Get this. The auto industry executives seeking a congressional bailout finally got a clue. They plan to "carpool" to Washington, D.C. for their next meetings with Congress. It's kind of no-brainer, isn't it? If they don't drive their cars do they expect that anyone else will?

In another demonstration of thrift, General Motors announced it has ended its nine-year endorsement deal with Tiger Woods. The deal is believed to be worth $7 million a year.

If Congress bails out the automakers, I trust they will have the good sense not to book into a posh resort to conduct a retreat to figure out a restructuring plan.

It's fascinating, isn't it? Whether it's been the bailout of a bank or an insurance giant, we've seen an absolute disconnection with us plain folk. Didn't it occur to anyone that accepting financial assistance from the government means it is not "business as usual?" If you go hat-in-hand to the government, you cancel the retreats, the spa treatments and the posh hotel suites. It means you meet at your office, order in pizza and put in exceedingly long days until you can devise a way out of your current predicament.

And let's not lose sight of whose money is funding these bailouts. It's taxpayers' money — money used to bailout businesses that are struggling for myriad reasons. Some are victims of this horrible economy. Others are victims of mismanagement and greed. Others, like the automakers, simply failed to evolve.

While some liken these conditions to the Great Depression, I worry if this is worse. In the bad old days, investing in the stock market was for the well-heeled. Ordinary people suffered plenty when banks failed and jobs disappeared. But now, people's retirement funds are tied up in the market, too. For some, their children's college funds are at risk.

It's a complicated chess game, this bailout business. One wrong move and the whole strategy can unravel. But I can't help but feel it's a shell game, too. No new wealth is created by bailouts, or for that matter stimulus packages. Isn't this really a redistribution of tax revenue?

I think any government bailout should come with strings. CEOs should have to live simple lives on limited means. They should be quizzed about how much things cost in the real world such as a gallon of milk, a pound of ground beef or a box of cereal. They should have to make choices whether they will fill an expensive prescription or pay a utility bill. They should have to use public transportation.