Thoughts on the auto industry bailout.

Folks in the United States and other parts of the world are closely watching the Congressional hearings about the automotive industry and the multi-billion dollar loan they are asking for in order to survive. This is especially true here in my hometown of Detroit, where so many people work for the Big Three, either directly or indirectly. The company that I work for is a supplier to all of them, primarily Ford.

I don't know what will happen in the next few months, but I'm sure that I will be affected in one way or another. I could get laid off, or even see the small company I work for go under. I hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, as they say.

CAL and I were discussing this last night, and what pisses both of us off is how the automotive executives are being raked over the coals right now, but when Wall Street asked for their $700 billion dollar bailout (not a loan, but a bailout), Congress barely uttered a peep, handing over the money with a minimum of conditions. We didn't even see these Wall Street executives on the news like we are with the automotive leaders. Who are these mysterious heads of Wall Street? What are their names? Why didn't they get a hard time for arriving in their privately owned corporate jets? What are they doing with the money? What steps are they taking to fix the credit crisis, and make sure it never happens again?

What the fuck? Why do they get a free pass while the automotive industry is being roasted like a rotisserie chicken? Where is their accountability? I'm not saying that the automotive industry should get a free pass as well, far from it. They should be held accountable. But so should the barons of Wall Street. It seems to me there's a huge double standard here...or perhaps the current auto industry barbecue we're watching is a diversionary tactic to get people to forget about Wall Street, who apparently can use Congress like a fucking ATM machine.

Who's really running this country?

Things I wonder.