Shana=> "...this is a sad commentary on the prevailing mentality in America, the "paradigm" in American business.

Can you expand on what you mean by "paradigm"? I'd be interested to hear more.

Wow ~ that was really good.

I have apologized - because I was born in the North and it took me 22 years to move to the South. I have experienced growing tobacco and taking it to market now, but that was by choice basically just for the experience - I can see just a little of what Due so eloquently stated. (North Carolina - Former land of tobacco, textiles and furniture manufacturing)

Very well said.

The overall difference is that people do have a choice now, most people in my are drive over 50 miles to get to work. Why? Because there are better paying jobs or benefits in the larger city. Unions were necessary at a time, but now they do more harm than good in my opinion.

I think unions are probably still necessary to maintain some degree of wage equality in the manufacturering companies. we know the American CEO's think they deserve millions, or tens of millions, even when their companies are failing. I can't see that company management would care to preserve decent wages for the workers when the company's net profits are declining. In contrast, executives in the Japanese companies voluntarily cap their salaries at a reasonable multiple of the lowest paid production level worker in the company. It's a very different mentality, focused on long term financial viability. Americans want it all, and want it now, regardless of the long term consequences.

Here is one accounting of bail-out funds available and committed: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2008/11/26/MNVN14C8QR.DTL&o=0

what's 8.5 Trillion divided by 300 million?

I think the topic of this post says it all. "Bail out? What Bail out?" How many times have we heard that small business is the back bone of America? This so called bail out does nothing for small business.

Thank you Artiste! It's easy to "blame" every day people for being a drain on our resources, when the fact is very little money is spent to provide a safety net for them.

If this bail-out doesn't wake people up nothing will. I found it interesting that I got an e-mail from NAR last night asking us to support the following actions by writing to our representatives:

"Make the $7500 first-time homebuyer tax credit available to all buyers and eliminate repayment requirements. The credit's limited availability and repayment requirement severely limit the credit's use and effectiveness.

Make the 2008 FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan limits permanent. New rules for 2009 will reduce them. Now is not the time to limit mortgage affordability.

Get the Treasury relief program back on track and target more funds to mortgage relief. Create a federal mortgage interest buy-down program to make below-market rates available and stabilize home prices.

Permanently bar banks from engaging in real estate brokerage and management. The banks have proved they have enough to do to simply manage the loan process. Banks should not manage home sales and purchases."

Remember that NAR asked us to support the bail out. Note item # 3!

No one has a handle on this corporate welfare, no one.

And then there is this from the guy who almost single-handedly created the mortgage-based securities debacle, like anything he could say should be considered as a serious solution!

http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2008120204?OpenDocument