If I am correctly following the news reports, the automotive bailout talks are going something like this.

Big 3: We need $25 billion to stay in business.
Government: No way, dude! There's not a chance you're getting that money.
Big 3: We now need $34 billion to stay in business.
Government: Okay, maybe we can give you $15 billion.

The logic, or lack of logic, of all this just blows me away. I don't know what the government should or shouldn't do- macroeconomics isn't my strong suit- but this just doesn't make any sense.

The automakers have basically said they need $34 billion to stay in business. So wouldn't giving them $15 billion be pretty much a waste? Wouldn't it result in $15 billion lost along with the car manufacturers?

It seems to me as if it would be like using a 20-ft. rope to rescue someone trapped in a 40-ft. well. Except that we're throwing the entire rope down the well rather than just dangling it over the side.

If that strategy ends up working, though, I might try it myself.

Me: Give me a 50% pay raise or I quit.
Boss: Get lost.
Me: Okay then. Give me a 100% pay raise or I quit.
Boss: How about a 25% pay raise?