If engineering worked like this there would be a lot more appliances catching fire in people’s homes…and there are plenty of those to raise an eyebrow.

That’s what frustrates me the most. You say protectionism is bad when democrats talk about it, but that is exactly what giving companies a loan is. The bailout is the definition of socialism. The government is selectively choosing where to pump public funds into industry. It doesn’t matter what the intended end is, whether it be preventing employment (which, to me, is basically delaying the inevitable).

It also occurred to me that this whole thing was a storm intended to unleash itself during the next president’s term that came to fruition a little bit too soon.

The only reason I am upset about this more than the trillion dollars we have already spent is because I have no idea how the financial industry works. I do, however, understand manufacturing of real goods. The financial industry is just a bunch of paper-pushing to me, that adds no value to my life whatsoever. If I could not acquire a loan to purchase a home, I don’t think I would have been any worse-off. I could have saved so much money renting. I honestly kick myself in the butt from time to time for buying a home. The pressure to be all domesticated was just far too great. Oh well. I just need to make sure that when I have kids I will explain to them the value of renting while saving up to just buy a home with cash money. Even if you CAN borrow within your means, it doesn’t mean you SHOULD.