more disgraceful acts...

1. maybe i'm slightly paranoid--but i swear to god--the republicans are deliberately NOT cooperating on a STUPID* bailout bill so that mccain won't have to show up to the debate...

2. some stupid kid in long island threw gasoline onto a fellow student and tried to light him on fire with a flare...that kid was plain malicious--although i appreciate the...ingenuity. there's a difference between shooting to kill and shooting to torture. that kid wanted a torturous death for his classmate. i say--throw gasoline on his arm and light it on fire. see how he likes it. for that matter--i say he should have to throw gas on his own arm--and his parents should have to light his hand on fire. is that taking it too far? i just figure--parents should be teaching values and--well, they failed somehow. so they're at fault too.

REALLY GUYS? REALLY???

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* it's a stupid bailout. bush's television address sounded like the post 9/11 address--another scare tactic. it's not that i don't take it seriously. it's just that i'm pretty sure that even if these corporations fall--life goes on. the majority of people will still have jobs. taxes paid for by the people should be used FOR the people. not corporate greed. i say let them rot. they've got millions regardless--they can use that money to start a new company WITH regulations. and if we're so set on bailing them out? i'm willing to bet that if you liquidate all of these executives' assets--it will be a few billion dollars. use their damn money as part of the deal. let them keep 30k of their money and have them start over. humble the bastards.

look at it as a chance to rebuild. start anew with--heck, i don't know--REGULATIONS. why should i have to pay for corporate greed? yes--that corporate greed will manifest itself in job losses at every level--but you know what? sorry--people everywhere are losing their jobs. the riskiest sort of business=restaurants--according to business week in a 2007 article--the failure rate is 60% (though not as high as the recently thought 9 out of 10). and no one is trying to bail out waiters/cooks considering that there are hundreds of thousands of new restaurants each year. that represents a sizable amount of people. probably as much, if not more, than the number of people employed by fannie may and freddie mac and aig. heck, if we add the ENTIRE HISTORY OF PEOPLE that have worked at a restaurant that went out of business--it would be hands down--more people. but no, i forget, of course--who cares about the poor blue collar workers?

for that matter--WHERE WAS THIS $700 BILLION offer for the victims of katrina? for the current victims of ike? where was this willingness in the recent past? these people didn't directly cause hurricanes. where is this major bailout when it deals with ANYTHING that isn't directly related to corporate america? we bailed out airlines earlier (flying is a hell i hate now) and now we're bailing out banks. let's just throw money at any company located in a big, nice, shiny building with executives that walk around in armani suits and get to work on a private jet and helicopter.

as for people who have lost money in investments--use the bailout to recover whatever amount they lost in investments--especially those nearing retirement. that's fine by me. i don't mind paying taxes for those people.

i mind paying taxes to people who were too greedy to do the right thing--from the top level executive to the bank lender. yes. even that lower level employee doesn't deserve my pity. yes, first time home buyers should know better--but that employee knows how much that person can pay even if they don't. and you sure as hell shouldn't be giving them a loan you KNOW they can't afford. you have a formula. x makes z amount. that means x can only afford y loan. simple. you gave out bad loans. you deserve to lose your job. anyone else who performs badly in ANY JOB has the potential to lose their jobs--and 99% of people aren't bailed out for their mistakes--no. they're FIRED. so consider it a lesson.

the economy as we know it SHOULD fall and go away--although i really don't think it will go that far. forget the bailout. besides, after all is said and done--i highly doubt the cost will be just $700 billion.

i am really annoyed by this...if you can't tell...besides all the federal taxes i pay--i pay THREE (3) ADDITIONAL taxes to NY. i'm single. no kids. and in the dreaded income tax bracket. so, quite frankly, i have no pity. i am sure i can and will blog about this again with much more clarity and structure...but at the moment--i'll blog from my feelings, not from years of ingrained essay dos and don'ts.