To Bail or not to Bail?

I know I am in a free country when I have the ability to ask my banker if I should close our retirement and place it into a safe savings account(MM) or to ride out the wave and see what the future brings. It is only in a rich and capitalistic country do we ask that question. Even in our "wealthy" country there are people deciding if they should eat lunch or hold off for dinner because they can not afford that Happy Meal. Come on folks.....It is not the end of the world for most of us invested in the stock market. For many that alone is a privilege beyond their means. The truth is that what we(D and I ) have managed to save is not enough to pay off our minivan. Debt is still on our side. I know few who actually own their home outright (no mortgage) or even their vehicle. We have outlived our savings and our credit. Most of us in the lower 98% have debt and owe more than we save. We spend more than we make. It has been the American Dream and Credo. Living up to the Jone's is catching up with us in a big way. The old corporate promise of a bright future retirement does not exist and owning one's own business costs more than it makes."What's up with that?"

It would be easy to blame it all on Hedge Funds, speculations, corporate waste and bad investments or spending in the banking industry or bad politics and regulations, but what about personal choice? Did Corporate-Government America force us to buy that Bling, BMW or i-Pod they shove down our throats? I think we need to look at the real issue: Our relationship with money !!! Our values!!! How do we teach and reach our children and how were we taught to handle-spend-save-value money? I know I was taught not to talk about it. Money was a taboo subject. I also remember though that spending was not taken lightly and Penny Pinchers were present in our family more than wild spenders. I came from the old school, where you will find people who drive old cars and own their homes outright. People who buy top quality products which last forever or buy from thrift shops, barter, trade and who recycle and compost. We garden and can food for winter. We save coupons, burn firewood and turn in pop bottles. I was taught to save change forever until you have a rainy day. These things have stuck with me for the most part. I am conservative in spending and yet do not mind splurging on items needed or which can bring some joy to life when needed. But the bills are paid first and I own no Bling. My grandmother told me that she would rather die than pay a bill late. I wore hand me down(thrift shop) dresses to high school dances. I had a great grandfather who died with dollar bills hidden in his dresser, bed and all over the place. This long lineage of thrifty folks has made me feel empowered and though I am "poor" in the bank I am rich in values. I consider how people in third world countries or New Orleans feel when they can not buy rice for their kids. That is news worthy and yet rarely hits the front page or top news story. While we figure out how to stop the government-corporate bleeding, the heads of these businesses will ride away on their private jet to a non USA taxed island and will live out their retirement on caviar. Lets hope it is a cannibalistic island(kidding. Meanwhile the working class will continue to struggle and buy those products sold to us in every way possible.

I guess what I am saying is that we are lucky if we have the privilege to have any funds in savings or investments and that the bleeding has to stop in a real way. I hope our government-corporate leaders make sure no one profits from this and the average person still has a way to save for retirement or at least a rainy day.