Should Congress bail out the Big Three?

We've already discussed some of the reasons the auto companies say they should be bailed out, and a few of the reasons some people are against this idea. Here you see quotes from two members of Congress on the bailout. Which quote do you think is for the bailout and which quote do you think is against it? The top quote expresses a worry that many people have about the bailout. That is, if we bail out the car companies, will other companies want to be bailed out, too? And how do we decide which ones to bail out and which ones to let fail? Do you think the government should bail out other failing companies, too? Why or why not? Some people feel that the American car companies will probably fail anyway, whether Congress gives them $25 billion or not, because these companies have been run poorly. They say that the government should not reward bad performance. And they believe that if the U.S. car companies fail, they will have to reorganize and improve, or better businesses will take their place. Do you think the fear of failure could make the car companies work harder and do better?

The bottom quote expresses why some people support the bailout. They warn that if these companies fail, it will have a very bad effect on the rest of the economy, which is already suffering. They also say that the money would be only a loan, and that the companies would be required to do a better job than they have been doing up until now. What kinds of changes do you think the car companies should make? If you were in Congress, would you vote to bail out GM, Ford, and Chrysler?

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