Greed Is Still Causing the Meltdown

I would like people to stop screaming, "What about me?"



Because basically, all the criticism of the Obama Stimulus Plan boils down to "What about me?" The more-or-less distinguished members of Congress are upset that their wealthy constituents are going to have to sacrifice a house or a jet.



My co-worker wants to know what it's going to do to help her husband get a job, a question which is far more understandable than the jet problem. However, I try to explain that even if he is not trained to operate the heavy machinery that build roads, jobs will spread as more employed people spend money. I truly believe that, even though here in South Carolina we are at about the bottom of the food chain, given time, things will get better, and some day I will get paid holidays and maybe even cost of living increases again.



Just as raising the minimum wage doesn't just raise the wages of the poor, but the wages of the not-quite-poor, who put in long hours at Wal-Mart and, yes, even our libraries. And then they will spend that money (because it is still not enough to have savings), and that will create more jobs.



And the President's plan to help keep homeowners from foreclosure? Please, people, stop whining about how you are a good, honest, hard-working citizen who bought an affordable house and who makes your payments on time. There are a lot of us around who have had hard luck, lost a job, been struck with illness, lost a loved one in Iraq. There are a few of us who are going to get help that they don't deserve, but they are not going to rip off the government and the American people to the same tune that Halliburton and Enron were playing. If you want to go after someone, go after the people in Congress who helped Halliburton gouge the American people.



To those people who get away with a bailout that don't deserve it, I say, shame on you. On the other hand, there have been a lot more who have not deserved the way they were scammed, and I feel good about our government finally stepping up to help.



For those of you that still want to know, "What's in it for me," I can answer that, too.



A neighborhood without foreclosures increases the value of the neighborhood (and lessens the incidence of crime). Children receiving health care are less likely to end up in emergency rooms with severe illnesses (costing the taxpayer far, far less). Better schools will be better for our economy than better prisons (now and in the future).



So if you can't quite get a handle on why it is good to help others, look at how much better it will be for you when our economy is once again strong.