more Democrat Senators and House Representatives voted for it than did their Republican counterparts. Likewise, in both houses, more Republicans voted against the bill than their Democrat counterparts. So please stop telling me that this was a Republican gig. The Democrats in Congress are just as responsible as anyone for bringing about that piece of insanity. In fact, were it not for the Democrats' overwhelming support for it in the House, it might not have passed at all. (In fact, it failed in the House the first time largely because 133 Republicans voted against it.)
.
If you don't believe me, go look at the roll call vote. It's a matter of public record.
.
I am not saying the Republicans didn't have any hand in it. I found the Republican support for the bill to be horrifying, to say the least. What I am tired of is the "All of it is the Republicans' fault" mentality that I see expressed here too often. Democrats have swarms of irresponsible clones running around in Congress too. It's time some of you stepped up to the plate and took responsibility for the crap they churn out. You voted for them; you do something about it if you don't like it.

After controlling the White House for the last eight years and controlling Congress for ten of the last twelve years, Republicons like you have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that conservatism is a failed ideology and now you and them, are panicking.

You need to worry about fixing your own party, pal. You keep yapping about how the small gov conservative philosophy is just the best EVAH!, yet everytime your GOPer team gets in a position of power you EXPAND govt and political cronyism.

My last post was directed at Republican drone, John "W".

I think all you doom and gloomers might want to read this - The economy might be better before BO even gets a chance to screw it up.

http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/11/17/velocity-recession-growth-oped-cx_bw_rs_1118wesburystein.html

There should be no auto industry bailout. The Big 3 have had years to get their act in shape; but soaring employee compensation - for manual labor - puts up the prices for products that aren't competitive compared to Japanese vehicles.

A bailout of Detroit is a bailout of the UAW - and I don't think that taxpayer money should subsidize an organization that makes huge donations to one political party (Democratic). And given that people in Detroit know the unions are swarmed by the mob, it's subsidizing organized crime. The liberal illuminati should not get away with spending my tax money in this way.

Let them fail. I run a small business, can I get 1 million dollars to help my struggling sales? I know what the answer is. Its time that people answer for their own choices. These automakers have been living high on the hog, its called saving for bad times. Let them fail

Posted by: John W. | November 18, 2008 7:53 PM

---------------------------------------------

Little Johnny,
I have a homework assignment for you. I want you to take this graph, make a copy of it and put it on top of the picture you have of Ronny Reagan under your pillow tonight. And then I want you to tell the class what you have learned tommorrow.

.
http://media.photobucket.com/image/deficits/jimiesq/deficits.jpg?o=1
.

BAILOUT NUMBER 1000 ONLY WITH FIRM RULES:
1. SAVE THE UNION CONTRACTS
2. RELEASE ALL THE PATENTS THEY HAVE EVER BOUGHT AND SAT UPONRE: TRANSIT, ENERGY GENERATION AND DISTRIBUTION,
3. RE-RELEASE THE ELECTRIC CAR THEYHELPED SMASH AND SHRED AND DENY US THAT GOES 160 MILES PER CHARGE (WATCH WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR).
4. NO AUTO COMPANIES MAY BE WITHIN 1 MILE OF A POLITICAL PARTY AND NO LOBBYING.