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You first say "General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) needs $2.5 billion a month to operate." Then you say "$2.5 billion that GM needs to operate every quarter."

A quarter is three months. Which is is the correct statement?

Most Board of Directors are worthless.They collect their pay and stock options while letting the Ceo who is most often also the Chairman of the Board do whatever he or she wants.GM Board of Directors should be ashamed and embarresed on their lack of oversight.To bad stupidity and incomptence is not a crime or they would be in jail.

Peter, you seem to have an axe to grind with GM, when actually they are not alone in this mess. Benz is asking the German government for loans too! The entire industry is either in trouble or heading there.
They ALL built BIG as that is what SOLD. Open a auto history book. The Crosley, Nash Metro, Stude Lark, the 3 wheel messerschmidt and many others, including the Edsel and the Airflow bombed. The mini-Cooper, Austin, Corvair, Falcon, Vega did Ok but were never big sellers. In this business you either build what the public wants or go under. The change in buyer belief came after the oil embargo. Quality and reliability sold and the Japanese were there to fill the bill. Small evolved into the Lexus and Infinity as they like profit too! GM has a lot of company in this barrel as those lines are not selling either.
The manufacturing base of the U.S. is more important than it's banks and Wall St.
You are quick to be critical but I have a Chevy Impala with near 100,000 on the odometer that regularly gets 34-37 mpg that I intend to run into the ground. This thing gets 22-25 in stop and go and it has a BIG trunk and seats 4 in comfort. The hybrids don't do much better and they are squeezing your butt into a shoe box.
I have only made one repair - a wheel bearing for 2 bills. That's decent quality. The U.S. product has improved immensely.
Back in the 60's one wondered if the fool thing would even start when it was below 32F. Today, that is not even a consideration. Believe me, if Wal-mart made cars they would be having trouble too!

Loan for GM ?

Yes, we don't have a choice because the result will be devastating....US will not be able to manufacture much of anything for decades !

However, the tax payers know but the imbeciles in Washington have not yet learned after handing out hundreds of billions to bank without preconditions and oversight.

Sure issue a larger loan. DON'T fire the Board or specilally the CEO and his top 10 % of mangers.

Instead let them work for the AVERAGE paycheck of ALL of GM EMPLOYES until they pay back every penny.

No Golden Parachutes, NO PENSIONS if you quit or get fired ! Buy and fix own cars so you know how your CUSTOMERS live!

While it might be an overstatement to blame the GM and Ford fiascos solely on the expense bloat caused by the UAW (the unions), it certainly is true that the UAW is fiddling while Rome burns.

In every normal business, people are fired and wages cut in a crisis.

But... the UAW somehow wants us to accept that THEY should be immune to market forces?

Company failing? Not UAW's concern.
Layoffs? No!
Wage cuts? No!
Benefit expense sharing? No!

The UAW likes tell us that they've made "concessions".

Well obviously they are still getting paid too much - because there soon won't be any money left in the till to pay them.

I say cut wages - union and mgmt by 20% across the board. Raise benefit costs by 20% and fire 20% of everyone.

AFTER you've done that - come ask me, the American taxpayer for help.