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With all the talk of bailing out Detroit's automakers, everyone has an opinion. Even Neil Young.

The thing I can't help but notice in media coverage and discussions about the bailout is that Ford, Chrysler and GM are no longer viewed as independent brands. They are lumped together as "the Big Three", "Detroit Automakers", etc., and with that have received a stigma of stagnation, futility and a lack of innovation. Taking a look at all three brands on Noah Brier's fantastic Brandtags site (which deserves a post in itself), the tags that come up for all three brands reinforce every negative perception out there: american, bad cars, boring, bankrupt, old (Chrysler, Ford, GM).

Foreign automakers do not suffer from the same stigma. Honda: innovation, quality, efficient and reliable. Toyota: reliable, good, efficient and hybrid. Volkswagen: cool, fun, golf and quality.

So, in addition to fighting off bankruptcy and foreign automakers much better positioned to excel in the current economic climate, each of the American automakers must also distinguish themselves from one another and re-build their individual brands. Throw in the pensions that many Detroit automakers are committed to paying long-retired employees, and it's a steep climb on all fronts.

The major justifications for bailing out the automakers:

• It will save a tremendous number of jobs in an economy that can't stand any more body punches
• Detroit's automakers are uniquely American institutions that can't be allowed to fail (the "too big to fail" argument)
• They have already made strides in adapting to a new climate for automakers, but just need more time (via Scott Monty at Ford)

Unfortunately, I can think of far more reasons why this doesn't make sense. The main one being -- what if it doesn't work? The bailout of the banks has not yet proven to have impacted the economy (I'll admit I agreed with it...reluctantly), so there's no reason to believe that this one will have an immediate impact, or even work to sustain the automakers long term.

We talk about jobs that will be lost as a result of these three major businesses failing or selling parts off. What about the thousands of small and medium businesses that have made layoffs in order to sustain their business? There's no talk of a bailout for them, but they are much more fluid and better equipped to adapt their businesses to survive in a new economy. Maybe it's time to start shifting our attention to proactive businesses, not reactive ones.

Speaking of Noah Brier, he has a discussion on this over at his blog worth reading.

Update: This is a couple of days old, but Scott Monty of Ford has an excellent post on this topic.