if the bail out doesn't happen then people who worked 30 years for the companies to collect benefits will be left with nothing. my guess is not bailing out the auto industry will end with the breaking of the unions because they support workers benefits packages, then they'll be back at the negotiating table to make sure the ceo's are bailed out. in other words they are treating the union deals as dead weight. leaving retired, former loyal employees to re-enter the working field at an advanced age with a limited skill set and limited jobs that can make ends meet. isn't capitalism great. if you want the middle class to start buying again then give the middle class a bailout.

If we are going to bail out GM, why don't we the taxpayers get to own the company? Lets see, the price of the stock today hit a low of $1.70. If we spend $25B we should get 1.47 billion shares of the company. Since the company is in severe trouble, we should be able to buy "discount paper". I know this sounds absurd, but their, and I mean the major players, banks, auto, financial, etc...poor thoughtless management have brought our economy past the brink of disaster. Why do we, the taxpayers, have to be part of socializing the downside risk, while the so called investers enjoy the privatized upside profits. There is NO doubt that the Big Three play a major role in our economy that must be considered but bailing them (or the banks for that matter) should give us the taxpayers the same benefits and liabilities as major stockholders would have...including proxy power and determining who runs the companies (and banks) and how they run them. Just my two cents.

It's time to get out of this mess...they should let these companies which have mis-handled their moneyes get theirselves out of the mess they got themselves into...I would take all the money that has been st aside for the bailouts and invest in things that would kick start the economy and create jobs...ie. Oil drilling, power plants, clean coal and national inferstructure..we can't keep throwing good money after bad.

Let them fail like every other underperforming company. The fallout will most likely lead to better run, smaller companies with some innovation in their future.

Contract yes, bailout no

I understand the importance of these companies to our economy and national security. If we are to be able to engage in industrial warfare we must have factories that can be retooled to produce implement of war. My suggestion is that we don’t just give money to the 3 auto manufactured but our government keeps the three in business by requiring 21 century products and buying solely those products. First we need to temporarily nationalize the industry (like the railroads during WWII). Second we need to bring together the engineers and automobile designers from all three. Third we need to force industry to adopt policies that can not be performed with industry autonomy such as standards for hydrogen fuel cells and other alternative fuels. Forth designate loans for the new fuel infrastructure that has been decided upon by the designers and engineers of the 3 makers. Fifth, require the US government to buy only these new vehicles and give the three automakers business by replacing the entire federal vehicle fleet.