Should Small Businesses Support the Detroit Bailout?

Small business owners and their respective trade groups are sharply divided over the proposed bailout for the Big Three Detroit automakers, according to a report in today's Wall Street Journal. On one side, you have all of the small businesses that depend on the automobile industry, from your local dealerships to car parts manufacturers. Arguably, even your town newspaper depends heavily on auto advertising. Sandy Baruah of the US Small Business Administration thinks a bailout is absolutely necessary: “A majority of new car content is produced by supplier companies located across the country and the world. If even one U.S. auto company were to cease operations, it would impact not just that company, but the scores of supplier companies across the United States. This would be an economic development and employment impact that would reach far outside Michigan.” But other small business owners are opposed to bailing out poorly managed big businesses with their tax dollars. Todd Stottlemyer, president of the National Federation of Independent Business has released a statement: "Proposals to provide as much as $50 billion to the Big Three auto companies are a misguided attempt to bail out companies that are in this situation not because of the credit crisis, but because of a long series of decisions that have led these once-admired corporations to where they are today…There are many small businesses across the country struggling to make payroll and pay the bills. They aren't asking for a bailout, and neither should Detroit's automakers." What do you think? Should small business owners support the bailout of Detroit?