Bail out

I a bit sick of hearing the phrase "bail out." The picture of a boater in a canoe or other small sailing vessel with a pail and scooping out water with it because the boat sprung a leak. Yeah our country has sprung a leak and it's called a recession. Someone tell me why it took the "economic experts" a YEAR to finally declare that the country IS in a recession? I was saying that... over a year ago and wondering when our leaders were finally going to suck it up and call it what it really was. "Economic downturn." Damn! How far down does it have to get before you call it a recession?

Back to the bail out issue: First it was the various financial institutions : AIG, FANNIE MAE, FREDDIE MACK, and wouldn't you know it all of a sudden I'm drawing a blank and can't think of the other companies. Now the BIG THREE automakers want a handout, I mean bailout in the form of a loan. LEssee...Wasn't there a bailout back in '82. Ford I think it was. Twenty-six years later, no lessons learned from Ford's screw up and all THREE are holding out their hands for a hand... I mean "government loan." Let me rephrase that, Since it's OUR tax money I'm going to say a loan from the American people. And I think most of us are saying HELL NO! Damn, if you're willing to bail out the big folks how about us little folk. If they haven't forgotten, a buck isn't going as far as it used to. People aren't getting raises. What am I talking about. People are losing their jobs quicker than they can lose a pound of weight. Businesses are going belly up faster than a dead fish.

So the country is caught in the vicious circle, a ripple effect that touches EVERYTHING and EVERYONE. People aren't buying because their money doesn't go as far as it used to. Everything costs more. They're hanging on to what little they have. Businesses are closing or cutting jobs because people aren't buying. Their suppliers can't get rid of the inventory that they have, so they start cutting back on production and don't need as many workers. And it keeps going and going and going. Sounds like the Energizer bunny on the batteries and an IV of caffeine.

Our leaders have decided to throw money to various big corporations to keep them afloat. And us little people are DROWNING. Up the creek without a paddle or a boat, not even a life jacket. Blub, blub, blub! Here's a thought, stop trying to patch up a gunshot wound with a band aid. 700 billion or trillion ain't gonna fix this (Other than letting this thing run its course, don't ask me what will). Neither will a pail as big and deep as the Grand Canyon.