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Possible auto bailout spurs anger, fear and hope
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Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (AP)
The biggest weight on the minds of Detroiters is what's to happen with the proposed government bailout of the ailing statewide auto industry.
With the outcome pending legislative action/inaction, Motor City residents are abounding in waves of mixed reaction, from fear and hope to overt cynicism. Even those directly or indirectly employed by the auto industry are jaded, embittered by damages done to them over the years.
Specifically, while everyone remains hopeful that things "will turn around for Michigan," they usually cite the Big Three's longtime habit of outsourcing local jobs and other debacles.
One resident, an airline pilot, specifically faults General Motors, adding that Michiganians may be incapable of summoning sympathy overall, "because GM has been shoveling jobs overseas for twenty years."
Other industry criticisms include careless executive spending and golden bonuses of the anointed few, while the rank and file repeatedly gets the short end. Placing the Big Three and all associated manufacturing jobs at risk due to management faux pas continues to rile people.
That bitterness crosses political lines and is mixed with anxiety. Many people dislike setting bailout precedents, having no fondness for government hands in the people's pockets in order to do so - especially when so many are hurting individually already. But, they invariably are anxious as to what lies ahead for our auto-centric state.
The Associated Press reports that the United Auto Workers union's legislative director Alan Reuther said, "There's a need for immediate action." He added that a smaller financial bailout offers one option, to be targeted for funding survival "through to March."
AP also quoted Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., as discussing negotiations for the bailout amounts, saying that potential action was "about getting enough votes to be able to solve the problem."
Any bailout would allocate funding from the Treasury Departments' Troubled Asset Recovery Program, or TARP.
The Senate Banking Committee's top Democrat, Connecticut's Sen. Christopher Dodd, meanwhile said on money.CNN.com that Republican support isn't sufficient to pass a bailout package.
Although some moderates have indicated they support it, other conservatives balk at "rewarding mismanagement."
Regardless of proposed action, most Detroiters' reactions range from cynical to bemused.
One autoworker's suggestion for industry improvement includes merging of "all three major automakers into one" to oversee less waste.
Another cites simmering resentment of residents about a bailout, adding, "The auto industry lies about money it needs, and the workers think it's the truth."
Still another hopefully ponders, "What if we all bought American again?"
Fears include subsequent government intervention and more burdens caused by inept leadership, such as that of the Detroit Public Schools.
Detroiters seem to be catching on to more than Not In My Backyard mentality. No matter where they sit opinion-wise, the concept is dawning that "free" government money is anything but.
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