The title of this piece is very misleading because, for one of the rare instances in my life, I find that I am actually in agreement with the conservatives regarding the Detroit Bailout. The conservatives are calling for a "Structured Bankruptcy" in stead of the bailout that is being proposed by democrats. In a November 26 letter to the editor of the "Allentown Morning Call" I outlined the advantages of a structured bankruptcy without using the term.

So, why am I calling the congressional conservatives fools? The problem lies in the fact that politics was once called the art of the possible. (I wish I could remember where the quote came from) The Republican leadership seems to have forgotten this. They are so intent on getting their own way that they appear to be willing to let the country slide further into the abyss of depression rather than agree to a program, which although flawed, has a possibility of passing. Eventually, GM and Chrysler will have to go for a structured bankruptcy. However, just letting them go into Chapter 11 now, without a government financed structure, would throw innumerable Americans out of work and exacerbate the economic downturn. Getting a bankruptcy plan passed under current conditions is impossible.

There is a time for principle and a time for action. Sometimes they do not coincide. This is one of those times. Conservative obstructionism may insure that Republican congressional representation remains out of power for another 40 years as happened in the mid 20^th century.