Public split over expensive federal auto rescue
Public split over expensive federal auto rescue Save Email Print
Washington, D.C.
Posted: 7:13 AM Nov 21, 2008
 Last Updated: 7:13 AM Nov 21, 2008
 Reporter: The Associated Press
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Public sentiment reflects the congressional stalemate over whether to toss the major U.S. automakers a $25 billion life preserver.

A Gallup Poll shows 49 percent of Americans oppose giving federal aid to the ailing Detroit Three, even if they're close to collapsing. Forty-seven percent support the idea.

If one of the manufacturers was certain to fail without the aid, the number backing Uncle Sam's help edges up to 56 percent.

Legislation providing a $25 billion loan for General Motors, Ford and Chrysler has stalled in Congress.

The poll of 1,009 adults had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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Posted by: Z Location: Indiana on Nov 22, 2008 at 08:26 AM
Scott - If you cannot see the impact the UAW has had on the Big 3's financial situation, you are blind. The CEO's are not attacking the union at the moment because the UAW president was sitting right next to them in front of congress begging for a handout, eh... I mean loan that will never be paid back. Once this short lived alliance is over with they will go right back to the poor under privileged union workers vs. the big powerful evil auto companies mentality the unions brain wash their members with.
Posted by: Scott Location: Michiana on Nov 21, 2008 at 04:17 PM
Z, This is not another 'bailout' this is a loan from the feds. This is part of the money that was to supposed goto banks to free up loans. The banks didn't free up any money so the big three had to ask the loans to be direct from government. If you really think union contracts have any significant part in this you are in disagreement with the big three's CEO's who have not even mentioned the unions thus far. If anything these contracts have helped them because it allows the companies to make cuts to all blue collar workers. This loan will ge the company to 2010 when the cuts the employees agreed to take come into effect. If you are against unions move to Mexico where they are illegal. See the kind of income you would make, even you whatever you do benefit from a middle class, created by those same unions you attack.
Posted by: BTH Location: SBN on Nov 21, 2008 at 12:08 PM
Maybe when these automakers use a modern business model and learn to run efficiently I'd feel a little more sympathetic.Why do they pay some fool 80K a year to plug in headlights?
Posted by: Z Location: Indiana on Nov 21, 2008 at 09:03 AM
It's unfortunate how many jobs would be impacted by any of the big three going under but this bailout is a bad idea. These companies have been in poor financial shape for a long time now and this recession is just speeding up the inevitable. Is the $25B going to instantly return them to profit? Very unlikely. A year from now they'll just get back in line for another bailout. The additional costs to these companies due to union contracts prevent the big three from making a profit. Honda, Toyota, Subaru, and other "foreigners" employ several thousand Americans without the need of a union. Why aren't Toyota or Honda asking their government for a bailout? The UAW's fingerprints are all over the gun that killed the GM, Ford, and Chrysler.

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