Bailouts

I wrote a few days ago about the bailout of auto makers. If it weren't for the fact that its regular workers who would be getting screwed, I'd be against the bailout.

A Personal Side Note:
In my life, my mother would help me out if I followed her rules and was accountable to her for every penny, etc. Which is why I've asked my mother for help rarely, and never for any significant sum. (In all honesty, my mother has been generous with Christmas and birthday presents though.)
I learned to live with my mother's philosophy, essentially - you made your bed, you have to sleep in it. Its true - its my fault for getting into trouble and I'll have to pay the consequences.

That's an easy philosophy when no one else is involved. Nobody else depended on me for money or jobs or support. So, I dealt with it.

When I was in my early 20's my Grandmother bought me a bookcase that I like, and still use. While talking afterward, she kind of whined that I should get my hair cut. "Won't you get your hair cut?" "For me?" When I told her I didn't want to get my hair cut, she said that if she'd known that, she wouldn't have bought me the bookcase. That exchange, while not the first time it had happened - nor the last, is the one I remember that describes the relationship between money and control in my house. And why asking for financial help is my last resort. (My Mom and Grandma are good people - they just learned that money is control and passed it on to me. And, individually, it is. I have control over my own destiny when I can afford it. But, I wouldn't want to use money to get what I want from people.)

So, my personal feelings color my public feelings about bailouts. You made your bed, you lie in it.

But, I also understand, that at this point, I'm not sure our economy can stand having a lot of unemployed people in one region of the country.

I don't know what the right answer is.

My only solution is to do what my mother did - if we give them money, they have to follow our rules for running the company.

I'm also concerned that the government not artificially support an economic model or a product that is no longer in the country's best interest, just to save a job. We asked forestry workers to find new jobs when a lot of them were laid off to save the spotted owl. Maybe its time we asked automakers to find a new industry.

If we do bail them out and we have some say in how they run their business, its a good idea to require automakers to create cars that are fuel efficient beyond our current standards.

Anyway - as usual, I don't have an answer, only considerations and conflicting points of view.
And I didn't write about it all that well, either.