After 9/11, the cost for oil began to go up. Not a
lot, of course, but it did go up. Right around 2005, it hit $40.00 a
barrel. In 2006, it had already hit $60.00 a barrel. This is when the
alarms should start going off in any business man\'s head. The SUV was
so attractive because the cost for a gallon of gas was insignificant.
What\'s $20.00 to fill a tank of gas? So, in 2006, they saw the cost of
oil really starting to go up.

By the beginning of 2008, it was
already around $100 a barrel. This is the beginning of 2008 - One year
exactly. Can anyone remember the advertisements that they were placing
on the air last March and April? Probably ones advertising the really
big, clunky tanks that they wanted to sell. Even when they saw that gas
had, for the past seven years, continued to go up, their mentality
hadn\'t changed. They continued to focus on the fact that SUVs were
still selling like crazy at the moment.

This is one of the most
dangerous things a business can do. By throwing all their eggs into one
basket, they relied on the SUV for its growth. When people couldn\'t
afford the gas, they got rid of them and stopped buying them. Fast
forward to the end of 2008 and you\'ve got the automotive bailouts that
we have seen. Instead of restructure in 2006 when they saw the cost of
oil jump $20 in a single year and at least start creating stronger
cars, they focused on the fast money.

It is because of this
single act of greed and horrible business that I don\'t agree with
bailing them out. Through their irresponsibility, they were able to
make a ton of money and then, two years later, beg the government to
help them because they could not afford anything anymore. Had they
focused on more than just the SUV, they\'d be weaker, albeit, but they
wouldn\'t be begging for money. Look at Ford, for example...They may be
weak, but they had their cars that gave them some strength. A failed
business should not be given money if they are the cause for their
failure.