Re: Bailout question . . .
Joe and the lender both behaved irresponsibly, so both should take the loss. Neither should be "bailed out" if that bailout frees them of the consequences of bad decisions.
The President's plan, however improved, simply cuts the losses. Everybody loses who took irresponsible gambles but the credit market and our economy are rescued from total collapse.
Responsible citizens and responsible lenders will not be hurt as long as they pay what they agreed to pay.
If the market value of your home has dropped it is irrelevant unless you have depended on a plan to reap profits by selling or refinancing. Then you are hurt by losing a gamble. People who lose at gambling are victims only of their own decisions.
"Equity" is meaningless unless and until sold. Keep your home, pay your mortgage and you will be okay.
You can count me in, on agreeing with everything you said in this post JB.
I once had a partner who planned his finances & spending, based on the best month we had a year. I tried to plan based on our worst month. I planned for survival in the hard times that were to come. He planned for ever expanding financial bubbles.
He got mad once because I would not take out personal loans to help cover his prior business debts.
We split because of this. His mistakes, his problem.
Several years later & he owes money all over the world, and will spend the rest of his life running from these debts. Did he learn from this, no.
He came by last week to proudly show of his newly leased $100,000+ Mercedes company car.
How did he get it?
He sold controlling interest in his small company to his last and only client, while remaining responsible for all the companies prior debts. He now has no hope of paying these debts back, the client now sets the prices he will now pay for services rendered, and has lost control of his (once ours) company, but once again found a way to look successful. At least for the short term.
He asked if I would do some "free" consulting/freelance work for him. He can't pay the people he has been using. No thank you, I'll think I will pass.
He can literately barely feed his kids now, but man, doesn't he look good in that new Mercedes.
Living on borrowed time.