With both Ford and General Motors coming treacherously close to severe cash shortage, Congress will convene next week to consider emergency aid for the troubled sector.

Many economists are against the idea, saying an auto maker bailout would open the door to a taxpayer rescue of virtually any major company with cash problems.

"Where do you stop?" says Bill Isaac, former chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp and now managing director at the LECG global consulting firm in Vienna, Va. "Circuit City's going down. Do we help them? What do you do if Starbucks gets in trouble? Do you help them?"

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In recent days the government also has stepped in to to assist credit-card company American Express and ramped up its aid to insurer American International Group.

That has raised the issue of why the government is willing to provide help to Wall Street financial firms but not assembly-line workers in Michigan.

There are, in fact, increasing calls for a second economic stimulus package to help consumers and small businesses as well as more help for distressed homeowners.

"At some point you have to say this doesn't make any sense anymore," Isaac says. "I don't know whether we draw that line after General Motors and Ford or before General Motors and Ford. But at some point we have to draw the line."