Show us a plan, Congress tells automakers

Detriot and co planted their swords long ago with their anti-public transport lobbyists, refusal to invest in alternative energy, strident opposition of new fuel efficiency standards and general short-sightedness about changing consumer attitudes, (sorry, changing a color and name of a vehicle : lipstick on a pig).

As said, they planted their swords, time to fall on them.

Reality is that the $25 billion is really just to pay the contractual costs of reducing personnel. The big 3 have such burdensome contractual obligations through the unions that they can't even afford to downsize in order to cut costs. We would probably be better off having a bankruptcy court rewrite those contracts and restructure the companies. Bankruptcy can save GM and Ford, but at their current burn rates $25 billion is gone in a year and the companies still won't be profitable. Ford is salvagable, but GM should just be split up and sold off along its car company lines... Saturn and Cadillac could be salvaged, maybe a couple other lines. Since Chrysler went private it is hard to say where they are headed.

No one wants to the Big Three fail, but let's be reasonable, they have done whatever they wanted for ever and it has come back to bite them in the butt. The unwillingness to pursue electric or hybrid cars has left our boys scurrying. Perhaps now Detroit will tell the oil companies "good bye"

The sad reality of all this is that we have to bailout an industry that continues to make poor choices and bad decisions with its own business practices. However, do we risk almost 2 million people either losing their jobs or being effected by this because the government does absolutely nothing? Let's see what these idiots come with during the holiday break. I'm willing to bet that it will be more of the same which will only delay the inevitable.....The American auto industry will more than likely have to consolidate and merge with one another or end up out of business all together. This includes retooling its factories and not building cars that cost over 100k that can only get 8mpg. It's about time these guys got a clue. Let's just hope Congress doesn't wimp out on this and holds these companies accountable for what they've done to that region and this entire country!

I had a small folk art painting company that went under...Can you please send me a bailout. $500K would make me happy...Cash no check!

Perhaps part of that plan will involve selling their fleets of private jets - which they used to fly to the hearings at 20K a pop. GM has 8 including one valued at $36M. Thanks Brian Ross for the great reporting at ABC! Time to throw these out of touch losers out on the street and get some real managers who have a clue about running a competitive business.

Personally, I would rather bail out E Marie Noonan's folk art painting company than bail out this country's auto industry. I think that Ms. Noonan would use her $500K in a more thoughtful and efficient way than the Big ( or is that shrinking ) 3.

The only ads I see from this country's auto (should be called truck/SUV) industry are for the heavy trucks and SUVs. When they start advertising, oh, I suppose they have to make them first, economical, fuel-efficient cars, I may pay attention to their cries.

Another Globe "Name that Party" article -

DEMOCRATIC congressional leaders announced this afternoon.......

Congress and the Senate know very well the majority of the intelligent American people do not want this bailout given without a major restructuring. The US Auto is a money pit in need of a major overhaul that only bankruptcy can impose. Bankruptcy doesn't mean lost jobs it means restructuring to become profitable again. Let the Bankruptcy Court take down the UAW!

Controlled Bankruptcy!!!!! Mitt has it right! "Change we can believe in"!

Too many models of cars and labor rates too high for the public to afford your products. Remember Henry Ford and the mass production idea to cut costs. Make more fuel efficient affordable cars and the public will crowd your showrooms. You have priced yourself out of business. Also noticed you are paying more for health care than you are paying to build cars. Correct your problems.

The democrats are worried about a plan. Where were they when Bush drove us into Iraq-there was no plan and the dems did not bother to ask for one.
Give it to Detroit because if you don't the population of Chicago or LA (sans suburbs seeking a downtown) will be out of work nationwide. Really, dems and repubnants, it's only the cost of 2.5 mos in Iraq.

SHARE THE WEALTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let them fail. Let the foreign car manufacturers buy them out and run them. They are a helluva lot better at making cars than those idiots!. And they know what kind of cars we want and listen to us. These antique jokers are flying around in private jets while the company goes under!!!? I remember the 70's and the Big Auto giants doing absolutely nothing to assist middle America with their needs way back then. They've had 40 years to get it right and they have FAILED miserably. NO BAIL-OUT!!!!

Should the American taxpayers pay $110k per employee at GM to get them take a hike? I don't think so. If they want the money then the gov't should get the company.

First every executive in the auto industry needs to renounce in writing any golden parachute. Then the executive salaries need to be cut back to a reasonable level. Then the jet fleets need to go.

Let me get this straight, the automakers submit a plan to Frank and Dodd? Are you kidding me, these guys have no business sense what-so-ever. Frank is guilty of causing the sub-prime crisis which got us in this mess and Dodd took a sweetheart loan from Countrywide on his primary residence. If there is a plan to be submit, let it be submitted to individuals with an ounce of credibility and professional responsibility.

There is absolutely no reaslon to reward bad corporate behavior and results with a bailout. They hold the public hostage when they talk in a fearmongering way. Let them go bust. Like the aftermath of a natural disaster their will be a natural rebirth. The corporate leadership who have become our Royalty have screwed up so badlly that they should be at work managing a car wash in Clebeland (with my apologies to Cleveland!)

You want capitalism? You got it. This is capitalism at its finest. If you allow your company to be pulled around be a money grubbing union like UAW, that's what happens. Funny how the auto companies in America not associated with UAW are doing just fine.

Excuse me for not wanting a bailout that will only delay the inevitable for six months so the execs can fly around in their private jets and their employees can get paid to sit at home.

Don't worry UAW - "present" Obama is on his way to bail out you and everyone else who supported his campaign.

Change you can believe in.

If there's a fire water it down rather than pouring more fuel to it.It can rebuild properly with the new plan.

1) UAW needs to give concessions to preserve the industry that employs them.
2) The Big Three CEO's need to create an overall industry plan to revamp the american auto industry and satisfy Congress in order to receive the $$ help.

Problem solved, American auto industry saved. Get to work.

Submit a proposal to Barney Frank.... ugh.

I cannot believe that idiot is so influential in this mess. We are really doomed.

Auto industry is going to fail and it's really going to ripple through the economy.

But, what's the alternative really.? We are coming out of this a two class economy, rich and poor. I hope I can stay in the rich side.

Even though I work in Sales at a GM dealership, and am directly affected by the slowdown in sales, I believe the best thing that could happen to all the so called "Big 3" would be for them to declare themselves bankrupt.
They need to begin listening to their customers, and asking their Sales Staff what their customers are telling them, re-organize, get out from under these punitive Union Contracts, tell their fat cat retirees to go get a job because the gravy train was derailed, and concentrate on building the vehicles the public wants.
As well, they should have one van, one or two trucks, and a few cars, and not give each division their own cloned version of every vehicle.