Automotive Bailout vs. the morons in Washington

[Feanor]

I'm not just worried about the impact of thousands of UAW jobs disappearing, but also the impact that will have the communities around those jobs. Think of just about thing that those UAW folks spend money on. Discretionary and staple industries feel the pain. It's all going to be cut, some of it almost to zero, all of it significantly.

On just the retail side of things -dealerships feed feed local business. They hire mechanics, lawyers, architects, engineers, plumbers, landscapers, accountants, salespeople, painters, IT folks, admin staff, car washers, security, etc, The trucking/transport industry relies on auto heavily. All taxable income which is needed to pay off the bank-bailouts

I have no idea how many people work at car dealerships in the USA, but I know a few years ago it was well over a million. I know my grandfather's employed 50+ people. When that business went under a lot of those people struggled to find other work. There's over 6000 GM dealers alone, 20,000 or so dealerships across the country. A few hundred thousand jobs disappearing doesn't help anyone. Most of those jobs aren't exactly super high wages either, but they feed people.

A few million unemployed people is going to reduce national productivity, put downward pressure on wages and upward pressure on taxes for everyone.

All true and I agree, Kex. But we, (US & Canadian taxpayers), should not be expected hand over money to NA automakers so they can repeat the mistakes of the past. Nor should we be expected to protect the wealth of their shareholders and UAW members. We need solutions that are detached from the self-interests of these groups: they made their mistakes and deserve the consequences.

The NA industry needs to be recreated with a strategic focus on reducing reliance on foreign energy and other resources, protecting the environment, and acknowledging the realities of global labor market.