Yes, in a way you did, as I read your comment as an indictment, and even an ASSUMPTION, that of all those who are in the position they are in, created their own financial mess. Under ‘normal’ circumstances, I would agree with you. I am one of those who acknowledges and preaches that we, as individuals, have the power to create our own life….and that whether we know it or not, we are making our own choices, and living our own consequences….. But these are not normal times….this country, and this world…is experiencing a real crisis. There are a lot of people who made correct and ‘right’ choices, who planned ahead, and who lived within their means, who have no jobs anymore, whose bank accounts that were created for those rainy days are empty—because it has been raining for close to a year now. WHY? Not because they made bad choices, not because they were stupid and didn’t prepare, but because a lot of what we are experiencing was thrown onto them, in the back rooms of corporate greed and this administrations need for government power grabbing at the expense of those who had very little power to begin with… What about those women I have read about, who are living in their cars in California? they had jobs——good jobs. When they got their divorces, the husband had the greater job, and the credit rating…some of the women were booted out of their homes after divorce, and then booted out of their apartments—not becasue of failure to pay, but because the landlords were foreclosed on! these women—-boomers—live in their cars, and California now even has ‘car parks’ for them to go to at night, where it is safe for them to sleep——most of these women still have jobs—-but cannot afford to come up with a deposit for an apartment….WHO decides how much deposit and how much rent will be charged —or that once a person has no home, they are no longer ‘worthy’ of renting to, ever. There are ‘victims’ that are truly victims of the choices made for them—not ones they made for themselves. Young people have an advantage—-employers want them….young people often do not yet have a family, and because I am in a college town with a college, a University, and a well-respected Community College—-all three—-when I shop for food or anything else, it is the young people who are standing at the cashe registers, and who wait on me—they are the first to secure employment…their wages could not support a family, they don;t need medical insurance, they are willing to live 4 and 5 people in a house or apartment and split the rent, they have not yet accrued real furniture, or any thing they can’t give away. But the boomers, such as myself, and the women in California, find themselves in a real predicament. Not old enough for social security, too old for the jobs that are available that can support them, and even those with degrees up the yin-yang, such as myself, are passed over for employment because we ‘cost too much’ in this economy….. I have a friend who owns a furniture store in san diego….his ‘credit’ was discontinued several months back when Paulsen was asking for the bail-out….Who decided that he could no longer recieve his furniture except for COD? When in business for over 20 years, he had been able to pay 10-30 days after receiving it? Not he!

Yes, not all of us will get trillion dollar bailouts from the Federal Government, like the banksters (rhymes with gangsters!) For those of us who are not super-rich, and cannot count on government bailouts to maintain our multi-million dollar incomes — have to live in reality. The only ones who don’t are the wealthy and well connected. Those people don’t have to live with their choices! The government only helps those who help themselves — and help themselves and help themselves to other people’s money!