What do you think of buying out the automakers?

[Margies3]

Because Jeep is here in Toledo and is such a big employer, the president of Chrysler was in town yesterday. It was all over the news. Seems the big car companies are wanting the government to bail them out like they did the banks a while back.

What do you think about that? Good idea? Bad idea?

I'm really very, very torn about it.

On the one hand, I know alot of people who work for Jeep, Pontiac Motors, Buick, etc. and I know the kind of money they make. It's a very good wage! and in most cases, their benefit packages are better than most people I know who have alot more education. My brother's wages and benefits at Jeep are far above what Walt can make anywhere around here as a Civil Engineer. Actually, his benefits are better than my friends are - and she is a pediatrician!

I'm not saying that we should ask people to work for nothing, but I do think that the unions have brought some of this on by their continual demands.

On the other hand, our country is SO dependent on the auto industry, that to let them sink will be a huge mistake. If the auto industry goes down, it will affect so much more than the auto industry. It will affect all the suppliers to them, of course. And when all those people lose their jobs, it will affect the housing/building industry. And the retail markets. And then it will just keep trickling down. Even Walt's job will be affected. If people aren't paying taxes on the big bucks, then cities won't have money to do things like build new roads or new water-treatment facilities.

So what do you think? Should we bail them out? Do we even have a choice? What kinds of demands do we have a right to make on them if we do bail them out?