And Irresponsibility Shall Set You Free...

This particular bit of news is really putting a rash in my diaper.

Apparently, in no small part because of an election year methinks, those citizens who made poor choices with their finances are going to be rewarded. Obviously, the full extent of the "relief" has not been determined yet, but is that really the point? Our fearless leaders are now going to set the precedent that it doesn't matter how far you over-extend yourself or get into contracts that are beyond your means, you will be bailed out by the government.

I have to wonder, what does this mean to those of us who stayed within our means and purchased only a house we can afford? We get no "kickback" now, but what if a couple years down the road my wife & I run into trouble...REAL trouble, like job loss...Not the kind of trouble this constituency got themselves into whereby they decided to buy a 5-bed / 3-bath house on 4 acres with a total gross income of $25k a year? Do I get to go to the government for a bailout? Just curious about that.

Also, I really don't want to hear about "predatory" lenders. A few years back, when the U.S. of A. was flush with money, these lenders we being castigated for NOT making the "American Dream" available to the poor. Now that they have listened to the masses and distributed loans, they are called "sharks" and "predators"...To me, this is just another deflection of the fact that the recipients of the loans did not accept the consequences of his/her actions. I've gone through various loan practices; everyone is told what the payment is going to be and, in the case of variable interest, what it will change to. Just because some fool didn't want to read the terms, or chose to disregard them, doesn't mean a) The lender should be called a predator and b) Those of us who do review the paperwork pay for those that don't.

This legislation will pass. Irresponsible people will be bailed out. And when the dust settles and people who truly fall on hard luck need help, the money will have dried up...And America will continue its inexorable pass into a nanny state.

Your "Protection" At Work

We'll here's another excellent example of the expected outcome of two conditions: 1) Cops investigating cops and 2) A conservative federal government and their belief in the application of law enforcement.

Admittedly the guy was probably a murderer, though far be it from our police officers to presume innocence until convicted in a Court of law; but is it really necessary to shoot a man 68 times?! This investigative finding isn't too far behind the acquittal of 3 officers for shooting a man 50 times...Including one cop who emptied his clip & reloaded! Ah well, at least that one made it to trial.

Look, if someone breaks into my home and I not only shoot him, but empty my clip, reload and fire some more...I assure you I will be arrested for excessive force. Of course, if you wear a badge under a Republican administration, no amount of bullets is enough for a bad guy!

Before you say "well, the guy deserved it, he shot a cop" I would contend two things: 1) There have been enough cases of people being released from prison due to new evidence to suggest to me that not every case is so cut-and-dried. 2) This isn't just about the shooting victim; this is about our para-military police forces not having to show any restraint with deadly force while at the same time wanting every non-cop to be disarmed!

Did you know that, despite all the statistics the Justice Dept. keeps, they keep no statistics on police-involved events such as this and other situations such as incorrect addresses for SWAT no-knocks, etc.? Why would that be?

I recommend that as long as this trend continues none of you reach for your proof of insurance too quickly during a pullover...The "sudden movement" could lead to your death by "acceptable police procedure."