GOP senators would destroy carmakers

The 700 Billion congress approved shouldn't have been approved and neither should any money for the auto makers. Small Business Owners employe the majority of Americans and no one is bailing them out. Do away with the unions and stop paying a line worker upwards of $80.00 per hour to install bolts on a car. Drop the price of cars like many of the other cars which are also now made in America including Toyota and Honda at a savings to the consumer of as much as $3,000.00. They can sell their corporate jets, get rid of the nice flowers on their conference room tables, reduce the millions in salaries to CEO's and the many Vice Presidents and bring line salaries into line with most hard working Americans. Just because the Congress screwed up with the help of the Republicans and gave money to the banks does not mean they should screw up again. Tax payer money was NEVER intneded to bail our private business in America and it shouldn't. All of these businesses have huge waists within their budgets and we are choosing to reward those who take unnecessary risks and waste money every day vs. those businesses who are successful and prudent with their money.

And....if they fail, they DESTROYED THEIRSELVES, neither congress or the GOP did anything to them. They can file for bankruptcy as do other businesses and then re-organize, which they need to do anyway and try to get it right this time.

Right on, As It Is! The UAW are unwilling to give an inch to help themselves and the Automobile management are wasteful and are paid too much in salaries and compensations. Concessions need to be made on both sides of the fence, and so far they are unwilling to do it. I also think the 700B bailout was wrong or at least should have had more strings of accountability attached to it.

Republicans? The automakers are failing because of poor management, loss of focus on making cars, union greed, inflated CEO salaries, unsustainable benefits packages and rampant stupid. Congress' main liability in this fiasco is constantly using the tax codes to manipulate the market to suit constituents.

i couldn't believe it when i heard that an autoworker who is laid off or loses his/her job gets unimployment benefits for 4 years at 85% of their pay......that's bull

Unless the Auto makers change their failed business model, the $15B will just be thrown down the same rat hole. All the GPO and many Democrats want is for the Auto companies to make the neccessary changes to ensure that they won't need another $15B a year from now. Is that too much to ask?

Mr Martin, the only job on which I ever got in trouble was in a union shop. Guess who I got in trouble with. That's right, the union! And can you venture a guess as to why I got in trouble? It was because I was working TOO FAST and making the union look bad. All this on my second day on the job. What does that tell you? It tells you that either I'm an extremely fast learner (which, if you knew me personally, is an oxymoron) or the union was padding the work of their members. It's just sad that these unions are now in existence for the purpose of relieving their members of resposibility rather than promoting true employer/employee relationships

I'm in agreement with all of you.....OMG, is it Christmas!!???

They are failing because of the UNIONS and their poor business decisions. The unions keep pushing for more and more and more to fatten their coffers regardless of the state of the economy. I DO NOT WANT MY TAX DOLLARS being used to help bail out the UAW and their cronies !

By the way, it is my SINCERE wish that all of you, who agree with me or disagree, have a very Merry Christmas, and a joyous and Happy New Year, even to you, PT, wherever you are!

Merry Christmas GAC and everyone else !

The unions are not necessary in this day and age. The worker is not getting $70 to $80 an hour on their check they are getting about half that, the rest goes to retirement fund, unemployment fund, and union dues. Back When unions started they were needed because you might have one place to work in a town and if they wanted to pay you unfair wages with dangerous work conditions you had no other choice. now there are laws that prevent unfair wages and unsafe conditions so unions are not needed anymore. if there were no unions and these workers were still making that much i'll bet there would never be a worker strike and if you told them they had to step up production and quality or lose their job(with no help from a bullying union) the worker would shut up and do a better job

I always wish everyone is happy with their life. (Sometimes I'm glad a lot of people are not in positions of power). Merry Christmas and all it implies in the way of good will to all who post here, even to the wrong people that disagree with me.

heck for 70 dollars an hour i would never complain and would work my [filtered word] off

J.Daniel, the American car industry has decided to build "fail points" into their cars since the mid-sixties. Before international competition we had no choice but to contend with the planned obsolescence. Now that the big 3 have painted themselves into a corner, it's time for some "get back". Some of the Dems and Repubs got together and told the big 3 they could lay in the bed they made.

how can the republicans block ANYTHING the Dems hold a majority in both houses, if it did not pass some dems must have voted against it .but do we chastise those dems?? NOOOOO blame it on the republicans

Noone: My base rates are above $70 an hour. And you're correct: I NEVER complain about my job. I agree with the comments above concerning the auto industry running themselves out of business, but I for one have never owned anything but GM vehicles and if it were possible, would only buy Made In USA goods. Unfortunately, the USA taxes the rich and business to excess, so profits are greater if manufacturing takes place overseas.

Gee Danny, I didn't know GM was the greatest manufacturing company in America. Well, I guess it's just a tear in the cosmic fabric that is causing GM and the others to go belly up and come to Washington on their private jets to beg taxpayer relief. What our reps, Republican and Democrat, should be doing is telling them, Wall Street, foreign governments, and lazy people that the days of handouts are over. You either produce something useful or starve. Sound hard? Good! Maybe then everyone will stop looking to government for a solution, although Obama seems to believe otherwise.

The unions including the UAW provide no service any longer. The unions now protect the workers who are caught sleeping, failed drug test and non performance. As a former union member I hated paying $60 a month for the union to protect a coworker who wouldn't perform his/her job.

Merry Christmas richmondcountyresident and justus4!!!!!

As a member of the far right who believes in guns and home schooling, I'm glad to see president-elect Obama move more to the right. Look like all the fears we had of Obama have gone with the wind. The only regret is that it gives Rush and myself less to complain about. HELLO! HELLO!

As a member of the far right, I fear more GW and his socialism. HELLO! HELLO!

I would bet if the UAW had caved in to the AL senators demands, The wages in TOYOTA would have fallen in less than a year. I believe that was the plan anyway. Yeah, get rid of the UAW and then all of them can start lowering wages to a level that is acceptable to management so that CEOs can increase. BTW where is the outrage by these same senators anout 700 Bul with no strings attached? No they are worried about leg irons on 14 Bil that would go to a worker. BTW for the idiots that don't have a clue unless RUSH tells them something, the UAW workers do not make $70 an hour, so get real. Thats like saying city workers made $70 an hour because we self fund our retirements for the city.

As a member of the far right who believes in guns and home schooling, I wish President-elect Obama a successful administration. HELLO! HELLO!

Dissssssssssman, if you haven't seen the outrage at the $700 billion it is because you are either blind or haven't looked.

Some of the blind and gullible continue to be blind and gullible.

As a member of the far right who believes in guns and home schooling, I can see the economy turning around already. We don't need GW socialism. HELLO! HELLO! For once I agree with the comedianne Rush and his call-in ditto heads. HELLO! HELLO!

on the payroll books alot of UAW workers do make $70 dollars an hour, however that is not their takehome pay. they barely make half of that the rest goes to retirement, unemployment insurance, and union dues.

As a member of the far right, I just want to wish President-elect Obama and his wonderful family a Merry Christmas. HELLO! HELLO!

The unions didn't cause this mess -- the Republican leeches did. And why in the hell are Toyota and Honda are on our soil anyway? They don't belong here! Send Toyota and Honda back to Tokyo where they belong!

It is a proven fact: women make more under unions than without a union. And considering the fact that women make even LESS money (per dollar) than they made in 1979 is reason enough to keep unions here.