Views Of The Auto Industry Bailout Debate
As CEOs from the Big Three U.S. automakers addressed lawmakers on Capitol Hill Tuesday, people from around the country shared their opinion of the U.S. auto industry and whether the government should bail it out.
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ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
Well, we've heard what members of Congress and the Big Three CEOs think about the bailout. Well, what's the word across America? A recent U.S.A. Today-Gallup Poll found that 47 percent of adults believe that providing loans and other help to auto companies is not very important. Well, it's more important, perhaps, to people in Detroit. We gathered some thoughts from folks there today.
Mr. KEVIN ERNST: My name is Kevin Ernst(ph). I'm a lawyer. I think that they should help them out. I think, if the Big Three went bankrupt, I think it'd be catastrophic.
Ms. DOLLY ABRAMS: Dolly Abrams(ph) and I'm a student at Wayne State University, and I live in Detroit. After outsourcing so many jobs and forcing a lot of families to lose their jobs, lose their homes, I think asking for a bailout from the government is pretty bold.
Mr. JERRY MCNALLY: Jerry McNally(ph), I'm a retired judge. The automobile industry is an essential part of America. To lose that, we'd be losing a part of America.
Mr. GLEN SUSSMAN: Glen Sussman(ph), I'm in the automotive business. I think that they shouldn't intervene.
Ms. MELISSA ALLEN: My name is Melissa Allen(ph), and I'm a human resources manager. I think that the government should bail them out. One in 10 people in the United States is employed by the auto industry. My husband is employed by the auto industry, so I think that it would be devastating for the economy if the auto industry collapsed.
BLOCK: Those comments from people in coffee shops in Detroit today.
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