[MotoSook]

John jumped on me in another thread when I wanted drastic action against the bankers that created the banking mess. He also made a strong point for the TARP bailout along the same line as his arguement for the homeowner bailout. With all due respect, I think it's just scare tactics and more financial world self preservation. The TARP bailout was a major failure, because the politicians and the financial "gods" rushed into it scared stupid.

When will the world see that it's simply imploding and no amount of tax payer money is going to inflat it to the levels of the last 10 years! When will politicians and the financial genius' wakeup and create a plan that accepts the fact that the over stretched economy cannot be saved and that there are going to be a lot of casualties.

Ten or twenty years ago, if my folks had lost their job and could not afford the house, we'd probably end up renting and they'd begin to build up their financial strength over again. The family would all pitch in, and we'd not be *****ing and whining about how the government isn't doing anything for us. Sure it's tough these days with less companies hiring, but damnit does a struggling household have to continue to live the comfortable life they enjoyed during the bloated times! Smart people didn't over stretch themselves or gamble on one of the most critical of human need (shelter) just to end up having to save those that did.

I for one will not lose sleep over my home value falling if I can still provide for my family. I for one am willing to downsize and even take less money for my work if it means I can keep my family under a roof and fed, nevermind the dinners out or the weekend movies! Have you guys seen the lines at restaurants and movie theaters lately? I can't tell from those lines that the economy is so bad. I rarely take the kids out for dinners and movies....but it sure seems like their friends spend a lot fo time at the theaters and out dining with their parents.

It made me sick to my stomach when I heard Obama mention how the housing bailout would help my failed neighbors AND ME, because it would help to prevent my home value from declining. Really? What I see are lowlife home owners who can't afford to keep up their homes, but can still afford to live next to me because the goverment has worked a deal on their mortgage. If there are 10 houses on my street on the market with unmowed lawns, I'll take that over crappy homeowners and their rude kids. I'll be more than happy to mow the lawn at those houses if it means the deadbeats are gone.

I'm sorry that families have seen jobs disappear, and I'm sorry that some of them will have to move to a rental place until things improve for them, but that's the way it is now. That's what has to happen to awaken our culture of excess. It is ultimately disgusting that Obama wants to provide tax money to homeowners in their big homes at my expense.

My father is retired from years of low income work with a monthly pension payment that is embarrasing for the numbers of years he busted he arse cleaning up after people. My mother's manufacturing (read...low pay!) job was cut when her company move manufacturing to Mexico and China. They've always lived very frugally and have continued to manage without help from our government since they became "fixed income dependent." My family helps them out everyway we can and noone *****es about it. If they had to sell their house to cut expenses, one of us would take them in. We won't be looking for public housing or some agency to take care of them for us.

This mortgage bailout will be a major failure, and we'll be paying for it for generations! Those that support the plan, why don't you go adopt a family in need and subsidize their income with a few hundred dollars a month or more out of your own pocket. Leave the rest of us out of it who have been smart to budget wisely and planned for bad times.