Auto Industry Buyout Plan

As you might notice, I tend to follow US politics, in addition to Canadian politics. With the big three automakers in the United States struggling for a variety of reasons, they think that the US government should step in and help them out.

I can understand that an industry that is suffering wants assistance. However, if an organization is failing in their industry, they must be doing something wrong.
The business practices must not be sound. They are clearly not functioning in a healthy business manner. I am all for supporting business, but when a business is failing there are several causes for this.
a. The business is failing because the business isn't listening to their customers.
b. The business is in an industry that is suffering.
c. The business is failing because their business practices are not sound.

If the big three automakers weren't already suffering, asking the US government to help bail them out can only damage their already fragile reputation. Would you want to buy a major product from an organization that cannot support itself right now? Without the stability of knowing that the company can repair and maintain something as complex as a car, people are going to stop buying these cars and turn towards an organization that is going to last longer.

Having the ability to withstand market troubles, stock issues, consumers losing confidence in the economy is what keeps customers coming back to your organization.
I can only imagine how busy everyone at the big three automakers' head offices must be. It has to be shifted into huge crisis mode, especially with the information that one of them could be heading for bankruptcy.
Today is a day to be happy that I'm still a student. Where crises are only one week long, and learning is more how to act in those crises is easier than being thrown into learn when its too late.