Can we really allow our auto industry to fail?

It's a no-win situation for the US auto industry, bailout or not.

With the economy in the tank, and expected to worsen in 2009

and perhaps beyond, new car sales will probably drop drastically,

thus resulting in more losses by the Big 3. It may take several years for them to revamp themselves, and become profitable again.

If there is a bailout, perhaps it should be tied in with the bailout

of banks. Force the Big 3 to sell their autos at cost, while they

reinvent themselves, and force the banks to give auto loans at

prime rate or less. Keep the money flowing. Let every American with a job buy an new car, at a cheap price, financed with a low interest

rate. This is probably a dumb idea, but I wouldn't mind getting something in return for my tax dollars bailing out the corporate idiots

who got us into this mess.

We should let GM fail because time over, they have proven themselves incapable of being competitive. The sad thing is that their cars are NOT so bad as people say. The problem is management's incompetence to get spending in order as well as excessive labor costs due to the UAW. GM needs a gastric bypass surgery; if you throw $12 million at GM it will just use the money to burn through more pizza and beer.

Let them file chapter 11 so they can restructure and have a legitimate reason to get rid of its UAW cancer. Then Wagoner should roll out a lean plan to drastically reduce SUVs and have plug-in /hybrids to be 50% of their production.

I'm not at all for globalization, it trivializes the impact of the individual and small business in favor of collectivist and multinational corporate special interests.

A German company bought Chrysler just recently - then dumped it. Prior to that Ford bought Jaguar. If these companies go bankrupt, someone will still use those assets, more productively.

Either decision will have unpleasant results. In this case I think we can pick our poison. Bail them out and risk further loses with little or no guarentees it will work. Let them fail forcing reorganization, the loss of thousands of jobs, with no guarentees it will work.

We don't need to "lose" the auto industry. We just need to let them go bankrupt (like the airlines) so they can get out from under extravagant union contracts and rebuild their business with a reasonable, rational cost structure.

Excuse me? Wasn't Obama and pals that perpetuate the failure interior the 1st place? Does Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac strike a chord with you.....thank you democrats. thank you additionally democrats for NAFTA.

I agree with your point of view.