MAD AS HELL

Before I left the working world I always felt well informed of current events and issues because I was an *NPR* listener (and supporter - making donations during all Pledge campaigns throughout the year). I listened religously to "Morning Edition" while getting ready for work every morning and on the drive in to work. I caught "All Things Considered" and "Market Place" every evening on the drive home. Even on the weekends I enjoyed listening to "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me", "This American Life", "Car Talk" and I even "Prairie Home Companion" most weekends.

Now that I'm "not working" and at home or on the boat during the day, I listen to NPR all day long. My favorite day time shows are "Fresh Air" "Here and Now" and "Talk of the Nation".

I listen to these in-depth shows regularly, so now I feel even more connected and up to date on current events and issues than ever, which brings me to the title of this post. I am mad as hell about the Washington bailout of Wall Street, the biggest corporate fat cats on the planet. Today I listened with great interest to an interview about whether or not the tax payers should be OK with the bailout of the Wall Street titans, and whether Congress should agree to allocate $700 Billion to "fix things" that they screwed up royally. That amount of money (besides being roughly the same amount we've spent on the SENSELESS WAR IN IRAQ) equates to about $2,300 from every person in America and will take 70-80 years to pay off. WTF PEOPLE?!?!?

The highest paid of those Wall Street bastards pocketed $70 Million last year. Again, WTF PEOPLE?!? Why on Earth should the tax payers bear the brunt of this crisis and pay the bills resulting from the EXTREME GREED and CORRUPTION that has run rampant on Wall Street for the past 20 years - where a kid - three years out of Grad School - could "earn" $10 Million a year? It is unconscionable. I don't care WHO you are - nobody - not sports figures, not Wall Street executives, not movie stars - deserves to be paid $10 Million to do the job they're doing. MUCH LESS $70 Million.

The argument for the bailout is that if the government doesn't step in, the entire American Economy is likely to spiral into the abyss and Armageddon is sure to follow. You know what I say to that? TOUGH SHIT ASSHOLES. You brought it on yourselves. And I mean to include all the "poor people" who over-extended their reach, agreeing to a mortgage that was being served up on a silver platter, despite the fact that they AND their lender knew they couldn't afford. If you make $60K a year, YOU CAN'T AFFORD A $400K house. It's that simple. But it's this culture of greed and "bigger, better, more" that has turned this country on its head and why everything's gone to shit. And it's not over. Go to the mall on any given weekend and you'll see young kids - 11, 12,13 - walking around carrying $300 purses. They think that's NORMAL. Their parents think it's normal. In fact, the parents that indulge their kids in these kinds of fantasies are the same ones who are losing their shirts because of really stupid choices they've made. I've said it for many years - but I whole-heartedly believe credit cards are the DEVIL! Credit cards and borrowing against stuff you don't even own out-right - it's the DEVIL I tell you!

What makes me even more freaking mad is that I, personally, have not lived above my means, yet I'll be expected (forced) to pay my share of the bill for the lunacy of others. One may argue that clearly I have the means - just look at my life - I'm taking a year off! A luxury most people can't (won't, actually) fathom. But the only way I could do it is because I worked my ass off last year and saved money based on a very rigid plan. (and yes, I must admit that I am extraordinarily lucky to have Gary's support for this, without which my year off would be impossible) - but the point is - I know money doesn't grow on trees and I am not living on borrowed money because of extremely careful planning on my part).

Anyhow, the reason I'm so mad is due more to my student loan debt than anything else. I am stuck with a monstrous debt (which is $50,000 HIGHER than the day I graduated 14 years ago) from 4 years of undergraduate education that I (now) believe should NEVER HAVE BEEN LENT TO ME IN THE FIRST PLACE - but due to the predatory lending practices and (now) illegal types of loans that were available at that time, combined with the HORRIBLE, FINANCIALLY DEVASTATING ADVICE dolled out by my university's Financial Aid Office - I took every dime I could get. So my question is - Where's MY bailout? Where's some help or at least ACKNOWLEDGEMENT by the Federal Government that tens of thousands of younger Americans just like me are saddled with debt that's so upside-down it's not even funny. Heck, my student loan debt is like one-ten thousandth of one percent of the $700B they're about to chuck at Wall Street. But NOOOOOOOOOOOO - you never hear a WORD about the Student Loan debt being shouldered by my generation and those who came after us, holding us hostage financially without much to show for it but a piece of paper. And the response WE get from the government? "TOUGH SHIT ASSHOLES!". So what's good for the goose isn't good for the gander, is it.

Sadly, ironically, you could say that my grotesque student loan debt "saved me" from the current mortgage crisis because if not for that debt, I would probably own a home by now (like most people in their mid-30's are supposed to), which could potentially be upside down by now, and I'd be screwed just like so many tens of thousands of people are now, only I'd have a bit more incientive to struggle to keep paying my mortgage than I do to pay off my piece of paper.

What's the answer? I don't know - but my $.02 is first, get every dime from the personal fortunes of the sons-of-bitches on Wall Street and apply it towards the $700B, then throw their greedy asses in jail or at the very least legislate that ALL THE MONEY THEY EVER MAKE IN THE FUTURE SHOULD GO TOWARDS PAYING DOWN THE $700 BILLION BAILOUT. Make them live like paupers for the rest of their lives and struggle to make ends meet like the rest of the country and see how they like it. The sad fact is, that will never happen.

The other bit of irony here is that at least they can't take my education away from me since, at this point, it is just a piece of paper in a lot of ways and not something someone else could profit from buying or selling. But I'm sick to death of my [essentially worthless] $93,000 piece of paper. Maybe I'll put it on eBay and see if someone wants to buy it 'cause I really don't want it anymore. It gives me a headache. Somebody, please, bail me out too.