Is this truly the 'American' way?

Don't know which of the two choices you have offered would enjoy an "upper hand" if the government provides bail out funds but I do know who Obama's government will eventually support WHEN (not if) the final decision will be to bail out Detroit; and that happy recipient of government intervention would most certainly be the members and leaders of the auto workers union. The democrats are deeply in debt to unions all across the U.S.; and, auto workers are just the first of many unions that may eventually enjoy manna from the U.S. treasury via American taxpayers. GGpap.

Yup the real winners would be the union bosses.

This bail out will occur. Nancy Obama & Borack Pelosi are firmly behind it. Why would we question the logic of this gift to corporate America? Obama has made campaign promiseses to support main street not Wall Street. Besides all of the other tax reductions for big business labeled bail outs that Obama has supported have worked so well. Change is coming...change you can trust. Again I hope President Elect Obama will become a great leader. But if the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, we may have truly screwed the pooch on this one. However, we do still have the audacity of hope....

why do so many people not realize that Toyota and Honda are also unionized except here in the home of trailer park south. By the way toyota treated their Mexican workers so shabby they went union also. So get a grip folks, if you are happy that your wages are so high, please tell your boses you don't need a raise this year, rather, the boss should go ahead and get the spouse another new benz. OOPS I forgot the BENZ is being made in china now. OK tell em to get a new VW. OOPS they are made in china too. Well tell them to just pick up any old Chinese import, they are obviously better than cheaply made american products.

with the failure of the American automobile market, the trickle-down effect will result in not only automobile company employees losing their jobs, but many other thousands of other employees working for manufacturing companies that produce parts for the auto industry. With the losses of those jobs, of course their will be less money spent at retail companies, grocery chains, and other consumer goods, leading to the elimination of a multitude of other jobs. Basic economics, if you went to high school.

Palomino9: You stop your analysis too short. Yes in the short run that will happen. However, auto companies other than the Big Three will expand their U.S. auto production to meet U.S. demand. Doing this will in itself create an infrastructure that will support those lost jobs. So any such "trickle-down" effect will be short term only. Basic economics, if you went to high school.

14Putt, since tou think the financial crisis our country is in falls squarely on president-elect Obama's back, what do you suppose McCain would do differently had he been elected?

You bet your bazzooka the big three will receive a bailout, the new Prez when he arrives and his gal pal Nancy and others will be glad to pass the bucks they don't want their kneecaps broken
But it amazes me how some people think our economic melt down will be saved by injecting gazillions of dollars into Detroit. And that bull malarky they are trying to sell you to justify the bailout is just stinky poo. More of their products are outsourced than they care for you to know about. Check the origin of the next part you buy for your old jalopy from AutoZone or some other vendor.

First and foremost, foreign auto companies shouldn't even be on our soil. And Detroit is about as pro-American as they come. And they should get a $12.5 billion bailout. As for the rest of the $687.5 billion of the bailout money, that should be sent to us. Wall Street shouldn't get a penny of it.

Willistontownsc: Why should they not be on our soil? What in the Constitution outlaws that? I look forward to whatever screwball logic you come up with.