Autobailout Rejected - Classism Anybody?

I just finished reading this article and I was struck by the tone of it.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate majority leader Harry Reid said any legislative proposal put to a vote this week would fail, and they levelled scathing criticism at the executives, including pointed barbs for flying to Washington this week on private jets.

I am all for giving executives a hard time about their spending. There is no reason someone should be making $300M per year without saving lives (I truly believe doctors and research scientists should make much more than they do), I find it difficult to believe that the auto execs make the money they do in companies that don't make any money. Could you imagine a guy running a corner store that doens't turn a profit and yet he drives into work in an Audi, right away you would think 'Mafia', but when it is a businessman everyone assumes it is at least quasi-legit.

Well that's all well and good BUT why are the auto makers bearing the brunt of the governments ire? I mean, didn't the world just agree to give a bunch of banks a bunch of money....BANKS NEED MORE MONEY??????? WTF? The banks are the only businesses in the world that are allowed to lend money they don't have to make a profit. They need to have 10% of a loan in capital in order to give a loan, the rest is imaginary money on which they can make profit, and now because of this practise (that is illegal in any other industry) has failed to turn a profit tax payers should have to bail them out??

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I have a problem with this, and I have the same problem with the automakers getting money. HOWEVER, for the powers that be to treat the auto industry worse than the banks smells fishy to me. Could it be because the people who work for GM and Ford didn't go to Harvard or Yale? Could it be because none of the bluecollar workers are in the same country clubs as Nancy Pelosi? I find it quite interesting that the government has decided to play hardball with the auto industry, when it is truly main street that will suffer from their failure, while they socialize bank debt and give hedge fund managers golden handshakes.