Auto manufacturer's loan

Some additional pros and cons about an automaker loan (not all my thoughts - I watched C-SPAN this morning):

1. Auto manufacturing is the last manufacturing base in America.
2. If we attach strings to the loan we have leverage to make the automakers move quickly on alternative energy cars.
3. In the 80's Chrysler received a loan from the federal government. They paid it back more quickly than required, and the government got about 800 million extra dollars.
4. There is a 50 billion dollar infrastructure bill that the Congress is/will be looking at.
5. The automakers want a 25 billion dollar LOAN. Where would the money come from? Additional money from the government?, as part of the 700 billion already allocated to Treasury?, or can it be taken from an energy bill that is giving automakers money to retool for green type cars?
6. Automakers support communities and families. If they go under, the whole region is at risk. Not to mention the people who depend on the pension money.
7. Chrysler was bailed out by the Federal Government and still made a mess, so Mercedes Benz partnered (?) with them and even they gave up. So, now they want more money.
8. All the CEO's of the automakers flew to Washington to testify today and to ask for money. They flew here in private jets.
9. All these companies have been sending jobs out of the country all these years.
10. The management of these companies must be bad, otherwise they wouldn't keep getting in trouble.
11. It was the car manufacturers who scrapped the electric car - "Who killed the electric car?". So, they haven't built the kind of cars for the futre.
12. Apprently, their cars are not well made. I like my Ford car and haven't had any troubles, so I'm not sure what this is about. But, the American cars do have a reputation.
13. By 'bailing' out the automakers we're fighting the trend of competitive forces.
14. Its unconstitutional for America to selectively bail out some companies and industries and not others. The government shouldn't be making that choice.
15. Domestic manufacturers pay about $30/hour of fully absorbed payroll costs more than foreign car companies manufacturing in the US. The problem with the car manufacturers is their union contracts, and bad product mix. Bailing them out won't help.
16. One option is to let the companies go bankrupt, but (in order to keep customers from shying away from a bankrupt company) let the federal government warranty the cars or something like that.

I still don't know what the right answer is. As of this evening, it looks like the chances of a loan in the lame duck congress is slim. Henry Paulsen is against helping the auto makers. it didn't help when it got out that the CEO's used the private jets today.

Once again, we're left with some crappy choices.

I guess I gotta go with the best interest of the workers and advocate for the loan.
However, I wouldn't do it unless there are some really powerful strings attached related to energy efficient cars, and new management personnel and style, and bringing jobs back to America.

I don't know if I trust Congress to get a lot of concessions though.

Some people talked about letting the big 3 go bankrupt and support the smaller car manufacturers in the country. That would be okay, but I don't know who those car makers are.