I really see nothing funny.
Why doesn’t the Financial CEO have a drive and make concessions.
Of course, this is a VERY BIG deal; wouldn’t it be catastrophic if re-industrializing the country does not occur? To generate well-paid jobs for American workers is essential. Without seeing the trees for the forest, this could be another Enron. Taxpayers’ economic paranoia is understandable; however, if the fat cats can’t withdraw from their corporation welfare; then moving America away from its slavish dependence on fossil fuels is meaningless. But, a government bailout is worth more than penance. It’s Recession time now; will it be depression next?


The big picture of what is/and now happening  needs to looked at.

The US debt is in the trillions of dollars and we continue to borrow from China...should our top execs begin to drive?

Paulson wants additional money for his bank bail out

Give him some with the proviso that $26 Billion be alloted to possible Auto industry loans

Hundreds of BILLIONS for the banks and NTHING for manufacturing ????????

Make em promise a certain oportion of manufacturing in America with American built parts as well as better fuel economy, and less pollution AND a commitment to QUALITY PRODUCTS !!!
(NOT Advertising jingles)

Chrysler is a PRIVATELY HELD corporation

They should be treated differently than
Ford and GM

Homeland Security ??

WHO will make your tanks and armored personnel carriers without Detroit ?

How about your cop cars ?
Send that money to Japan and Korea ?

Give up on manufacturing research and development ?
How about alternate fuel vehicles and technology ??
Wanna ship that overseas ?

PLEASE WAKE UP, AMERICA !!

David Bonior for trade rep

Dodd better watch it, else the automakers kickbacks, ehh, quid pro quo, ehh, campaign contributions (yeah, that's it) to his reelection campaign might get trimmed back substantially.

So how do these congressional leaders get around? I know Pelosi and Reid have a private jet available to them at their beckoned call. And when they do fly commerical, you know it's first class, all on the taxpayer dime. Reid would never sit in coach, then he'd have to smell those tourists. So why don't we see these sanctomonious congressmen and congresswoman driving around these little death trap hybrid cars?

Why is no one mentioning that these companies are not worth the 34 billion they are asking for? Temporary Partial Ownership for the taxpayers would ensure a return on investment better than just loans. It would also give us more of a voice in the direction of the companies.

Collectively, the Big 3 are worth what, less then $10 billion? And now their asking for something like $30 billion in bail outs? So just what are they putting up for collateral?

I hope that these people are not going to do what their predecessor had done - stick their heads in the sands about making a better more fuel efficient car with new technology.  One of the only reasons that the Japanese companies have done this is because their country doesn't have much, if any, in the way of oil and need to import it all.  Part of the bailout might want to include some money for buying the rights to the technology that Honda and Toyota have been using for their hybrids.  

There you have it. It never fails. The solution to every problem for a liberal is . . . . MORE GOVERNMENT.   I Love Liberals (Sent Thursday, December 04, 2008 11:22 AM)  (from another thread)

With all due respect, ILL (may I call you that?), you keep missing the point (deliberately, perhaps?).  

All of these “problems” that you’re referring to … to which the solution is “more government,” were caused by de-regulating and/or under-regulating the private sector.  Time after time, and over and over again, government HAS TO STEP IN to clean up the messes made by people who continually rave against government and demand less of it.  

And there YOU have it, ILL.  Another thing that never fails.  You can take that to the bank.  Or, wait … maybe not.  Better to just put it under your mattress.  

Why does Paulsen need more TARP money when he has stated that he wants to leave 350 BILLION sitting around to provide flexibility to OBAMA???

There are so many solutions to this problem that are just not on the table. It's a little frustrating. It seems that the issue they are debating is where will thew money come from? Well....how is it OK to keep writing blank checks to financial institutions with reckless abandon but so difficult to loan (with interest) comparitive chump change to save millions of American jobs? We did it with Chrysler in the 80's and the US government made a profit off the loan so what is the big deal? It seems that Reagan's goal to crush unions is still in play. Blank checks to white collar criminals and the blue collar worker can go ahead and fend for themselves.

Well here's a few suggestions that our Government seems to stupid to want to consider....

1. Let the oil companies loan the big 3 the money. They have plenty of cash on hand right now and the two companies have a symbiotic relationship so it seems only fitting for one to help the other.

2. Regulate prices on American cars and raise tarriffs on foriegn cars. If American cars are cheaper people are obviously going to gravitate towards them in a reccesion and on a personal note it would eliminate haggling and we all know there is nothing worse than dealing with a car salesman.

3. Buy 'em out! Buy out the stock and sell it to the UAW. (cue angry republicans). People may forget that this was the solution with United Airlines and it worked fairly well.

4. Kick the Bush administration out now and let the adults deal with this! This mess is deja vu all over again! Iraq, Katrina and now this. NO STRATEGY. NO OVERSIGHT. NO WAY THESE IDIOTS CAN FIX THIS!

I'm sure alot of folks don't agree with these ideas but at least I'm throwing out options which seems to be alot more than congress and the Bush administration are doing. Truly pathetic!

One thing I haven't heard mentioned is the huge tax credits that have been in place during the Bush administration for people who buy Hummers.  It seems hypocritical for congress to completely blame the automakers for manipulating the market for big SUV's when the tax structure rewarded people for buying them.

Please read the article on "male suicide" on the home page of msnbc.msn and TRY to relate this article to the loss of so many jobs right at the time so many of our soldiers will be coming home to try to remake the lives they had before the war.  This bailout money for financial groups or automakers or anyone else does not appear out of thin air.  It comes from people with jobs that pay taxes from the money they earn.  No jobs, no money, no taxes, no government, no financial institutions, no more America.  Do any of the men at Enron or Fanny Mae or any of the other financial institutions that made a profit on the less business educated consumer have a clue of how they have been and even now are contributing to the downfall of this country?  It is interesting to read about the ongoing petty disputes from the political system, but what is needed is cooperation before we all go down the tube.  Whether you agree or don't agree with PE Obama and his selections, we have to all pull together to get out of this mess.

It is looking like the government is doing the same dumb thing the bank have done:  Giving a loan to someone who can not afford to make the payments. This is painful, but I do not believe GM can make a car of the same quality as...Toyota. Not now, not in 3 years. We are not going to put up high tarriff walls so Americans have to buy substandard American cars.  It is hard to say good-bye to Chevys, Pontiacs, Caddys. I'm sounding like a free marketer, but I only see good money being thrown away.

Mark, Seattle:

Let the oil companies lend the money? That's actually not such a bad idea.  They would provide more oversight, are better equipped to analyze the deal and historically have generated a profit and a return to their shareholders.

Regulate car prices and impose tarriffs?  Price controls and protectionism are a recipe for disaster in these economic times and not a good idea in general.  With price controls, you out yourself as a disciple of Richard Nixon and therefore are one of the most despicable people on earth simply by virtue of that association.

Buy out the stock and sell it to the UAW?  It would then be incumbent on the UAW to operate the company at a profit and demand their workers produce a sound product.  In order to operate at a profit and produce a sound product the UAW would have to make concessions to protect their shareholders (themselves)and make more demands on their workers while requiring sacrifice of benefits.  Perhaps they could bring in the oil companies as outsourced management.

As for your Bush derangement syndrome, I would recommend professional help.

While I'm no fan of the not-so-big-anymore automakers, I am concerned that the republicans want to blame their failure on the unions, not the people (mis)managing the companies.  It is indeed interesting that Detroit seems to be  held to a significantly different standard when it comes to the billions Paulson is throwing around to those in New York.  

Seems like the only industry that has weathered this economic turmoil is oil.  Instead of dithering over Paulson's funds, which he has mostly squandered already, why not pass an emergency windfall profit tax on all oil companies, and use it to set up a loan fund for the auto industry -- and for consumers so they can buy up the existing car inventory at no interest and perhaps some sort of incentive program that can be applied at year end for taxes.  

Note to Anna Molly -- I love your nickname for I Love Liberals: ILL. I think that says it all.

The Senators should do the same kind of questioning of Paulson and the banks and financials that they have of the auto companies.  They hire the blue collar workers and not the fat cats who go away with all of their money with no questions asked.  Why?

The Senators should do the same kind of questioning of Paulson and the banks and financials that they have of the auto companies.  They hire the blue collar workers and not the fat cats who go away with all of their money with no questions asked.  Why?

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