I really feel like the government should have let the automakers fail back when they bailed them out. Part of the reason I picked up some Ford stock was because they were the only American automaker that didn't take a bail out. I also wish though that I had bought some GM stock after the fact. It exploded.
Bailout money ends up in the hands of the investors.
Remember the cruise line that got bailed out? Stock price skyrocketed after that too.