Back in the 60s & 70s Americans could buy a car and its cost was 20-30% of your annual salary. Now that same car is 2-4 times your annual salary. What's up with that? Don't say that it is inflation, because that's not true. So Big Three, between the 73 oil embargo and this year when gas in Ca. hit $4.99 per gal. where were all of your great mileage cars? You know, the ones that would last 250,000 miles or more? So lets look at that business plan of yours….planned obsolescence. Sell a new car, then after 3 years it starts to fall apart. Then you make money on parts and service or get the owner to buy a new car. How's that working out for you now?

If the Government, who knows little or nothing about manufacturing anything, would stop making it so hard for American companies to compete with the rest of the world, who hates us so, then we might not be in the fix we're in.
The Government does so well at managing things; Social Security, forcing mortgage loans, welfare. If Congress ran businesses like they do the government all of them would go to jail. Who is holding our government accountable? Government creates a mess many in congress make money off the mess and then we the taxpayer foot the bill to clean it up.

This is the fault of the company….blame them!!!

The blood should be on YOUR hands, not the Government. Making non-competitive vehicles is the reason why all of those companies are struggling.

It is put very bluntly, but I do agree …

It would be more productive to pay them unemployment now than keeping them on the same unproductive jobs and then having to pay them unemployment 12 months later.

Make educational vouchers part of the unemployment benefits package. We need to upgrade the quality of our workers.

NO BAILOUT.

That's like throwing good money after the bad! Why can't we all get a hand out. They've bled us to death with high prices for death traps. Spend that money on something worth while. They've let foreign made cars top American made so what would there be to lose. I know about the workers but they had their hands out too and could have cared less about their neighbors. ALL GREEDY PEOPLE!

Sure, let's blame the government for the greedy, overpaid, bonus-collecting CEO's of the Big 3 for "blood on their hands', because after all, the Big 3 didn't create the mess their in, right?

Paying workers $30 an hour to screw in lugnuts, pay 95% of a person's wage who doesn't work for them anymore, and flying corporate jets around at $20 thousand a pop, and oh yeah, let's not forget that they make expensive cars no one can afford or want to buy! Sure, let's blame the government and punish the poor hard-working tax payers while we're at it. These scum bags don't deserve a dime!

If no loans are forthcoming the fallout will be unimagineable.

I think the Congress needs to look around at all the needs in the USA and fund everybody's future. Then figure out how much that will make the taxes go up on everybody, including the dummies who voted for Obama, and let us get on with it.

The idea that Congress knows best how to run an auto company is absolutely hilarious. Name me one program that Congress runs that is within budget and on schedule.

I'd tell the big three to take a hike. We don't need them. The imports will serve the American needs quite well.

The auto industry Must be saved, period! Any company, any, who had a 33% down turn in business can not survive. The turn down in business was because of their products, people who want to buy cars simply can't auto loans. The banks who caused our economic problems get money without any problem, yet the companies that the banks caused to go under get no money. What's wrong with this picture? Unlike the banks who got a true bailout, the auto companies are asking for a LOAN. Isn't time that Congress helped blue collar America as much as they help white collar America? So wake up, the loss of jobs will be much higher than the 3 million people involved in the auto industry. When 3 million people can no longer purchase goods, it affect drugstores, bakeries, hardware stores, grocery stores, gift shops, etc. etc. The list is endless, so the true loss of jobs will be closer to 10 million! America can not afford to let the Big 3 fail!!

And whose hands will that blood be on, again?

These jokers, and their predecessors, and their underling executives, ran their businesses into the ground with no thought for the next quarter let alone next year or ten years down the road. Even if fired for all of their bad decisions they receive golden parachutes that would each set up dozens of their workers' families – for life.

If we must bail their companies out, cut these bozos and their sidekick executives loose without their parachutes. They just have no clue, no self-control, and no conscience.

Blood on their hands? What about the OWNERS who ran the company into the ground? Please. I would not lend money to someone who tried to guilt me into it.

Also, why are they wasting the Supreme Court's time w. this "He's not a US citizen." garbage. Get a life.

The citizenship lawsuit is now before the Supreme Court. Despite what CNN wants you to believe, the defendants have presented NO evidence to the Supreme Court. December 1 was the deadline to respond, and Obama did not. The Supreme Court has extended the deadline in case "the evidence" was mailed on that date.

Barry, simply give the Supreme Court that which has been requested and be done with it. What do you have to hide?

Then the auto companies need to stop robbing people and give us what we actually need. They've been robbing us blind for decades. Why should we give them even more money?

Blood on their hands?, The big 3 CEO's have a lot of nerve, where was their empathy for their worker when they flew around in private jets, to their 20,000 plus sq foot homes, and took large undeserves raises and bonuses, all while putting out a crappy products subject to countless recalls. Now it everyone elses fault? Please speare me the phony outrage.

I bought a 2000 Ford Focus that has 10 recalls, smaller brakes then it should, the power-steering is going out, and three of the four electric windows broke from poor quality engineering. Great product Ford. No wonder you're going under. Sorry, but I have had it with American cars. I'm going to buy a car from Japan the next time I fork over my hard earned cash for a new vehicle.

Why do we need so many new variations of cars EVERY YEAR…
Take a year or two off… quit flooding the market with things we already have and dont need. I bought my car in 2000 and it still runs quite well. I have no plans on buying a new one anytime soon, and i was already gouged from what i was paying for gas over the last few years.
How about we end the TWO wars we're spending so much on, and compensate all those laid off by the car companies.. the only victims here? The big automotive execs, but they have enough money to survive this recession, so to hell with them.

The government is asking for a plan from the auto industry but do the the ones who are asking the questions do they have a plan for additional people who lose their jobs. I rather see people stay in their homes than to be out on the street. At least you will know that they are safe.
.

You are talking about a ripple effect with the auto industry and the government doesn't have a plan. There isn't enough section 8 nor public housing for all the people who are losing their jobs and I am not just talking about just the auto industry.

How is the government going to place all these people who are going to lose everything they have due to bankruptcy, foreclosures, eviction, no gas no electric, where do they get help? Step up to the plate and have some type of safety net for them. In the middle of winter. Timing is way off.

Those in office need to think about this. What about the children who are effected by this mess.

Blood on our hands? Are you kidding me?! Let's agree to this bailout ONLY if our government fires all of the upper management of these big 3 and hires new! CHANGE! YES WE CAN!!!!

I suspect those whining about the car companies will be the same ones whining about the thousands of other businesses and millions of jobs going down the toilet with them, only I'm sure you will blame the big three for that, too. It's OK, though, you can just change your name on the blogs.

then why don't they make a product anyone wants???

I am not a fan of the US auto industry. The management has driven the industry to its's knees. If we do not give them a loan, they will go down and bring the US economy with it. Look at the advertising dollars, the computer chips. these will go away with no industry to support them along with your jobs. If this happens I will be waiting with the tar and feathers to face the politicians that let this happen. (if i can afford it)

When a possible 6 million people lose their jobs that is when the people are going to wake up and see that even though the CEO's of these companies messed up it is going to effect every state in a way that no one is going to be immune to. People don't realize how much tax money is going to be spent on unemployment and with these people being out of a job who is going to pay taxes then.

The Detroit Free Press sends a plea to Congress Thursday: “Invest in America… you don’t want all this blood on your hands.” This sort of lobbying underscores the arrogance and unanimous denial of responsibility of auto industry management for their failures. Boys, the party is OVER.

This is guilt trip 101. As more information comes out, it becomes clearer that the big three don't deserve the taxpayers' help. The most we can do is to send these too many auto workers back to school and move on to better things than making cars nobody wants to buy. They have ignored customers' needs for too many years. They should blame themselves for their own failures.

Blood on THEIR hands? The blood is on the hands of a company who has run out of customers. Everyone has their cars and the facts are most families don't need to purchase a new one. Invest the companies money in new ideas, new fuels, and more efficient vehicles. If you sell us something new or something we need we will buy it. Stop pumping out the same restrained vehicles with altered designs and give the people something worth buying. It should not be the taxpayers burden to bail you out when you are the one who has lost ideas on how to make money

How is it that if auto-industry ( or banking or oil industry ) is having record profits, its never "gifts in our hands", but if they're down, its "blood on our hands " ?
Also, these 3 beggars from GM, Ford and wherever fly corporate jets to beg for money. I think we (viz. the Senators) should remove these bungling mismanagers and replace with others of our choosing.
Lets see how they feel then when their jobs are in jeopardy and they have no "golden parachutes"

The Detroit Free Press is a rag.

Businesses succeed because people want to buy their stuff at the price offered. Detroit's cars are both undesirable and overpriced, and have been for at least 30 years. It's not complicated.

..Right.. if the Automakers go out of business the blood will be on hands of Congress, because, presumeably the hands of their CEO's or the AUW had nothing to do with any of this?

Thomas – ditto

No car payment should exceed $250/month…..

@ Thomas,you can come out of the cave now.If you cant find a car out there,your probably not old enough to drive yet or be on the computor without permission.

OK, so if people won't buy a car from a company that declared bankruptcy, what makes the automakers think people would buy a car from a company on life support? A company that needs billions from the government just to survive, is a company that i would never do business with. These companies will receive their bailout and both GM and Chrysler will be at the table next year begging for more cash. Ford has shot at survival because they saw this coming and made a few changes. GM and Chrysler are dinosaurs, overburdened with ridiculous union contracts, and vehicles that are no where near the reliability of foreign vehicles. I love how GM dodged the question asked by congress that if they got federal cash, can they guarantee they move a plant to Mexico. Nice tap dancing GM.

sent them packing
there cars are second grade junk
who will buy them?
not me i did and still paying for repairs

Solution: better vehicles, cheaper vehicles, safer vehicles, better financing, better fuel economy, less maintenance.

BIG 3 its your own fault selling the junk crap you call cars . and then you have to take that same pc. of junk to the car mehcanic who is going to take you for a ride when it comes to repairs "HE IS GOING TO RIP YOU OFF. why in the hell do i have to pay $60 for a mechanic to tell me something or whats wrong w/ my transmission BEFORE you fix it .AND THE MAJORITY of the time the mechanic is LIEING. AND BILLING YOU 700 DOLLARS WHEN HE ONLY PUT IN A $ 15 DOLLAR SENSOR IN YOUR TRANSMISSION………………. AIN'T THAT RIGHT AAMCO TRANSMISSION. don't take your car their. that 85 $ free promo they got is a ripoff just to get you in the door. go to h…………. big 3 i'll think I'll go foreign next time

Rush doesnt have blood on his hands,he loves the people of Detroit.Poor Rush Limbaugh,he has a cold today and is running out of talking points too.We all hope its nothing worse of course,maybe he ate some crow last night and is still gagging today,or maybe it was some counterfeit medicine.

Obama's mother was from Kansas, that makes him a US citizen, just the same as any military kid born overseas when their parents are stationed there. Some people just can't accept the facts. McCain wasn't born here in the US either, yet they weren't challenging his citizenship.

Torture is immoral under any and all circumstances, no matter if it is performed by a criminal or a government – it is un-American.
Obama was elected by a large majority of voting Americans and he is to be our next President. To the right-wing-nut-jobs ~ please just go away and enjoy yourself following the circus that is Palintology.
We can't afford to loose any more industry here in the states, do we want to be a nation of money changers? Save what we can at all costs – buy American. Avoid buying the cheap Chinese plastic crap.

As much as I hate the thought of bailing out the Big 3, I'm not sure we can just turn our heads and walk away. It's not the Big 3 that worries me as much as the thousands of small businesses and multi-thousands of employees all down the line that will suffer. The automakers don't "make" their own tires or seat cushions or floor carpet or sound systems or headlights or any number of pieces of auxillary equipment…. it's all bought from some supplier down the line. If the automakers go belly up, then those folks down the line will all be out of jobs too. Even if the automakers do a bankruptcy reorganization, the exisiting creditors will end up eating whatever is currently owed them. That's the kind of "blood" we're looking at— all the folks down the line who don't work for the automakers but whose jobs, salaries, livelihoods, are all tied to the survival of the automakers. I don't think we can turn our heads & walk away. We have to find a way to shore the automakers up (call it a bailout if you want) in order for, not only them but, all the supporting business owners & employees down the line to survive.
No matter what we do or who we do it for (AIG, banks, automakers, whoever), all these programs need to be structured so that these companies have to ultimately pay this money back to the government.

CIA: Close guantanamo and ban any form of torture. I cannot believe we ever had guantanamo. What a shame to America and our Democracy we claim to have.

Barak Citizen: This is completely BS. You think he got into the Senate in the first place without proving he was a citizen? He won. Face it. Stop trying to bring up these dumb accusations when our country needs some serious leadership. Its deplorable these people are still trying to find ways to discredit him. Cmon people grow up the election is over.

Big 3 Bailout: These companies are not effective and have bad leadership. It is thier own fault they are in the mess, let them suffer.

My Solution to all those losing thier jobs: The government should take the $34 million and instead of giving it to these crooked companies, START NEW COMPANIES THAT BUILD NEW CARS WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY! Employ all the former big 3 employees in these new companies. Now you've kill 3 birds with 1 stone : Energy crisis, Climate change and unemployment. Why has no one thought of this????

Please Blood is already on the Big 3 Hands and the banks. Stop it with scare tactics. I went to a bank today to consolidate my high interest loans. You know what they said, i could refinance my home (eating up my equity of over 20k) and no other options because some of my balances to high. They would also double my current interest rate. i said "Thanks but no thanks". So congress tell the big three to make it on their own, just like every other American has too.

Obama was born in Hawaii, stop it with the sour grapes. He won, live with it.

Bail out the auto industry? Polls shows the people do not want it. But Obama has taken lots of corporate donations (funnelled through "individuals"). It will be interesting to see who he listens to.

To the Detroit Free Press:

The economic blood is on the UAW's and Congress' hands. America can live without an American auto industry that has become simply a fundraising machine for the UAW and the DNC.

Let me see if I understand this correctly…

Detroit's Big Three automakers build shoddy poorly-designed products that people won't buy and have been doing so for generations, all while being held at gunpoint by the UAW, and as a result their companies are quite literally "in the toilet."

Now all of a sudden, IT'S THE CONGRESS who will have blood on its hands if it chooses not to invest in and prop up Detroit's Big Three "Buggy-Whip Makers." What exactly am I missing in all this?

To quote the guy in the movie Zoolander, "I feel like I'm taking crazy pills."

They did it to themselves. Let them bite the bullet – it's inevitable anyway – they are not going to be able to sustain.