Stop, look, listen, think about what's going on

Props to anyone who remembers the PSA that the titular ditty is from (rock on 90's cartoon PSAs!)

This, however, is not a PSA about keeping the peace and being strong. It's simply this: Government! Yes you, whom I pay taxes to, who repairs my roads, who keeps me safe in war and peace, yes you. Cease with the bailouts! The mortgage situation, in large part, is a bed made by us and now we lie in it. Lying, in fact, is what got us there. Remember, my mother's brokerage specializes in loss mitigation and loan renegotiation. I'm not just some outsider, I'm on the ground floor of this business, and I'm telling you this: people's own greed, stupidity, decietfulness, and vice is what got us here. People decided they were entitled to the American dream without a second's worth of work; they believed that a house and a Hummer and a Sea Doo and designer clothes should fall into their laps because of the (perceived) cleaverness of them. That's not the way it works, and that's not actually the American dream.

The American dream? That's what you're stealing from me by ponying up trillion's of dollars to save the people who lied about their income, their work, their life, and their needs to get a giant house they couldn't afford. The American Dream, simply stated, is that you get what you give. You work? You can get where you want to go. You don't work? You'll get some help, because we look out for each other, but you don't get a damn McMansion. You get tools, not the fish or the damn fleet.

But guess who now gets to fund the bail out of your fabulous home? Me. The girl who pays her taxes, who's making 7.90 an hour at STARBUCKS and trying to get a Master's degree and trying beyond all reason to get herself closer to her fiance. My parents, who try as hard as they can to keep a roof over our heads, who try to stay out of debt, who work until 3 am and get up again at 8am and keep going. We don't have uber nice things: there isn't a designer dress or shoe in this house, we drive a Camry and Corolla, not a Beemer. But we eat well, and we can afford a bottle of wine with dinner, and we can sit at the table for hours and talk when we have that luxery. We don't buy the latest iPhone, or computer. We buy generic a lot of times because the name brand isn't worth the extra four bucks. And you know what this whole economic crunch has made me realize? That as much of pain in the ass as that lifestyle may appear, it's wonderful. At no point was I any more worried about economics then I ever have been (we watch CNBC in this house, it's not like I'm ever not worried). I havn't feared losing my house, or my way of life. We live, and we delight in simple things-- my hobby is cross stitch, which is a whopping 35 cents to fund (per color of course). We read books, we borrow movies from the library. We take advantage of the one thing that government does really well. Local government has always been about being the closest to the people, to making sure that they're taken care of. Part of that? All sorts of low cost or free stuff. Libraries, pilates, free movie nights, all sorts of community events that you already paid for through your taxes.

You remember all those old stories of village parties and town square fairs? How people came together and just hung out? How they were both self sufficient and part of the community? Why not just update it? There's no reason that it should be limited like it was then. Bring everyone in. Here's where idealism takes over. If you actually interact with people in the community-- people of ALL types, races, religions, ethnicities, tax brackets-- you might find that some social issues ease. If you're my friend you're my friend, and I don't give a damn about the rest. If you annoy me, well, take comfort in the fact that it's likely just clashing personalities and not a deeper problem (I told you idealism). In the meantime, don't take the money for that away so that you can save a bunch of liars and cheats the "indignity" of having to do an honest day's work.