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1. Comment by Carl Clegg on 22 December 2008:

   In 1939 the Tennessee Electric Power Company was nationalized. In 1971 Amtrak was nationalized. In 1976 Conrail was created to bailout a half dozen unprofitable rail lines. After 911, airport security was nationalized. This year Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were nationalized. And now we’re in the process of nationalizing the Big Three. In every case, the argument is made that these concerns are too big, too important to the economy, and too important to the nation to fail. Thus, what would not survive on its own, must be made to survive with the help of the government. In every case, however, we witness a disaster in progress. Ronald Reagan’ blasting of the Tennessee Valley Authority helped put him in the governorship of California; Conrail lost billions during its period of being government run; the TSA misses 60-75% of fake bombs brought through security and cost flyers and taxpayers nearly $7 billion / year. We still don’t know the full cost of nationalizing Fred and Fan but it will be in the billions. The point is: history has already shown us what a disaster nationalizing the Big Three will be. Why do we not learn from it.

2. Comment by Sean Hastings on 24 December 2008:

   Government does not learn from previous economic damage for the same reason that any parasite does not learn from the damage that it does to the host. The parasite has a replication path seperate from that of the hosts best interests. The host can live for a long time, weakened but not killed by the parasite, and for each host that does perish in service of the parasite, many more will have become infected.

3. Comment by SAW on 25 December 2008:

   I have to respectfully disagree with Mr. Boas, it is not that the U.S auto companies have not built the type of cars the people of the U.S. want, it is that they have not built the vehicles that special interest groups and the \\"politically correct\\" groups want. Actually GM outsold all of it\\\’s competitors. How could it do that if it made vehicles nobody wanted to buy. The actual problem is that the economy is so screwed up by meddeling politians with their failed policies that nobody can afford a vehicle, or want to spend any discressionary cash. It is true that when gas prices soared to over $4.00 per gallon, people stopped buying big vehicles, but the truth is, they stopped buying almost any vehicles. In addition, the media outlets have done everything they can to damage these companies and build up the foreign companies like Toyota. I have listened to one reporter after another talking up these foreign companies and not even mentioning the great vehicles the U,S, companies have created. It is the media that has damaged the U.S, companies reputations not their products.

4. Comment by Twba on 26 December 2008:

   GM failed because it was a health care provider that built cars on the side.

5. Comment by SAW on 26 December 2008:

   Though the measures that were put in place some 50 years or so ago are a problem, GM has not failed. Our government has failed by allowing unfair trading practices, continual intervention, and legislation that not only has screwed up our financial system but is making what is suppose to be a free-market system impossible for all businesses big and small to function and prosper.

6. Comment by RTF on 26 December 2008:

   The purpose of GM as a business is to make money for investors. They try to accomplish that by selling cars. It\’s clear that for several reasons GM cannot make money by selling cars.It is true that GM does sell many cars. However, they do not make money selling cars at competitive prices. How does the current bailout change that situation? It doesn\’t.

7. Comment by SAW on 27 December 2008:

   Number one it is a loan, that is expected to be paid back. Two, you are correct in saying they are not making money on cars but did you know that it is the SUV’s, which the media continues to bash has been their number one seller that HAS made them money as well as European models. And three, long ago, before Rick Wagoners time, implementation of UAW contracts not the vehicles that have been made and the present banking disaster which has lost the trust of the people to spend their hard earned money that has brought them to this point.

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