Hot!

My 22 month-old son knows that there are consequenses to his decisions. If he touches the hot stove, it will hurt. If he acts up, we won't go to the park. And if he stops long enough to say please without throwing a temper tantrum for the truck sitting on the counter out of reach, he'll stand a lot better chance of getting it.

He knows this and yet his age is still counted in months.

Why is it then that the US auto manufacturers think that they can make a series of money wasting decisions, and be rewarded for it with a bailout by the government rather than filing for bankruptcy protection like so many other US companies have done this year and will do in the coming year? They point to marketing - or the loss of brand confidence by the marketplace.

Look at Delta Airlines. Delta took the opportunity to reorganize, refocus and get their act together. Today, they are now joined with NorthWest Airlines and are the largest airline. While I don't presume to be an expert in the automotive industry, I do think that we need a reality check in business, wherever in the world a business might be.

For an interesting article about the Big 3 discussion:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/opinion/10friedman.html?_r=1&emc=eta1