We need that $34 billion here in Olympia, Washington!

I guess I'd rather that the State of Washington received a teenie six billion dollar bailout for its schools, prisons and hospitals than give these guys and their poorly managed companies $34 cum $125 billion over the next year or so ...

Word on the Street today is that President Bush is asking his Secretary of the Treasury [sic] to toss $34 billion at the "Big" Three to get them through what will be his final 34 days or so in office. This would come from the $700 billion that we have provided the Department of Treasury [sic] to bail out the equally badly managed mortgage (and other) banks here and about our Great Country. That's about a billion dollars a day to keep some irate American reporter from throwing his or her shoe his way during a news conference--such as what happened in Baghdad today, I guess.

Getting slightly more serious for a moment, I truly believe that $34 billion or even $234 billion wouldn't be enough to turn auto buyers in the direction of buying GM, Chrysler and Ford products these days. It will take well-made and fuel efficient cars, Mr. Automakers ... nothing more, nothing less!

I don't know where Chapter 11 bankruptcy might take you guys, but at least it will not bankrupt the US Treasury.

That said, watch Wall Street's Dow Jones Industrial Average bounce up to the tune of A Spoonful of Sugar ($$$) Helps the Medicine (deficit crunch) Go Down tomorrow and Tuesday.

Who listens anyway to a depressed old man in Ocean Shores wondering if his car can navigate Rt. 109 into Hoquiam at six tomorrow morning?

Merry Christmas to the rest of us!