AutoMakers Bailout

We read these links today:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081204/ap_on_go_co/congress_autos
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/04/news/companies/senate_hearing/index.htm
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/12/04/the-big-3-1-and-the-b-word/

Are they kidding us? Just because the Big 3 went back to Washington in their hybrid cars instead of their personal jets, means we should now trust them? And Ford doesn't actually need the money, that it's "just in case"?

If we ran our business like them, would we get a bailout? NO. Mom and Pop stores, necessary for local small-town economies, are going out of business but can't qualify for a bailout. Hell, they can't even get a call returned.

We realize that the auto-makers have a lot of people depending on them: factory workers, parts suppliers, auto dealers, etc. But we, the taxpayers of the good ole US of A didn't mis-manage the businesses. THEY DID.

We are surprised at how our government is acting. Its socialism for the wealthy and capitalism for the general public. This bailout and these banks, insurance giants and and now automakers are making this out to be a joke, using our hard-earned taxpayer dollars to give false-props to bad business models.

Listen here, you elected people in Washington, you want to bail them out? Do this...

1. If you give them any money, take complete control in how it's spent.
2. Request the top 10 people in each 3 companies step down, with no bonus or payoff or severence, etc.
3. Require a complete disclosure of their books over the past 5 years, to be reviewed by an upstanding accounting firm and made public.
4. Require a management consultant team to oversee retooling the plants and complete operations. Give Frank Cogswell in Louisville, KY a try. He might come out of retirement.
5. See that their offers to reduce pay to $1 a year is followed through. Or if the top execs are replaced, make sure the replacements take only $1 a year.

That's how we feel.

Stop wasting our money and time. Focus on fixing this country and our economy, not placating old-town political supports who screw up again and again and again and....

You get the picture.

Oh, and once again, we plead for the termination of Paulson from his position. Really, get someone in that position who doesn't have people in his pockets or a political agenda.