Assuming you don't want to throw 'em all out of work, my idea is to give the companies a reason to produce rather than just giving the companies cash to pay their bills.

If you want the automakers to innovate and produce quality vehicles, just give them guidelines in the contracts. All the vehicles purchased have to be electric or hybrid, with mpg set at a minimum floor and gradually rising over the course of the contract. Ideally, this would be coupled with gradually rising industry-wide CAFE standards and an industry-wide phaseout of new non-hybrid vehicles. This isn't rocket science. If the companies want the contracts, they'll innovate to make them happen.

Oh, and you can put in the contracts that all the vehicles need to be produced in the US.

The result: better hybrid and electric vehicles made in the US that people want to buy, and ultimately a wholesale conversion of the US auto market to hybrids and electrics.

To the extent that regulations have rewarded the auto makers for producing crap, obviously they need to be undone. To the extent that there are small domestic auto producers that are producing quality vehicles and innovating, they need to be supported as much or more than the big three. We should be focusing investment on what works, and rewarding innovation as it arises. None of this is incompatible with our goal.

The point here is that there is an existing industrial base in this country (what's left of it anyway). We need to use government investment to spur the base to produce. This is a win-win (win-win-win). I can think of no better way to start.

Sorry -- didn't mean to insult your momma! (The sentence was supposed to be funny. Perhaps I should have inserted a wry winking smiley. ; ) )

As to your last point, to be honest, I have no idea about the relative bigotry of other communities. I do think that to the extent there is bigotry in our community, it is disproportionately and progressively manifested in older generations and that it is disproportionately and inexplicably misdirected towards the African American community. Do you disagree?

To the extent that this bigotry exists, I believe this election is going a long way towards breaking it down, something I have to admit I wasn't sure I'd see in my lifetime. And I think that's pretty awesome.