On my way back to work from lunch today, I was listening to yesterday’s episode of NPR’s Planet Money (my new favorite podcast). They were talking about the announcement that General Motors has filed for bankruptcy.

Congratulations, Americans, you’re on the road to car company ownership. General Motors filed for bankruptcy protection today, in a deal that calls for the U.S. government to own 60 percent of the automaker.

That works out to something like an investment of $192 per taxpayer.

I’m not an economist or an auto industry expert, but as a born-and-raised Detroiter whose entire family still lives in Michigan, I have thoughts. Nothing earth-shattering, but they wanted out.

For starters, I implore all of you to not go into your friendly neighborhood dealer, especially for service, and make jokes about how you own their company. It’s rude. And you know what? Anyone that has a 401(k), IRA, mutual fund, or pretty much any investment vehicle (vehicle! ha!) that is not bonds owns a part of some company. This is not any different. Yeah, having a bad investment foisted upon you is no good. That’s a whole ‘nother issue. But whose investments are actually doing well right now? Leave the people on the ground alone. It’s not their fault. And you’re being an ass.

Next, I’m hardly one to go about spouting off about how the free market will fix this or any problem. But — and this pains me to say it — we need to let the auto industry fail and let Michigan go on with reviving itself.

It pains me to say it because, regardless of whether you or anyone you know is employed directly by an automaker or even a supplier, everyone in Michigan is impacted by the auto industry in one way or another whether it’s as some part of the supply chain, the political/legal/regulatory/tax environment, or just the general health of the economy. My family suffers because of this.

However, even if there are no more GM cars, or even if there are no U.S. automakers, there is no shortage of cars to be had. I go through a quarterly period of lust for a Smart fortwo. I’ll buy a Honda if I have to. Hell, I’d rather not have to have a car at all. I can get my car serviced at a mechanic instead of a dealership. I will not go without in the absence of GM.

I’m really curious to find out what happens to Saturn as one of the divisions GM is going to let fall by the wayside. Yesterday’s facebook status says:

How does all the news today about GM affect Saturn? GM is still actively involved in negotiations for its Saturn brand. Today’s Chapter 11 filing does not immediately affect these negotiations. We hope to have resolution soon and promise to keep you updated throughout this process.

Saturn is like the WNBA or Twitter in that there are a relatively small number of fans but they are fanatical about the product*. I’m on my third car and my second Saturn. I bought a Saturn the first time because it was a reasonable value and it was domestic. I bought a Saturn the second time entirely because of the customer service experience (and its stark contrast to the Toyota dealership I had just exited). As much as I hate to admit to emotional attachments to a brand, I hope Saturn survives for Saturn’s sake.

Insert steel industry and stages of grieving analogies here.

*That’s an impressive implentation of a Ning group.

Related posts:

1. Saturn Wind-Down
2. Humanity Disappoints Me
3. The End of Detroit
4. Prospective Saturn Buyers: Think Long and Hard About Purchasing a CarCare Plan
5. BizJournal Network Launches GreenBizJournal.com