UPDATE: Now They Are All Throwing Themselves in Front of Combines

Ah, the whimsical innocence of last spring, when flowers were blooming, birds were singing, and the economy was merely slumping and not pooping on everyone's living room floor.


LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A poll taken before the national financial
meltdown suggests that rural Nebraskans are far more optimistic
about their lives than they have been in years.
The Nebraska Rural Poll was taken in spring, before the economic
upheaval that some people say is the most alarming since the Great
Depression.
Surveys for the 13th annual University of Nebraska-Lincoln poll
were mailed to about 6,200 randomly selected households in 84 rural
Nebraska counties last spring. Results are based on 2,496
responses.
About 53 percent of the respondents say they felt better off
than they were five years ago. That's the highest number in the
poll's history. The figure was 44 percent in spring 2007.

I'd LOVE to see what the results would be now.

Personally, the effect of the destruction of our national economy hasn't made much of an impact on my life. Hell, gas prices are the lowest they've been in a long time. I haven't seen it today, but I heard a rumor around the station that gas is under three bucks a gallon. So... that's nice.

Nothing has changed for me because I'm poor. I don't have any tanking investments because I don't have any investments period. Sure I couldn't qualify for a bank loan tomorrow, but I couldn't qualify for a loan yesterday, either. My credit score is a joke and that won't change for years no matter what happens nationally. By the way, how effective was the 850 billion dollar bailout. The Dow Jones is only down about 1000 points since they passed the thing. Way to go guys.

The bailout was a stupid idea, and now it has become a stupid reality. Let me put it to you like this...

I am terrible with money. Terrible shitty stupid awful with money. I borrowed waaaaay too much in student loans for what is not even a nationally accredited degree. I should have gone to the University of Phoenix Online, it would have saved me a shit load of money and the degrees have about the same amount of credibility. Not only that but I have credit card debt, over drawn checking account debt, I have knowingly written bad checks, etc. I am the real deal when it comes to finances. Unethical, incorrigible, and not likely to change much in the coming years. In other words, I'm like AIG. Or Lehman Brothers. Or any one of the other monstrous corporations that now have the government saving their ass.

So where's my fuckin bailout? What makes the bankers worthy of salvation and me a scumbag? The difference is that I haven't done it on a grand enough scale. THAT is my problem. I am a fuckup and it means thousands in debt. These people are fuckups and it means billions in debt.

Bottom line, you can do whatever you want, and if you do it big enough not only will you not have to face anything even approaching a consequence, but the government will come in and wipe your ass for you. Unbelievable.

Like I said though, it doesn't mean much of a change for me. I'm too poor.