I absolutely agree that the U.S. auto companies need to be restructured, downsized, focused, whatever words you want to describe the massive change that needs to occur to them. My only arguments have been how that is accomplshed. A free market approach--let happen what will happen, let them fail and go out of business--will have a disastrous impact on both the U.S and the world economies. Such failures will dramatically deepen and prolong the economic recession we're entering.

The re-structuring of the U.S. auto companies must be done in a controlled way. If it can be done with a quick bankruptcy, they could probably survive that. But they cannot survive a prolonged bankruptcy, so the alternative seems to be a government bailout of some kind.

My arguments are not to save the auto companies and all that is wrong with them. I'm arguing to save the rest of our economy and the impact that a lengthened and deepened recession will have on all of us.