The line has started forming

In case you haven't been paying attention:

In Washington these days, an 11-figure expenditure barely attracts notice.

With Congress preoccupied with the massive, $700 billion bailout plan for the financial industry, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler have finally secured Part One of their own federal rescue plan. A bill set to be passed by Congress and signed by President Bush as early as this weekend—separate from the controversial Wall Street bailout plan—includes $25 billion in loans for the beleaguered Detroit automakers and several of their suppliers. "It seemed like a lot when we first started pushing this," says Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, one of the bill's sponsors. "Suddenly, it seems so small."

But please don't call it a "bailout"—Detroit is too proud for that. Exact details will come later, but the loans would probably amount to at least $5 billion for each of the Detroit 3, plus smaller amounts for suppliers. That would allow them to borrow money at interest rates as low as 4 percent—a steep discount compared with the double-digit rates they're paying now. Over several years, the automakers could save hundreds of millions in financing costs. Plus, they'll have five years before they have to start repaying the loans.

Good lord, the people in Washington have truly lost their minds. As scary as it is, some arguments can be made for the proposed bailout of the financial industry. But there's absolutely no excuse for this. There are companies that have figured out how to make cars in this country, and they employ Americans. Let the ones who haven't figured it out fail. The market will sort things out.

But in the meantime, I seem to have run up too much debt on my credit cards. I await the rescue plan that will take care of me.