Bailout for auto industry.

[sssteele]

What form, if any will the bailout for the U.S. auto industry take? I've given some thought to this and it seems to me that government "rebate" to U.S. citizens who buy "American cars" (that can be a bit tricky to define) would be a sensible alternative to giving cash or loan guarantees out. It would effectively create jobs, or prevent layoffs rather than propping up CEO salaries etc. Would the equivalent of 5-10% of the purchase price be enough incentive for many people to buy a new car?

 

[RNMOM]

Frankly I think this bailout thing is getting a bit much. Who bails us out when we make poor decisions?

What is wrong with the automakers cutting back, joining forces, revamping or whatever themselves? I have never understood why there have to be so many makes and models of cars in the first place. If they cut down the number of styles and concentrated on making fuel efficient cars or coming up with some new technology they could make it. A lot of Americans are loosing jobs, I understand that but bailouts will just allow business as usual to go on and it will eventually fail. We Americans are going to have to face the fact that we also will need to reeducate ourselves and be retrained for new jobs in order to continue our lives as we know them. Either that or we will lose what we do have. It is time we all think of the future instead of bemoaning the past.