(This is not one of my planned blog posts, but a spontaneous primal scream from the heart of a frustrated blue-collar Canuck.)

Yesterday I was horribly betrayed by a horse named ‘Invincible Yankee’ and lost TWO DOLLARS PEOPLE. How can they do that? Name horses crap like ‘Fasterthan Allgetout’ and ‘Reallydamnspeedy’ and have the things blow a tire at the three-quarter mile mark. As I remarked to my race date, “If I ever buy a horse, I’m bloody well naming it ‘Leadfoot’ and having done with.” Two dollars! Luckily I won it back later, plus interest, but the letdown of a name like that will haunt me for ages.

Here is the thing. Nothing is invincible. Invincible Yankee wasn’t invincible. He got his ass vinced in that race.

And I am therefore infuriated that the US government is even thinking about bailing out the failing automakers’ industry. Let me just say: I would be infuriated even if I weren’t at least nominally a libertarian (NB: I am not sufficiently hardcore about my political beliefs to stop paying taxes and voting though).

I want to stand on the Capitol steps waving a sign that says DON’T BAIL OUT THE STOOPIT BUMS!! until they haul me away for uncivil disobedience, because I plan on cursing a lot as they do it.

Why does Ford deserve a handout, why does GM deserve a handout? Why not any other failing industry? And let me correct myself here: it is not the entire industry. No, it’s not! Otherwise, Toyota and Honda would be failing too. Yet there they stand, smug and secure. How are people justifying having taxpayers bail out failing privately owned companies? If I were an American I would be jumping up and down in rage.

If I, the anonymous everyman Yankee, wanted to support Ford, I’d buy their cars. But I’m not buying their cars. So let them fail! Let them fail. Obviously nobody wants them to go on in this world. If I were selling rancid rat-on-a-stick across the street from a stand offering, say, delicious chorriperros, would I go running to my local city hall when my flyspeckled snacks failed to move? “Give me money, give me money! No customers come to my business! I am the sobbing!”

I just fail to see the logic. Random charity to a failing company, that’s insane. Let it die, let better companies step in to fill the demand, provide better cars, have happier consumers. “No, it’ll affect too many jobs!” Bah. You know, Wal-Mart employs a hell of a lot more people than GM does. I’m pretty sure there are at least a half-dozen companies who do. Yet if Wal-Mart began to go under, do you think the American government would fling open its wallet? I’m in the nickel industry, folks. If GM and Ford do fail, the ripple effects might cause my plant to be shut down. But I will certainly not keep my mouth shut about a potential automakers’ bailout.

I’m a big walking frowny-face. Somebody please explain to me why they are even considering this. Because I don’t get it.