To paraphrase a Rush Limbaugh axiom, when one tries to give the other side everything it wants in the hope that they will one day reciprocate, it backfires EVERY TIME. This has proven true as long as time immemorial when Republicans have tried to “play nice” with Democrats, only to end up eating dirt with knives in our backs while the Democrats huddle together and laugh themselves silly that Republicans were such suckers. McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy, McCain-Lieberman…and I sure didn't see Democrats flocking to Sen. McCain in this election.

I believe the same Limbaugh principle holds true when examining the relationship between the Big Three automakers and the UAW. For decades, Ford, Chrysler, and GM have bent over backwards while simultaneously succumbing to a stranglehold by the unions. Talk about a painful position! The pickle the American automakers find themselves in presently is not a sudden, unforeseen emergency…this has been a long time coming and no objective, thinking person should be surprised. Precisely the reason why a taxpayer bailout is unwarranted.

Well-known, long-standing bad business models and weak negotiating are not sufficient reasons to demand a quick fix from John and Jane Public. Even though I initially oscillated back and forth on the merits of the TARP program, I ended up calling my Senators and Congressman in support of it. I have since changed my mind, seeing that credit markets have barely thawed and that Hank Paulson was flying by the seat of his pants on the economic CPR plan. I do believe that our entire financial market system IS too big to fail, but that market forces are the only solution that will heal the deep wounds long-term. The feds can inject as much money as they like, but I do not believe it will save the patient. I believe precisely the same thing when it comes to “fixing” the auto industry.

Bankruptcy filings, re-organization, de-unionization, moving the businesses to “right-to-work” states or changing the labor laws in the state of Michigan, and job training programs are the only steps that will make the Big Three competitive with foreign car companies like Toyota, BMW, Hyundai, and others. These profitable car companies have large factories in right-to-work states, are thereby not unionized, and pay their workers an average of $48/hour compared with $73.20/hour with unionized workers at the Big Three. How on earth can the union leadership claim, as Ron Gettelfinger did on November 15, that essentially the unions have sacrificed enough already? Clearly they would rather lose their jobs than take a paycut. I would rather get a smaller paycheck than get no paycheck at all, especially if the organization to which I belong has brought this upon itself.

Finally, the claim that filing for bankruptcy would put millions out of work is bunk. How many airlines have declared bankruptcy but are still flying people all over the world at this very moment? Bankruptcy would simply force these failed companies with rotten business models and policies to come to grips with reality and re-tool. This creates a frightening precedent for every other industry that has its hands in the Democrats’ back pocket and is preparing to put their left hand out while stabbing the country in the back with the other. The unions’ staunch support of Democrats may finally pay off, but at a grave cost to the entire nation.