Bailing out the auto industry can benefit the economy.

Associate economics professor Neelam Jainsaid the government helping auto companies is crucial to the economy.

“GM is close to bankruptcy, and it is necessary for the government to provide assistance,” she said.

Bailing out the auto industry helps prevent the unemployment rate from jumping up, Jain said.

“Auto companies employ a lot of workers and are one of the biggest industries in the U.S.,” Jain said. “In the recession we’re in right now, unemployment is high and would increase even more if a million workers were out of a job.”

Junior economics major Justin McMillen said he supports the bailout.

“I think the bailout is a good idea because the employees for the auto companies are able to keep their jobs,” he said.

Adam Schuster, freshman political science major, also thinks the bailout is a good idea.

“It’s important to keep the auto industry surviving for our overall economy,” he said.

Jain said it would not be necessary to help the auto industry if we were doing well economically.

“If we weren’t in a recession, the government wouldn’t help if some of the auto companies were going bankrupt, because it wouldn’t affect the economy as much,” she said.

McMillen said the auto bailout also helps keep U.S. auto production strong.

“Cars started out in America,” he said. “And it would be nice to keep the production where it started.”