One of my reasons for supporting some kind of bailout is this:
Originally Posted by Joe Keegan
I believe that the USA needs a manufacturing base for national security purposes. We can't afford to lose those skills. We also need engineers and that profession will go where there's manufacturing and need for their expertise.
There are certain industries that are necessary to have at home, and vehicle production is one of them. I believe that there is room for niche markets (e.g. the Tesla) to produce eco-friendly vehicles, but encouraging the same from the major manufacturers is something that will help us all in the long run. In addition, that capacity can be used to develop other "people movers" and innovation that only the "big guys" have the capacity to engineer/support (think R&D). That they have failed to do so sufficiently is, in my opinion, obvious. As with the banks, I HATE that taxpayer money is going to support poor planning and management, but it is the cost of allowing too much of the employment base to be in particular industries. By the way, I believe that these fixes will only slow, not prevent, the collapse of the industrial base. But, it will be sufficient, I hope, to give the employees time to find new career paths.

A well reasoned argument is like a diamond: impervious to corruption and crystal clear - and infinitely rarer.

Here, as elsewhere, people are outraged at what feels like a rigged game -- an economy that won't respond, a democracy that won't listen, and a financial sector that holds all the cards. - Robert Reich