I cannot believe how dare these government officials to use the taxpayers’ money (my annual $20000 to $50000 tax contribution included) to “save” these subprime homeowners from foreclosure. Why don’t they give me a free two loan points on the loan or the cash back to me for buying a home? America is about fairness, but it has all but disappeared in these callings for help.
If you cannot afford to buy a home, then you should not buy to drive up the prices further. Such bailouts are unethical and unfair. It creates moral hazards where speculation is encouraged and prudence is thrown out of window (well, actually this is probably not the first time nor will be the last time). American society has been getting more speculative and materialistic as a result. Being a diligent saver or conservative often gets you nowhere. These subprime borrowers and lenders who have taken excessive risks are not punished but rather rewarded by big gains before blow-up, and then (plan/hope to be) compensated by taxpayers’ money later. In the name of “saving home”, government officials are trying to please these constituents and sounding politically correct.
In all these blowups, government officials even dare to make the investors legally responsible for the entire mess. These investors who provided all the money to make everything possible, will be the biggest losers among all. Once the homes go into default and foreclosure with negative equity, the bond investors will not only lose interest but also principal. And now Chairman (of House Financial Services Committee) Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., want to hold bond investors legally responsible. If such legislation passes, it will dramatically make the mortgage-back bonds to be a lot more expensive, making the homes be even less affordable.
Out of all politician in the USA I like Ron Paul the best. He is the only one who sticks to the original spirit of US constitution and can stop the government getting bigger and bigger in increasing the burden on everyone else in the private sector. I will definitely vote for him when/if he runs for president in 2008.
