This has been a rough year for everyone in the auto industry. In fact, some are already calling it the dark ages of automobile manufacturing. It has been a real kick in the face to automakers, especially since they realized that people will easily drive their current cars another five to ten years before they start buying new cars during a failing economy.

Though most people blame gas prices, it’s not where the real blame lies. No, the real reason we are where we are is a complete and total lack of foresight by manufactures of an industry that has a social responsibility to give us clean, affordable transportation with no strings attached. But the truth is that, frankly, we’ve all been sold out. While auto executives kept bringing home millions of dollars in bonuses, millions of people have lost their jobs and an entire auto industry is in the toilet, literally holding out their hands to Washington to rescue them.

Why should Washington say ok to their pleas? This has happened before. Tax-payers have had to bail out auto companies in the past and what have they learned? Nothing, they’re exactly where they were back then. No wonder Washington is saying no way, they don’t learn!

Why would an industry accept a trend of gas-guzzling SUV’s when they all knew ahead of time that it was a never going to be stable forever. It’s funny to see a top auto executive look straight into the camera and say they didn’t see this coming. I mean, seriously?!?! The real truth is these are all highly educated individuals, not a bunch of clueless innocents who got blindsided.

It’s clear to see now. Gas prices are falling, but people still aren’t buying. The beating might be over for now, but the bruises remain on the collective conscious of the American people. This is a period in time we won’t soon forget. As automotive execs scramble to put together a reason why they drove an entire industry into the dirt, the simple fact is that they deserve this. If they were in school they would all have a big, fat F on their report cards. They have all failed us.

Are falling gas prices enough? We are starting to see that no, that isn’t nearly enough. This has been an industry that has shaken the economy, weakened the dollar, and even sent us to war. We have reached a breaking point in the way the auto industry in this country works. Unless things start changing, and fast, things will only get worse and worse. The domino effect that the collapse of the American auto industry have on this country would be crippling. We as a people need to step up and demand that car manufactures design and produce the kind of vehicles we know they’ve been able to make for a long time. The simple fact is that our country depends on it.