bailout 2008

its so simple, really. dont spend more money than you have. i know its easier said than done. most of america lives on credit. for as long as i can remember, my father has been telling me, "dont spend more money than you have". i didnt really listen. i mean...im sure i urgently needed those white fringe boots to wear with my mini skirts in college in arizona. (should i add that they were adorned with little metal coins all over them? ugh!) many times, i found myself spending more money than i had. it wasnt hard, because i never made any money! but i was (and still am!) lucky. my parents bailed me out of problematic financial situations too many times to count. but i was a stupid and naive girl. and i didnt overspend by 28 billion dollars! not even close! and really....28 billion???? c'mon, give me a break!

this economy sucks. and michigan more so than other places. and we need help. but why should the car companies be bailed out? didnt they realize at the first...i dunno....10 billion dollars, that they were spending more money than they had? i dont claim to be a genius. especially a financial genius. but even i can see that there are morons running these companies. and before you start to yell at me....let me also explain that i DO know that there is more to the situation, and its not as clear cut as im making it out to be. 

i am fortunate, and therefore thankful and happy that this country isnt about socialism. on the other hand...im also very humanitarian, and believe in helping and supporting our fellow americans. these corporate bigwigs are making so much money, and getting excessive bonuses. im not really opposed to this. i mean...thats what makes america a free country. but lets say im in charge of one of the car companies. and i pull up to my 30,000 foot mansion on the lake in grosse pointe. at what point do i realize that something is terribly wrong? is it when i decide to take my luxurious yacht out for a spin? or when i hop on my gulfstream to have dinner in another city? does it even cross my mind that there are thousands of my employees who are losing their house, cant feed their families or afford health insurance? how could i enjoy my yacht or jet; knowing this? i dont blame these people. after all....if someone gave me a 10 million dollar bonus; id be pretty happy and have a hard time not accepting it. and i dont know these people. they could very well be charitable people who DO help out with various causes. i really dont know. and it doesnt really matter...because its not these peoples fault.

here is my issue. are these bigwigs soooo amazing at their job, that they deserve all of this money, and sooo much in bonuses?? is there nobody else who could do as good of a job, or a better job, with less of a salary requirement? if they were sooo great at their job...why are they in such dire financial crises? i could probably run a car company. and id accept 10 million bucks less. i dont know much about cars. or business for that matter. but could i do any worse than whats already being done? i know its not all of the corporate car companies fault. i understand that we need to buy american cars to support the michigan economy. im guilty. ive never owned an american car. my family is discussing how we should be buying american. is it possible..that if american cars were made better and designed as well as foreign cars, that wed be more apt to buy them? ok...now i digress.

so....back to my point. does the car industry deserve to be bailed out? umm...probably not. should the car industry be bailed out? DUH! YES!!!!! there is too much at stake and too many factors to take in to account. everyone screws up and deserves some help once in a while. my dad bailed me out when i needed my white fringe boots. granted...they werent 28 million dollar boots. i suppose its all relative. im scared for the people who have lost so much, and those who will lose more if we dont get this bailout. and how bout all the money we give to other countries? dontcha think we should help our own first? and how bout those selfish people who dont believe in the bailout, because it doesnt directly affect them? for example...someone in california who made a comment about not supporting the bailout. um...hello? how many times has the government come to the state of californias rescue??? earthquakes, fires, rock and mud slides???? remember those, dumbass?

after i started writing this, i watched on tv, part of the hearings on the bailout. interesting to watch. but what i found particularly interesting, is how the ceo of general motors handled answering a simple question. "how much money would the company need to get back on track and survive?" he hemmed and hawed. couldnt answer the simple question. i found this humorous, as i remember having the same conversation with my father. he would just ask simply, "how much do you need?" i can relate to the ceo who was attempting to answer the bailout question. i too, could never come up with a number. i was always too scared to tell how much i really needed. now, if i would have known that someone else needed 28 billion dollars, id probably be more comfortable with the amount i was in debt.