Will any of the stimulus stimulate your economy? Economic relief always seems to exclude some; like the deck is always stacked for the other guy. I shouldn't be whining. I'm sitting cozy in my old mobile home with a fire roaring and shielding me from the icy artic blast outside. It's just that it infuriates me to listen to the news on TV and realize that honesty and ethical behavior is so lacking in Washington DC. Look at how white collar criminals are coddled, while a young thief is subject to the full extent of the law, as well as tasers, guns and abuse in our prison system. Look at how our leaders get the best healthcare and benefits, while the working class get cuts in real wages and benefits. It always seems that it's the workers who have to sacrifice more than anyone else. I'm sure none of our leaders have to worry if they can buy food, medicine or heat, or if they can afford to have a bad tooth fixed? Our leaders don't suffer in pain when they are sick. They don't suffer when their company goes broke. Why are they so special?
They were discussing the Silver State Bank collapse on TV. The bankers loaned millions to developers on bare dessert land, which is now nearly worthless since the economy has gone bust. The TV didn't mention the fact that John McCain's son, Andrew McCain, was on the audit board for Silver State Bank prior to its collapse. Now, I used to be an auditor and they are supposed to assess risk and internal controls and report problems to management with recommendations for correcting the problems. So, if McCain's son was on the audit board he should have seen the audit reports, and he should have known that the bank was in trouble. He took his money and ran, and let the rest of the bank management do the same. The CEO's sold stocks and left the taxpayers holding the bag.
These guys usually have connections in high places and it always seems to follow the same script. You'd think that we would have learned by now. Remember Neil Bush and Silverado? How about John McCain and Keating 5? They all work about the same...if the risk works, they take the profits and run. If the gig fails, they still take what they can in bonuses, stock options and other corporate perks before they abandon ship.
Wall Street bankers are up to their necks too. They have trillions in derivatives, credit default swaps and risky investments that they are dumping on the taxpayers, while they take their winnings home to their mansions. What can we do about it? I don't know, but I'm mad as hell.
I've been unemployed for over a year. I drew $252/wk for 26 weeks and I do NOT qualify for extended unemployment benefits because I've been out of work for over a year. Someone who lost their job last May can draw extended unemployment benefits, but I can't. Why do they get to draw benefits for longer than me? Now I hear that Cobra benefits are going to be extended for workers over 55 who are unemployed. I'm 54 1/2 and my Cobra benefits will end in March. Why are they putting these stupid rules in place that penalize me???
Ok, so it's not just me. I know there are people hurting everywhere, but I'm so sick of a system that doesn't work for the people. My neighbor had a kidney transplant about 8 years ago. She has to take anti-rejection drugs. She has a daughter who is mentally retarded. She was taken off of SSDI and Medicare last year. She was sick and crying last weekend because she's so tired of fighting the system. What kind of a sick system gives a woman a kidney transplant and then won't give her the drugs she needs after the transplant? Does this make sense?
Banks and Corporations should not run the world