Sir;... You see what they are doing... The right wants to crush the labor movement for once and for all... To do this they are willing to break every contract, to drive the auto industry finally into bankruptcy knowing it will not hurt the rich, but will kill the union... That; is within their power...Bankruptcy has been often used to break the union, to throw out contracts, or rewrie them... I cannot offer an opinion about whether they will get away with it... But I I were them I would consider the risk... People on top seldom consider to what extent they are allowed to be there, how much we allow forms like wealth and political power to exist only because they do not seem to injure us... Ultimately, it is trust, human trust that allows this, because no one can really form relationships with those they do not trust... The contract is just a piece of paper without the trust... A law book is just a book without the trust... The Constitution is only words without the trust... So, the contract should be trashed... Unions have never worked for workers, and have only worked for the capitalist class because they divided workers from workers, and so, made revolution impossible... If the weight of the retirees and the unemployed autoworker were thrown suddenly on the government it would break it, and bring it to its knees... If the government defaults on the obligations to the people that it has brought on itself, then it will never have their trust again... The capitalist don't deserve our trust, and the wealthy do not deserve our trust, and the law and constitution does not deserve our trust... But only they can teach that fact far and wide... I could preach it from the stars, and it would fall on deaf ears if the capitalist class did not prove it true with their own actions... Revolution is essential...That society that cannot renew itself with revolution is doomed to invasion... But no one will give up what they have for change... Only when they have nothing to lose by change can they change... Let the rich and the government take all, and as soon lose all... Let them destroy trust, forever... Amen...Thanks...Sweeney

While I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment expressed in Mr. Hightower's article that the refusal to loan the auto industry money is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt at union busting, I find it in poor taste to have an advertisement for Hyundai automobiles on the same page.

Bill Hohlfeld

Not only do they see this as an opportunity to bust the unions, but those millions of workers, now out of work, & benefits, will put unbearable strains on our social "safety nets", i.e. Medicare, Medicaid, etc. In my opinion, they see this as not only a golden opportunity to bust the unions, but to destroy the whole New Deal in one fell swoop.

Pat O'Connor

Yesterday, while watching Countdown, I heard that the foreign car plants in the U.S.
are subsidized by our government. Is this a fact?

I would like somebody to explain to me where Hightower get the figure of 8 trillion for the bailout. So far, from what I hear on NPR, only about 250 billion has actually been committed.

Re: Manny
I have seen a figure of $3.2 trillion. This includes money lent to the banks at a loss. When the fed cuts rates to 1% the Chinese do not step up to the plate and cut their rates to us. We, the taxpayer are making a loss at these low rates. Further AIG and Citi group have already got a bundle.
I heard today that the President of Meryl Lynch believes that he should get a $10 million bonus this year, because whilst his company lost $12 billion, many of his competitors went bust. So he has outperformed!

The GOP agenda, ever since Reagan if not before, is to turn the USA into a banana republic. They WANT 1% of the people to have 90% of the wealth, and they are really angry that there are peons earning good money who have rights in the workplace. Peons should shut up and obey Henry Frick: "people should obey the Christian gentlemen to whom God has given the direction of affairs in this country" (paraphrased). That has been the GOP mantra since the 1880's. May all who vote for them rot in Hell forever!