It was American manufacturing that helped the US win WWII. It also saved alot of American lives.

Maybe, if it had gone the other way. Alot of these naysayers would not even exist. They would have no parents or grand parents.

Cars that dont last?

We have..

2001 Cadillac DTS 182k miles.
2003 Saturn VUE 147k miles.

Just bought a new 2009 Chevrolet Traverse. (01/03/2009)

Others we have had..

1992 Pontiac Bonneville. 232k.
1993 Cadillac SLS. 224k.
1987 Buick turbo. 230k.

Our benefits have been getting cut because of the big 3. The big 3 have been demanding that their suppliers sell them parts cheaper and cheaper. That means my company has to cut our benefits and workforce. Whereas, alot of us have to do TWO jobs and work faster for the same pay. Bullshit. Let the big 3 go fail!!

I think we send a very dangerous message with these bailouts.

Part of the plan can be how to handle the issue of warrantying cars that are being produced by a company that may not survive a bankruptcy - although the usual way of dealing with this is to drop prices.

The point is, we HAVE a system for dealing with distressed companies, and some very large companies - e.g. U.S. Steel - who were no less important to national security than GM is, have gone through that system.

Congress and Sec. Paulson opened a pandora’s box with TARP and there’s no telling when the handouts will end.

LOL!!

Republicans, and their democratic counterparts rely on talking points as part of a larger political agenda.

But the greater point is, without the right policy and decisions, no matter your agenda, you will fail.

As with Cheney, and deregulation, do you have a right to take the country with you?

And the asnwer is no.

Let me give some reality to ponder instead of ideologue republican talking points.

I’m not a Republican so your comment is irrelevant to me, personally, and it’s also irrelevant to the discussion. A point is either valid or not, regardless of the source. All Republicans are not evil, as all Democrats are not closet commies.

So, let’s skip the name-calling and talk reality since that’s your stated preference.

Nobody wants to throw innocent children out into the snow or into a ditch. To suggest that the issue at hand is merely a question of social justice and personal conscience is delusional.

You want the federal government to hand over money to auto companies (not through the bankruptcy courts, which is the normal way that the government “gives” money to companies by allowing them to pay creditors on a structured basis, release companies from some compensation requirements, temporarily, and in other ways, assuming reorganization will work — in either case, the business fundamentals have to be sound or it’s merely postponing the inevitable), solely because it’s “good” for these companies to stay in business. Good because, otherwise, people who work for the companies won’t have jobs and that will be “bad” for the people involved.

[I'm also assuming, perhaps unfairly, that the workers (and unions) involved would march in protest if asked to actually contribute to fixing the mess through wage and benefit reductions so they're more in line with the rest of the world.]

Don’t take this as a lack of sympathy; merely a dose of reality.

The principles of economics have no brain, nor heart, nor hands nor feet. They are not human. And they don’t care whether or not we’re comfortable with that. They are principles and they operate as principles, as expected, given certain variables. Doing what they do without regard to their effect on particular people or whether those people are our friends, our enemies, or our own family.

Giving GM money so they can continue to make vehicles that people don’t buy makes no sense and, simply, won’t work. No matter how much we wish it were possible. The economy just won’t work like that. You might as well just close the plants and send the money directly to the workers, if that’s the goal, because making the cars is simply an afterthought in this scenario. We’ll make unprofitable products just so we can pay people to make them?

That’s just plain dumb. No matter what your political persuasion.

Yes, sometimes, reality bites.

p.s. / I expect we’re going to do it anyway, though. Why? Out of sympathy? Maybe a little. But, mostly because of the electoral college map.

My friends who remained in the South did OK, but they had their bumps along the way, too.

What I DON’T get is just sinking into poverty.

My family came to CA after the war on a vacation (Route 66!) to visit relatives who had come here 10 years earlier and were still working at Mare Island Shipyard. My father looked up an old friend who was with the So. Pacific. He told Dad that he should go to the office because they were hiring and that he’d never be laid off again. He did, was hired on the spot. My mother, brother and I went back home on the train to sell our house and ship out our furniture, etc. He was right. My father not only was never out of work but was constantly promoted beyond anything he expected. Every time he was promoted it usually meant a house move…usually between the San Joaquin Valley and the Bay Area. But that’s what they did to promote their dreams.

My relatives remaining in the South prospered as well; not as quickly but had more stability.

Clearly, automakers can’t.

My boss can’t afford to pay me $20.00+ an hour, so he doesn’t. My boss can’t afford to pay for a super-stellar health plan, so he doesn’t. He pays me a decent living wage and provides (at his cost) a health plan which pretty much amounts to little more than catastrophic coverage. I don’t whine and moan too much about my wages or my health care because, on balance, I am satisfied to earn a fair living and have a health care plan that would save me from financial ruin in the event of illness or accident. This allows my boss to stay in business, which thereby keeps me employed!

Automakers need to live in the real world like the rest of our employers do. Or they need to get out of business.