Times are tough, and some of us are finding it harder than others. And when I say "us," I am specifically referring to the Daily Kos community.
Recently we had weatherdude's diary, I Need Help. The Troubador followed with his own story, "Auctioning Myself Off to the Highest Bidder. In the second one I made a comment without a lot of thought, "Kos Community Micro Loans -- Think about it."
Then I thought about it.
Is it possible? Is there a way for the Daily Kos community to create a micro loan program to help each out, for fun and (a small) profit?
The are quite a few people around here having money troubles, both big and small. Some are the "just enough to get over the hump" type, while others are the"we're going to be living into the car starring Tuesday" type. Both, for those experiencing them, and should-grinding events. Perhaps we can help some of them.
But there are also people here who have made it through this economy relatively unscathed. Heck, we might even have an extra $50 we could invest in something other than the bankers who brought then whole thing crashing down in the first place.
Raise your hand if you're sitting out this semester because of a tuition hike. Are there a hundrd people here willing to invest $50 in your future?
Shout out if your small business is on the line because you can't afford a car repair. Ten Kossacks could help, at a fraction of what it would cost if you put it on your credit card.
The idea is not big loans. I don't want to hold anybody's mortgage, and neither do you. But how many of us are there out there who are just a little behind, never able to catch up? Or who, with a helping hand, could really have a brighter future?
I, for one, would be very interested in putting my ney to work with working people.
Is this too mercenary? Shouldn't I just give what I can to those in need? Well, I already do. I am not talking about what I can give in charity. I'm talking about moving money from BofA to DofK.
It was a random thought in a comment, follow by a suggestion that I make it a diary.
So I did.
What do you think?