That's crazy. When did it suddenly become evil for a person (or a company) to want to take a risk and earn a reward? The problem is bailing out people who took extreme risks, made horrible business decisions, spent money they didn't have...and now that those actions have led to failure...they are being 'prevented' and protected from failing. Insane! The US economy is far bigger than GM or Chrysler...let them earn the failure they deserved. Greed has nothing to do with poor business, so stop the left-wing "hate those who make money" propaganda please.

Boy it is easy to blame the Unions for everything that is wrong with business. Greed is the problem and the Auto Industry is as guilty as the Banking Industry.

Please don't forget the positive impact on the environment by getting rid of the gas-sucking clunkers.

Vote 'em out & vote in reps who will vastly reduce our govt size & obligations domestically and overseas

Nothing is going to change with GM or Chrysler until the culture at those companies changes. With most of the foreign automakers, most of the profits are put back into R & D to make newer and better products. For GM and Chrysler most of the profits go to the excessive executive salaries, golden parachutes and cadillac health plans and pensions for the employees. Until that changes, they will be begging for more in no time. I don't want to see them fail, but until they help themselves, I can't feel sorry for them and don't think they should be getting bailed out in any way, shape or form.

Clark,once again you and your right wing buddies don't mention that the profits of Foreign car co's go overseas. Keep up the good work we don't need their money to stay in America.Another 13,000 jobs lost because of the Saturn deal that didn't work.You never did have anything good to say about American cars anyway.

Without exception, next election all those in Congress and Senate are given walking papers. This is the most insane bunch we have ever had.

Who here honestly thought these bailouts would work?

Who is going to take responsibility for this?

I'm just so angry about these bailouts I wanna fricking scream. And on top of that 80+ billion we had "Cash For Clunkers," a smaller bailout on top of the big one. It was also a form of welfare to those who used it. Who took advantage of CFC? People who could ALREADY afford to buy a new car! What kind of program was that!? I'm a working-class guy who is lucky enough to live in a nice upper-class neighborhood, and all around me I have neighbors who used CFC to trade in their old beaters to grab a new third or fourth car with the discount. It also moved some dealers inventory but it did nothing spectacular, the only some dealers praised it was after they finally got paid by our government they wanted another. There was talk about another before the news of it's absurdity came out. Now we have a "Cash For Appliances" coming next month, so all the people with money can get discounts on a new appliances. I now have a vain in my head hurting, must stop.

Until we rid these politicians out of congress and start electing THIRD PARTY candidates, we will continue this TWO-PARTY dictatorship. We are an embarrassment to our forefathers and the world!

You just have to accept that the members of the UAW are far more important than you are. Their "gold plated" health care, pensions and other perks must take precedence over the well being of you and your family. Nobody wants to hear you whine about you and your spouse both having to work full time to make ends meet. Suck it up. Maybe get jobs for your kids. The union members deserve every penny of those billions. No, no, no...wrong; they should not be held accountable for helping run the US automotive industry into the ground. All this reap what you sow nonsense is just ignorant. They voted for the anointed one. That is surely worth billions of your money. Another side benefit of keeping you working half the year for the government and forcing your kids to go to government schools is that you will not have time to pay attention to the fact that the US is headed toward bankruptcy.

$81 Auto Bailout fiasco resulted in mostly American vehicles turned in to purchase mostly foreign replacements. Only the government is capable of such a costly debacle, and incorrectly proclaim it a success.

To a certain degree, Dave55 is right; if the government did nothing, the financial system might have collapsed and we might have a depression right now. China is still lending to us, because they have too much to lose right now.

But, what about next time? Another Old Guy's prediction might very well happen because China is phasing out of US dollars. In fact, the Chinese are smart enough to start buying TIPS. They too see inflation skyrocketing in the future.

I hate to say this, but America is the dead horse. And one day, China and Japan might stop urinating their money away. When I read that the FDIC needs to borrow money from "future fees", scared the heck out of me.

So what to do? Of Another Old Guy's prediction comes true, how does one make money? I have no idea. Gold is fine as a hedge, but it's not an investment. My friend half-jokingly told me to convert to Chinese Yuan and buy a home for retirement in China.

The initial bailout supported by Bush and added to by Obama was drafted in a time of unprecedented calamity in the economic markets. The thought of not only all the major banks, but also a pillar of American capitalism failing all at once would have been a true catastrophy that would take DECADES to get out of. The govt. simply had to get ahead of this tsunami with massive deficit spending. There was no other rational choice. Nobody wanted to do it except the paid lobbyists and lawyers who clean up no matter who pays them. It's crazy, but when we talk about 81 billion, its chump change compared to the bank and stimulus waste showered on the states by Uncle.

Tonight another nail in the coffin. Saturn is down the tube. Wasn't that a none union company?
I think the clunkers program was a ploy to get the inventory off the dealers lots. I think those new cars were being financed by the banks and it was a dangerous situation all around.
I now see very few new cars on the dealers lots.
I think the congressmen are embarrassed by the money they are making from the wealthy lobbyists.

Welcome to socialism wrapped in polocies (yes, these are policies by Pelosi government) with fuzzy math. Let's find better President and Speaker than the last two we had next time.