Gimme Shelter

Here I was, just bitching about politicians in general – not taking sides – until Elle had to go and get all snarky. :)

“It was the Republican administration at the helm for the last eight years, which explains the hole we're in.”

I know the current meme from the White House is “I inherited this mess from Bush,” but let’s go back just a tad further than eight years. The New York Times, 9-30-1999:

Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending

In a move that could help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders.

The action…will encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans. Fannie Mae officials say they hope to make it a nationwide program by next spring.

Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits…

In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980's.

In July, the Department of Housing and Urban Development proposed that by the year 2001, 50 percent of Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's portfolio be made up of loans to low and moderate-income borrowers.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE7DB153EF933A0575AC0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1

Similarly, in 2004, Bush’s HUD Department increased the target of low- and moderate-income loans to 56%. More than half of their loans were federally mandated to be at risk loans.

"Are you suggesting we "stay the course" with Bush policies?"

Not at all. I’m suggesting Government stick to their Constitutionally-mandated duties and get the fuck out of our lives. In light of the fact that they don’t seem competent to run private-sector businesses, what right do they have to regulate them?

"Obama just took over in January."

I know! Isn’t it awesome? It’s only been six weeks, and this administration has already spent more than twice as much as the total cost of the Iraq War. Plus, they’ve tripled the national deficit by overseeing the largest transfer of private wealth to government, ever. Everybody said it was a historic election. Guess they were right.

"And the opposite of progress is, in fact, REPUBLICAN."

Didn’t think I’d have to spell it out, but the opposite of progress is, in fact, Congress. Doesn’t matter if there’s a “D,” an “I,” or an “R” after their names. They’re criminally negligent, power-hungry money grabbers that justify their loathsome existence by making laws favoring their campaign contributors.

"I might need some affordable health care or good insurance, Mr. Cat."

Get government out of the medical business, and you’ll see costs go down. As it stands now, doctors and pharmaceutical labs have no reason to lower their prices if they know a government agency is going to pay them. Also, according to the government, if your car is too new you can’t qualify for Medicaid or Medicare – it counts as income. Apparently the government thinks having a nice car obviates the need for maintenance prescriptions or hospital stays.

"I need future employment."

I’d hire you, but I’m living in my magical healing car.

"I would fucking love some free tuition, too."

Every time the government throws more money at universities, their tuition curiously rises by the same percentage. I would wager that if the schools were cut off from the government teat, they’d find a way to max out their attendance – perhaps by lowering tuition?

Yes, I’m a free-market junkie. Maybe that blinds me to certain things, but I still believe it’s better than expecting the government to provide all goods and services. As they keep proving, the only solution they can propose to any problem is to spend someone else’s money irrespective of efficacy or relevancy.