One of the interesting lines in today’s story about the congressional hearings on an automaker bailout:

Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli promised that his company, recipient of a previous government-subsidized rescue loan in the 1970s that it repaid, would repay taxpayers by 2012 and would devote itself to manufacturing “fuel-efficient cars and trucks that people want to buy.”

I take it as a given that the government would get its money back (read: WE would get OUR money back) if we gave automakers a bailout. It’s happened that way ever time the government’s given a bailout.

I also realize there’s heavy sentiment among some quarter NOT to give a bailout.

But if we DID give Detroit the bailout the car-makers are seeking, would we get better cars out of the deal? Would that be worth it? More fuel efficiency, better competition with foreign car-makers?