Our Sacrifices

I've been a critic of our [total lack of] Merikan sacrifices we made for our wars -- with heavy hearts we climbed into our new cars (cars we bought at 0% after 9/11) to belt out some more shopping (between 9/12 and 7/07) -- that is, until our economy collapsed.

We collectively didn't do anything, we weren't asked to do anything, and we didn't have to pay for anything. We borrowed money to pay for our wars. No sacrifices. Now, with the $700,000,000,000 TARP I, we are again not asked to do anything. Nope. We borrowed and borrowed and became more and more indebted, and poof! suddenly there appeared seven hundred thousand million more dollars and we still didn't have to do a thing. "Please continue as before," we're asked. Please continue to borrow to buy, please continue to buy overvalued housal units (if you do we'll throw in a $7,500 federal tax credit) and please wish for values to again rise by 20% per year so we might continue to borrow equity to buy more goods.

I am wondering if a day of reckoning will come soon. Apparently we've been spared financial collapse. If AIG would have gone under, man, we'd have lost everything! Thank God in Heaven our government set them straight. And shit! If GMAC would have gone under, man, we'd have lost everything as well! We've been spared our day of reckoning!

And I didn't have to do a thing. Not a single sacrifice. My job's secure, I'm rolling in cash, my taxes haven't been raised, I can fill up my gas tank for about 18 minutes of work, and come Monday I can buy a new Dodge Durango at 0% for sixty months even with tarnished credit! Sure...I might receive an I.O.U. from California for my tax refund, but apparently I'm entitled to 5% interest...I couldn't find that good a rate anywhere else! Life is good!