I Want My Money

All week the big news story has been the economy. Suddenly, it is a matter of doing something for Wall Street really fast – in a week. Hey, it did not take a week to get in this mess. Why is there such a hurry to give my money away? Yes, my money. I’m a taxpayer. An unemployed taxpayer who is not happy to even think about my tax money going to bail out companies who made tons of money giving out loans that they knew could not be repaid. Figures have been thrown around that if the bail out Bush wants passes, it would cost every taxpayer something around $7,000 each. Well, I don’t want to give Wall Street my money. I want it. I need it.

Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t want anyone to lose their home. In fact, why doesn’t the government do something to protect hard working folks who are having a rough time? Companies are out there preying on desperate people. Put some of these types of companies out of business. Take for example the company that runs a commercial on local stations in my town and I’m sure all over the country, starring Gary Coleman. It’s offering a loan for up to $2600. Of course the voice-over says to be sure you can afford the payments before applying for the loan. While Coleman is talking about selling his car and clothes (who would buy his clothes?), the fine print is saying that the interest on the loan is 99.25%. Let’s put these people out of business. What they are doing can only be illegal and unethical.

Forget the bail out. If the government wants to give money away, give it to the people that need it - people who would be looking to Gary Coleman for financial advice. Like me, they need their money. If Gary Coleman influences their decisions making, they need the money a heck of a lot more than I do. The government needs to slow down. Think things over. I have to be careful with my money; the government should have to be careful with my money too.

How Strong Are We?

Friday I had a flashback to the 1970s. People were lined up to buy gas all over my hometown. Some stations ran out of gas. Prices went up hour by the hour. I got gas at a convenient store that wasn’t very busy at all. In fact, they seemed happy to see me. One of the owners came out and asked me if I wanted to fill up. Two Asians guys ran the store. If I have to pay through the nose to fill my car up, at least I chose a place that seemed to appreciate my business. As I was pulling out, more cars were pulling in. I wonder if they got treated as well as I did? All this gas business was over the hurricane, Ike, that hadn’t even hit Texas yet.

Of course the news has been all over this story. People have complained. Subpoenas were served on gas stations owners who were gouging customers by our attorney general on Monday. News stories covered or tried to cover how much gas really cost. Come on, did they really think anyone was going to share that information? Bottom line- Americans, myself included, are going to pay the price, until we run out of the money to do so. I’m lucky. Things are tight for me because my husband is the only one working right now but we are able to get by. Some people are not so lucky.

I know there are people who have to make some hard decisions. Not only are gas prices high but so are food prices, medical cost, well, just about everything is going up. We learned yesterday no one is safe from going under. Big companies that have been in business for years are going under. I heard a financial professor at a local college tell a news reporter that things are going to change. It is going back to the way things were in the 1970s.

Oh, Lord. That was the energy crisis. High prices. People being priced out of the housing market and losing jobs. Wait a second that is what is happening now. I think we may need to look further back in history. Back to the 1930s. Think about the roaring 20s when everyone lived high and on credit. Sounds like how we live now, doesn’t it? Will the government allow another depression? Are we as strong as our great grandparents or grand parents? Let’s hope we don’t have to find out.