More economic confusion on my part

Isn't it better to possibly take a pay cut than to have no job at all?

I was just reading this story about the auto bailout collapse last night. It looks like the plan fell apart because they couldn't agree on language concerning wage concessions for union workers.

(Don't read this and think I am anti-union. I am a union member.)

When GM is talking about the possibility of not making it through the year (like, two more weeks), maybe the workers ought to think about taking some wage/benefit cuts. Cuts are better than being unemployed. It's not as if they'll be able to walk off the line, head over to the next carmaker (or fast food restaurant for that matter) and get a job quickly. When we lost a record number of jobs last month, I would think people would be interested in doing everything they can to keep the jobs they already have. There's a whole lot of people in this country looking for work right now.

I heard on NPR yesterday, one of the Michigan senators say that one in seven jobs in this country are connected to the auto industry. If that's true, we're in hot water. If that's true, some of those workers are going to have to take pay cuts.

I say this knowing full well that wage freezes could most definitely be in my future, too. Would I be happy about that? Certainly not, but I need my job.

It's called "taking one for the team," and every other person in this country has been asked to do that since the financial bailout, that "one" just isn't coming directly out of our pockets.

And yes, I know the workers didn't make the decision. It was the senate who couldn't come to a consensus. I just don't know what to think, whether or not I should be mad, who to be mad at, etc., when it comes to this talk of bailouts. More and more, we're sharing our money with companies who, for lack of a better term, screwed up.

Surely, someone who worked at the Big 3 could have figured out that gas was going higher and higher, and eventually people would wise up and stop buying Expeditions, Hummers and Suburbans. Didn't they see the tipping point? Greed, greed, greed.

Sound familiar? It's the same crap that got the financial sector in trouble as well.

I am proud that Adam and I can take personal responsibility for our actions and current station in life. I can go to bed at night knowing that we are doing the right thing. How did all those other guys sleep at night?

Weren't they nervous? Guilty? Scared?

Maybe severe sleep deprivation led to their poor decision-making skills?

Why can't people just do the right thing?