The Auto Industry

I'm against the bailout. The business model of the companies is outdated and bankrupting the companies. What happens to small business when their business model isn't profitable? They go bankrupt, find out what worked and what didn't work, cut what didn't work and build off of what did work. Why do we think big companies operate any other way?

The companies need restructuring. I'm just wondering if there's a way to restructure without losing jobs or consumer confidence. From what I've heard, they are good cars (I drive a Nissan and no, I don't have an opinion on cars. I honestly couldn't care less). But will people want to buy them? Time will tell.

What I find extremely ironic is that our government is now attempting to "fix" a broken industry, all the while operating inside of a broken government. The principles of government I believe are still solid (some would call these the "fundamentals"), but what government is today is a far cry from the purpose it was created to serve. Take our tax code or "oversight" (I use that term very loosely) committees, different departments, lobbyists, etc. It's all patchwork and reactionary. Our economy is patchwork, it's not pure capitalism. As we've seen in the auto industry, the market (consumers) decided that they liked Toyota's cars better because of gas mileage, longevity, safety and overall style. There needs to be some consequences for business models that don't work. Example...

Growing up, did I honestly think, "Wait, wait, wait Mom, you can't afford that! Really, I don't need that for Christmas." Of course I didn't, it wasn't my money. I had no real appreciation for the hard work that she did to earn that money. I didn't know any better. I trusted her to make the decisions that were best for me and the rest of the family. And you know the strange thing? She swears we weren't well off, but we never went without. No one ever called us under privileged. We loved our '86 and '90 Toyota first cars. The '86 one even broke down because a screw fell out. Did Jason get mad when he had to call a friend to drive all the way to Andrews to fix it? NO, it was a memory. Did I get screaming mad when my car all of a sudden started honking uncontrollably when no one had ever told me my car had an alarm on it? Absolutely not... we all laughed while we covered our ears. The government has no reason to be smart with money because if they spend it all, at the end of the day they still get their checks.