WaMu

[notoc]

Invisible, hidden hands caused most of the problems?   I hope our leaders are not talking this nonsense.   This belongs in the TWILIGHT ZONE, and people who believe this shit need to pee in a cup.

Then I hope youe cup is big enough, because these guys mean to skin you... within an inch of your vote.

[lucy]

We sold our house for a fairly substantial "hit" from what it was "appraised" to be worth several years ago, but after we moved, the lake dried up and now very little is selling in that area at all. We are fortunate that we don't have a hefty mortgage, etc. Naturally, there are locations which are doing well, and those which aren't doing very well, but 10 trillion dollars in public debt and growing by the day is so unwise for any country....and the bailout may not even succeed as we have been told it might (I am skeptical as usual of any benefit for the little guys on the street) as banks now say they may not take the money because it would mean a reduction in those multi-million dollar salaries, bonuses, stock-options and other perks for the top dogs.

Meanwhile, the top execs are celebrating royally with their new-found cash-cow. I read AIG had a big party at some ritsy resort....on our dime. This is so blatantly not right...the perks in the bill which passed, etc....And people still think they have a choice in November.

sigh/

[Hollybaere]

What it takes is for people like us to stand up and actually DO SOMETHING!!

When will that happen? How much more are we going to put up with?

[Michael]

How many have not bought into the "american, whatever, whatever, dream"? 

The "dream" is nothing more than a competitive frenzy.  Who can change the mess that evolved from that?  Who can grab the bull by the horns?  Another president puppet for the corporations? 

[ivanm]

How many have not bought into the "american, whatever, whatever, dream"? 

The "dream" is nothing more than a competitive frenzy.  Who can change the mess that evolved from that?  Who can grab the bull by the horns?  Another president puppet for the corporations? 

Maybe the president can add more regulations to lessen the abuse of the errant corporations but I think it is up to the individuals to learn to live within their means.

For example, the credit card collectors keep calling here in search of my daughter, who must have given my name and phone number as a contact. She lives in Texas and I live in Kansas.  She will not answer the phone before screening the calls with caller id, will not answer her emails, and in general is being obstinate about this thing.  I look at it this way, she made the darned mess so now she needs to pay the tab, she and her husband that is.

I am far from being rich but my wife and I have built up a decent credit rating and we never carry a balance on our credit cards past the due date.  Credit is nice for shopping online or when traveling so one doesn't have to carry so much cash, but it can really get one into trouble if it is abused.

I don't know how it can be done but it appears that folks need to change their concepts of what is a home and what is an investment.  We should learn to get by on a modest but adequate house and should be driving economical cars rather than the gas guzzling  SUVs and pickup trucks.

There are a lot of people out here in the boonies that would be better off if they could ride public transit and forget having a car or truck, especially the older ones.
One could pay a lot of fares for the price of owning a car each year and wouldn't have the depreciation or the worry of keeping the darned thing running right.

[lucy]

The auto industry was instrumental  in the sad demise of rail service back in the 1930's/ I read something about this a while back....look at the ruins of Detroit's beautiful train station Peps posted....

I sometimes wonder whether we own our cars, or our cars own us...

[Michael]

The old "two cars in every garage" addage is just another part of the "american dream"...whereby people make their own prisons. 

It seemed like fun...back in the day.  Just like much of the industrial frenzy seemed like fun.  All those cars and smoking factories seemed like progress...not like things which created prisons.

[Hollybaere]

Maybe the president can add more regulations to lessen the abuse of the errant corporations but I think it is up to the individuals to learn to live within their means.

For example, the credit card collectors keep calling here in search of my daughter, who must have given my name and phone number as a contact. She lives in Texas and I live in Kansas.  She will not answer the phone before screening the calls with caller id, will not answer her emails, and in general is being obstinate about this thing.  I look at it this way, she made the darned mess so now she needs to pay the tab, she and her husband that is.

I am far from being rich but my wife and I have built up a decent credit rating and we never carry a balance on our credit cards past the due date.  Credit is nice for shopping online or when traveling so one doesn't have to carry so much cash, but it can really get one into trouble if it is abused.

I don't know how it can be done but it appears that folks need to change their concepts of what is a home and what is an investment.  We should learn to get by on a modest but adequate house and should be driving economical cars rather than the gas guzzling  SUVs and pickup trucks.

There are a lot of people out here in the boonies that would be better off if they could ride public transit and forget having a car or truck, especially the older ones.
One could pay a lot of fares for the price of owning a car each year and wouldn't have the depreciation or the worry of keeping the darned thing running right.

The problem is that you are only about like 20% of Americans. The other 80% live on total credit. They have spent their income before they have made it, far into the future.

The trick was, to get as many Americans as possible to live beyond their means, collect all the interest as possible. Then when they can no longer pay, reposess the goods and sell them off an make even more profit. Then form companies to offer "credit relief" to over-extended Americans, and collect profit from that also.

Not only were many Americans coerced into buying homes they wouldn't normally be able to afford with "creative financing", but helped to buy cars and recreational vehicles, and take credit cards, which they also had to default on. Not only are there houses for sale that no one can afford, now car dealerships are going under.

The reason this country, and many others are now in financial trouble is because those who "run the show" got too greedy for their own good and are now suffering the results of their crimes. Sooner or later it all had to blow up in their faces.

But now, as always, they expect the people that they already "raped and pillaged" to bail them out.

WHEN will we have had enough?

[lucy]

I suspect much of this crisis was well-thought out....and the results intended to a certain degree.

Just how this plays out will probably be seen before the election, one would think. There simply isn't any more money left in our reserves from the looks of things, and credit, especially commercial credit is now frozen, which does not portend well for the flow of goods and services such as gas and food.

I don't want to sound pessimistic, but I don't see how the US is going to stay the same.

We are broke.

[Michael]

People who are not reputably educated in REAL religion...imagine that there is some utopian light for ALL - in the corporate machine.  All you have to do is believe in it. 

[lucy]

There is no such thing as UTOPIA...there is hard work, and a will to be successful with what one has in this world...some are born into wealth and lose it, others force wealth from others in some form or fashion, some simply dig in/

By the grace of God, there are actually a few honest people left in this world, and most of them are not the heads of large corporations from what we are seeing at the moment/

[Michael]

True.  Honest people in this country are in short supply.

I think that many simply take honesty very lightly.  It seems to be habitual b.s.'ing to them.  Or a "you can't handle the truth" necessity.

I regard dishonesty as a form of laziness and lack of a good grip on ones personal desires.  Kinda like stealing.