[Jon Igielnik]

According to a recent CNN poll, 61% of Americans oppose an automotive bailout. Sixty-one percent! My gosh people, is this really how we treat these companies that, over the years, have arguably done more for us than we have for them? I, for one, am appalled by my fellow Americans' lack of faith and it is this writer's humble opinion that the Big Three are indeed worth saving.

In any discussion of the American auto industry, I'm always the first person to say that I hate American cars, and it's true. The list of cars exempt from my hatred is a very short one: the modern pony cars, the Corvette and Viper and Chevy trucks. Still, I think it is imperative that we bail out the Big Three.

People have a lot to worry about, and chiefly, they can worry about where their tax dollars go. When faced with a decision on how to spend your hard earned money, it makes sense that most people won't want to save companies that fly their CEOs on private jets in these hard economic times. But, saving the Big Three isn't about giving Rick Wagoner another trip on his plane, it's about the people of America.

Auto workers. They are everywhere, yet their numbers don't even scratch the surface of the amount of people who risk job loss if even one player in the Big Three crashes. Think about every component that goes into a car, then remember that there is at least one person whose job it is to make sure that component is made, and gets in the car in the right place at the right time. White, blue and every other color of collar workers that exist will be at risk if we don't bail out the Big Three. It's as simple as that.

Also, I would like to point out that, though America is a great place, I'm not saying all of this solely out of patriotism. The reality is that while this may seem like rewarding poor management decisions and fairly weak innovation, (only over the past decade or so, which is nothing compared to the whole of the Big Three's history) the reward goes to the average Joes, who get to keep their jobs. In addition, the current management strategies and poor innovation must be stopped if this bailout is to be truly effective.

If not for the CEOs begging on their hands and knees, support this bailout for your fellow Americans. Ford, Chevy and Chrysler helped make this country what it was by offering quality automobiles at prices that - as Henry Ford wanted it - even the people who build the cars can afford. Yes, the Big Three have not made the best decisions as of late, but they deserve to be saved.

The Big Three are quintessentially American, and without them, I think this nation risks truly becoming a shell of its former self.

UPDATE: well, it seems that congress must somewhat share my point of view on the subject, as they have decided to bail out the Big Three to the tune of $15 billion. The money is a temporary fix to keep the automakers going (though Ford has said it will not be needing any of the money unless one of the other two goes bankrupt) until the problem can be re-examined under the Obama administration. Hopefully by then, the Big Three will have done the right thing and made their business models more compatible with the world of today, so they can truly earn the money we work to give them.