The government goes to GM with some kind of objectives list for an alternative energy vehicle, says develop this car and build us a million of them. They could then use x number of cars for public service while either reselling the rest or even giving them away to randomly selected taxpayers… whatever they want to do is fine with me.

This way you’d get a type of direct government intervention that more-or-less operates within the scope of the free market.

The truth is, look at the Saturn Astra, WTF, it’s a good car, got great reviews and is selling very well in Europe, but WHY OH WHY would you bring it here under the name “SATURN” which is synonymous with women’s car and has been for quite some time. Another example, remember the Cadillac Catera?
It was NEVER meant to be branded as a Cadillac, but instead should have been a Chevy, but once again, horrible marketing and poor branding have paid off with a car that sold well in Europe and is actually good, but was killed here.

GM needs to not get bailed out, they need to be forced to pay for their mistakes by sucking up their pride and admit that their US division is a disgrace to the Auto industry.

I am optimist, yes government CAN! Actually look at any government institution, except military, and imagine that it works! Military does work very well, except it is a bit expensive. Well, it works.

@bauer100,
Loans are not given, because business practice is guarantee of not repayment. With 3 years of losses and deterioration of financial stability, banks are not insane to give loans (well they are not insane any longer). Very same banks are not constraining Honda, Toyota or Nissan in N.A.

The US government, as some of you argued so eloquently in those threads over the weekend, can not and should not take over US auto production. We’d be better off letting Toyota acquire GM than having the US Gov run it. There would be a clear and obvious conflict of interest between the US and state governments — who make a LOT of their revenue from taxing, controlling and regulating auto ownership and use — being the same people who make the cars. That’s like putting tobacco farmers in charge of cigarette taxes, it has too much potential for abuse.

Case in point: the government has spent $150 billion on bailing out AIG alone (1 company!), which is 3 times the amount the entire U.S. auto industry has asked for, and AIG’s stock is not trading at $0. .

I don’t know where these financial companies find their “analysts,” but they sure don’t know much of anything. They should be embarrassed to employ such ignorant people making public statements.