There are many days throughout the week where my news hungry, podcast listening, somewhat nerdy (though undeniably adorably so) sweet, sweet husband leaves up an article or two on my computer that he thinks I will find interesting. Interesting usually meaning passion evoking. When things just strike the right (or wrong, for that matter) chord, I can't help but promulgate my opinion.
This is was what happened to my poor, unsuspecting brain this morning.
This whole housing bill thing just gives me the shivers. And not the good kind. Rob and I want nothing more right now than to be able to buy a house. It is our number one goal at the moment and we are budgeting and cutting and sacrificing and researching and saving, saving, saving so we will be able to do so. We know we will not take a house loan with a morgage over 1/3 of our monthly income. We know it will be tempting; and we know it would be ridiculously stupid to do so.
I can agree, to some very small extent, that part of the blame for this entire 'morgage crisis' lays in the hands of the banks, who greedily gave loans far and above the means of many people and familes. But I can also say without a shadow of a doubt that nearly every single bit of the blame, if not all of it, falls in the hands of the people who stupidly decided to bite off more than they can chew.
It all comes down to personal responsibilty, folks. Just because we are the land of the free doesn't mean we are a massive plot of land filled with idiots who do whatever the heck they want just because they can. It also doesn't mean that said idiots preforming said actions will not have to face any consequences because our knight-in-shining armor of a government will bail us out. Or does it?
In the article Rob left up for me this morning I read this quote. Then I stopped, and reread it. Then I copied and pasted it into a blog because it was so good/true/viable/pertinant to everything thats been going on lately- "This legislation punishes the successful, it taxes the responsible, and it holds no one accountable." (said by Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, the senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee.) I just wanted to throw up my hands, and shout EXACTLY. This is EXACTLY my issue with our government. This is EXACTLY why I believe America is heading in a very wrong direction. This is EXACTLY what I mean when I say personal responsibility is practically non existant anymore. Thank you, Mr. Smith of Texas. Thank you for saying EXACTLY what I wanted to in words far better than I could have chosen.
So, way to go government. You are in the process of successfuly showing the people of America that it is okay to be irrisponsible. That, "you know what? We'll just remove the rock and hardplace you've wedged yourself between." Nicely done. Touche'.
And a very big congratulations goes out to all the irrisponsible people. I mean, way to swing getting a house way above your means for practically free now. You can thank me, and the rest of the responsible tax payers later.
For now, I'll just continue paying my taxes and sitting comfortably in my cheap little rental house. :)
