Unfortunately, these are not normal circumstances. We’re already on the brink of another Great Depression and letting the Big 3 fail would most certainly drive the country into critical doom. The problem is, why ressurect companies to build cars that nobody wanted to begin with? I vote to assist them with a loan but with much regulation and an independent “oversight team” to ensure that certain brands/models are quickly eliminated, manufacturing plants are shut down to match consumer demand, and new fuel efficient vehicles are researched and produced.

You can ask why I use word “steal”. Because then men get money and knows, he can`t pay it back – then the right word is “stealing”.

American government has a huge debt, and not a chance to repay it forever. America became the nation of thief.

And so, Cowboy, relax, steal money from Chineseman and buy a new cool American car.

Why is it that the Japanese can build a top-quality vehicle on U.S. soil and the Big 3 can not?

In my driving lifetime over the last 32 years, I’ve own 2 Dodges, a Saturn, 2 BMWs and 3 Nissans.

Amazing.. the 12 year old BMW and 7 year old Nissan are still running today as the day they were driven off the lot.

The BMW has 194,000 miles and the Nissan nearly 100,000 miles and not a major issue with either vehicle after all those miles.

The American cars I owed bit the dust after within 5 years after purchase.

No, the auto industry should not be bailed out because of bad management, bad business decisions and lack of vision.

Enough is enough, already. Where does it stop? Every industry from here on out is going to be in line for a handout.

Let them fall and learn their lessons the hard way. Maybe then they’ll wake up and smell the coffee.

The Chevrolet Volt will be here in 2 years and cost $40K+ and will only go 40 miles on a charge. Imagine what the Japanese will have by then!

If the Big 3 were serious, you would have the CEO and the President of the UAW announcing to the American people that all union workers and executives were taking immediate 40% pay cuts as well as cuts in retiree health and pension payments. Don’t hold your breath America!

Tell the airline workers that saw their pensions vaporized when their companies went through bankruptcy and their benefits and pensions reduced to a fraction of what they had before. Hey, better to have 20% of your benefit than 0%.

The arrogance of the union and management to ask for a bailout and no offer of cuts in return from Americans that can only dream of having benefits and pensions and health care they enjoy today is beyond me. I am self employed and have to fund all of my own retirement.

Wake-up Detroit – your Day of Reckoning has dawned!!

My suggestion: let UAW, employees, suppliers, dealers, etc pool their money buy the companies. They can get rid of the management they don’t want, and when its their own money at risk, maybe everyone in the chain will cut their wages / profits to keep the companies alive.

There are millions of american taxpayers who earn less than auto workers. They should not have to pay to save jobs of someone making more than they do.

We are still driving a ‘96 Silhouette with over 240,000 miles on it and our previous minivan was 7 years old with 180,000 miles on it and running fine when we bought a new one earlier this year. Let’s not hold to old, outdated misconceptions any longer while discussing this industry.

I believe the bailout should happen but with significant spending restrictions applied to these companies. No executive travel (like AIG), streamline company communications from the engineers to the factory floor, and for God’s sake, fire everyone in the marketing department and get some fresh ideas in there. Obviously, they haven’t done enough effectively to change the perceptions that impact sales.

Two things…Why would we not attempt to save 15 million jobs, crucial to the US economy, but we would continue to subsidize the financial industry that imploded on itself creating this entire chaotic mess in the first place? If the banks hadn’t stopped lending, nobody would be asking for help.

Lastly, if you have or have had clients, patients, customers, relatives, friends, etc. that work for the Big 3, you need to be driving a Big 3 vehicle. I’m sick of seeing many people with financial ties to the industry make other choices. You need to be aware of which side your bread is buttered. For instance, a 25+ year medical professional, who has auto workers as clients and accepts their nice insurance and (hopefully) will continue to have these clients and make money from their insurance, who jost bought a foreign car. Aren’t you biting the hand that has fed you for 25 years?

We need to support each other, we all need to work for the good of many throughout the country, not the priviledged few. We really are in this all together.