Why no auto bailout

I've written why I'm against the auto bailout, and while it sounds similar to the Republican's view of the bailout, it couldn't be farther from the truth and them.

They're against it, but for all the wrong reasons. While the argument to let one of the big 3 automakers fail is what capitalism is about, both the successes and failures, and they're supporting something like that, they're blaming the wrong people, making the workers the excuse the companies failed and the reason the companies can rebound to profitability if they could reduce the costs of the employees' wages, benefits, and pensions.

The workers and the UAW has every right to be angry and expressing their anger at Republicans. As noted by one economist, isn't not fair or right to focus on the automaker-union contracts and not the wages, benefits and pensions of others in the companies, such as the white collar people and the company management. They don't focus on all the companies and their employees who supply all the parts and support to the automakers.

They focus on one group and Senator Corker is wrong. You can't blame the workers and the unions for all the troubles of the big 3 automakers. They simply made the cars at the wages and benefits negotiated with the company. They've earned it and deserve it, and they're not the problem. So, don't make them the scapegoat for your political purposes.

No one argues the differences in wagers, benefits and pensions between the big 3 automakers and all the foreign automakers making cars in the US. But those companies haven't been in the this country for as long as the big 3 and were here during the phases of huge corporate profit for the automakers who agreed to and signed the union contracts. They may have negotiated and compromised, but they still did sign them.

They gave the workers what they deserved and Congress does not have the right to take that harned earned wages, benefits and pensions on a whim, and demanding it be done within a year. You can't cut someone's salary by about 50% in one year and expect them to survive. If they agree to wage and benefit cuts, they have the right to negotiate them over years provided they get assurances of longterm jobs.

What I don't want to see is them being made to accept wage and benefits cuts in 2009-2010 to find the company close the plants to move the production to China or elsewhere in 2010-11, for the company to profit with the loans the taxpayers gave them. Remember Mr. Corker, you're playing with our money, not yours. We're paying the bills you pass and the President signs. We have rights to say how our money is spent and not spent.

You need to get real and remember that. Workers aren't the problem or the blame, and especially not the excuse. The companies share equal if not more blame for their arrogance about consumers and gas prices. They need to practice what they and you have preached all these years, capitalism has a price and cost, and it's not the employees.