Although American freedom and Americans' unique prosperity were built on free enterprise and the "profit motive," a lot of our people unfortunately tend to criticize the honest earning of a "profit."

Do you think our country and our people are better off with General Motors and Chrysler not earning profits -- and having to be bailed out by taxpayers' money for uncertain futures -- or for Ford to have earned nearly a billion dollars (actually $997 million) in the third quarter of this year?

Congratulations, Ford, for not taking taxpayers' money from the government for a bailout and for making it on your own!

But wait a minute: It isn't all easy and rosy. Ford lost $14.6 billion last year. It hasn't earned an annual profit since 2005. Remember: Free enterprise involves not just profit but sometimes loss. A company can't stay in business forever -- and make good on the payrolls for its employees and deliver good products forever -- without earning a profit.

Our domestic auto industry, once the ideal engine of our whole successful, productive economy, has fallen on bad days. And Ford hasn't escaped painlessly. Ford had to improve its cars and its productivity. It had to cut costs, painfully. There were some unfortunate layoffs. There were some pension and retiree health care cost cuts. (In honesty, we must admit there was one sour note: Ford also leaned on the government's "Cash-for-Clunkers" subsidies.)

But wasn't it better for Ford and its employees to suffer those things than to continue losing, having to depend upon government bailouts -- or shut down?

"Profit" is not a "dirty word." But "loss" certainly is! Companies have to earn a profit to stay in business and to create and maintain products and jobs -- and to pay taxes to help support government. Some people seem to lose sight of that.

We all deplore failure. But have you noticed that some people are critical of success.

Ford isn't out of the woods yet. It has done well -- recently. We hope it can "keep on keeping on."

We just wish General Motors and Chrysler were doing the same, without bailouts, standing up to foreign competition, operating as a free enterprise "stimulus" to the entire American economic system, without any "stimulus" or "bailout" money from the taxpayers.