Unions are detrimental to our ability to compete globally. They promote socialist principals similar to Europe, notably France. Individuals have their own voices and can understand their individual rights without collective bargaining. Collective bargaining places an unnecessary, uncompetitive burden on American businesses.

The government's protection of the inflated cost structure created by the Big Three's inability to adapt is unfortunate, inappropriate and, most importantly, deters innovation. This protectionism begets disincentive for innovators (both individuals & companies) of "game-changing" technologies that can enhance production efficiency (i.e. fewer union employees to produce the same vehicle) and may require a completely different assembly process (i.e. different facility in different location with different production processes and competencies).

The Big Three could have made the strategic changes anytime in the last 50 years to produce autos competitively.

The interested group unrepresented in this discussion is CONSUMERS (i.e. buyers of new autos). Consumers are burdened with the premium cost structure of the Big Three through HIGHER PRICES FOR AUTOS.

It's time for America to entrench ourselves in our free market system ideology that has differentiated the American economy from Europe for the last century. We must allow these cycles to promote efficiency and innovation, not stagnation (i.e. "status quo") - an economic condition benefitting no group other than the UAW.

The mid- to long-term consequence of a Big Three/UAW bailout is the continued evaporation of the U.S. manufacturing sector. Companies owned and managed by Americans cannot survive with the cost premium resulting from the UAW and other labor unions.

It's time to support the CONSUMER (ultimately, the sustainability of the American economy), not UAW.