As for the new hires at GM, the hourly wage is $14-15/hr compared to the current employees who make around $28 an hour. Granted it beats minimum wage, but $15 x 40 hrs a week for 50 weeks is only $28,000 before taxes. So a family man better have his wife working too if they want to be considered middle class. Most factory jobs now require a 2 year degree.

Just think without the loans to GM and Chrysler around 3,000,000 jobs would have been lost. That includes suppliers and the effect even on Ford. Then there are retail businesses, bars, restaurants, schools, etc..