Uncertainty over bailout casts a pall over Detroit [View All]

[babylonsister]

Uncertainty over bailout casts a pall over Detroit

Consumers, suppliers, workers and dealers all worried about the future of the US auto industry

KIMBERLY S. JOHNSON and BREE FOWLER
AP News

Dec 13, 2008 17:59 EST


Even amid the festive atmosphere of a downtown ice skating rink, it's impossible to escape the worries the Motor City faces as the U.S. auto industry waits to see whether it will get a lifeline from the federal government.

"People are scared to death. You can't have a conversation without it coming up," said Jeff Doyle, who was watching his children skate at Campus Martius Park, just a few blocks from General Motors' headquarters and its giant blue GM logos that loom over the city. "Everything here is related to the auto industry."

Nearly everyone in the Detroit area has a family member or knows someone involved in the industry, and the uncertainty of its future, along with the recession, is painting a definite pall over the holiday season.

Doyle, the only person in his immediate and extended family working outside of the auto industry, said Saturday that there's an "underlying tension" among his relatives and friends with the fate of GM and Chrysler up in the air. Everyone's trying to remain upbeat during the holidays, he said, but family gatherings "certainly won't be as extravagant."

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