Out of the Black and into the Red

Show of hands. How many reading this are brokerage houses, banks or automobile manufacturers? Yeah, I know 'those who are, have people to do mundane chores like read blogs, you Silly Rabbit! They don't do that themselves.' When you're right, you're right. With all due respect to Mr. Wilson, Charlie and not Dennis' neighbor, the sun doesn't always shine on General Motors as GM has been finding out.

I'll wager neither of us has ever tried to buy a house we can't afford with money we don't have. It's not too comforting to discover many in the lending industry didn't seem to have a problem with that idea. They're high up on the list of folks to whom our government is extending such generosity in bailing them out. Of course, we the people, are the government so I guess I mean you and me are buying the bucket for this bailout. Where did we put the water?

And, as nothing travels faster than good news and tastes better than food you didn't have to pay for, have you noticed how long the line is getting with those seeking government assistance? I've been thinking about that MasterCard statement that I hate paying incrementally. Perhaps putting it in an envelope addressed to the Secretary of the Treasury might do the trick, except it's probably far too tiny an amount to be of any interest to the Big Important People in Finance Whose Well-Meaning and Avarice Brought Us Here.

I'm not good with money and I'm a lousy politician, so if my opinion offended you I apologize. But, do not offer me, as a counter argument, that it's not greed. Your only other choice is stupidity. That's right-the folks with the TV commercials assuring me that now, of all times, is the best time to buy their expertise in today's stock market, yeah, youbetcha. I wanna party with you, Jack McCoy. I'm not forgetting (or forgiving) the elected leadership of the House Banking Committee or the Senate Finance Committee who did the bunny hop with the folks in the very industries whose activities their committees are charged with watching. You can put them all in a sack and whack the sack with a bat and you'd still hit the right one. I brought a second bat just in case.

But it's not anger that I want to pass along. Knowledge is power, so arm yourself. Do yourself and the rest of us luckless, lunchless little ones a favor and click here, read the background from the Consumers Union folks (Rosicrucians at the Easter Parade, I guess) and think about accomplishing "a hand up, not a hand out" letter to your legislator. I think June Carter's main squeeze may have nailed it way back, "Well, there's things that never will be right I know, And things need changin' everywhere you go, But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right, You'll never see me wear a suit of white." No wonder he was never popular with the dry cleaning industry.
-bill kenny