[scotchsride09]

Mine's kind of long, but here it is, just sent it off!

Dear Mr. Hunter,

I write to you today as a concerned citizen. I spend most of my day listening to people talk about the US Automakers with disdain in their voices because of the bad taste left in their mouths after the bank bailout. Yesterday, the CEO's of Ford, GM, and Chrysler came before congress to plead their case, and the general public consensus appears to be that they failed. While I was not able to watch the coverage of this event myself, I have been hearing people's reactions for the better part of the day yesterday and this morning.

Today, GM's stock has dropped to a low of $1.70 per share. The market still has about a half-day left to go as I write this.

As a citizen, I was angry that we passed the bailout bill on the consensus that "if we don't do something, something even worse will happen"-- and then all the executives we gave money to proceeded to take their annual bonuses and expensive spa retreats anyway. I was angry that so much of my tax money that could have been used to fund schools, for example, was given to the banks to spend on luxuries. I was angry that the people responsible for shady lending in the first place were being rewarded for their malpractice.

But the automakers are different. First of all, they aren't asking for a handout, like the banks. They're asking for a loan, that they intend to pay back with interest. Secondly, there has been some talk about fuel economy requirements being a condition of a loan. I would like to point out to you, Congressman, that Chevrolet currently has more vehicles that get over 30 miles per gallon than any other company, foreign or domestic. They've also recently developed the Volt, a hybrid that's American-made. Even their newest muscle car, the re-born Camaro, is achieving 24 estimated MPG; for a V8 engine. GM is being responsible in marketing this vehicle as well by pushing the V6 engine, which achieves up to 27 MPG, on the general public, and focusing on enthusiasts to buy the V8.

If we allow these companies to go away, I see a ripple effect the likes of which we cannot even fathom in our economy. It's not just the corporations that will go away; it's also the factories, and the dealerships, and the repair shops and the parts suppliers and the economy of the towns supporting these outsources. It's the laid-off workers; millions of them, unable to pay for their mortgages or credit cards, inflating the credit crisis even more. It's the rising flood of foreclosures that already plague our nation that will drive property values down even further and cause even more people to be in trouble.

Lastly, it's the end of a legend, of an America as we know it. When I think of America, I think of the typical baseball, apple pie, hot dogs, etc. But I also think of muscle cars. I think of Chevy. I think of Ford. I think of Chrysler. The heritage of these companies is so ingrained in what we are that their loss would be not only financially and economically devastating, but a sad loss of history, as well.

I am scared, Congressman, that if we do not help these automakers, we are about to make one of the biggest mistakes possible after the string of recent mistakes we've made. I implore you to do the right thing, even if it's not the popular thing, and vote to save the automakers.

Sincerely,

(scotchsride09)