The numbers might have to be tweaked at bit. The Census Bureau states that their are approximately 102 million households in the US. Some of those are rentals and some are 2nd (or third or seventh) residences, but most are primary residences. $700 billion, at 100K per household, works out to only 7 million households. But I'd sure like to get 100K to pay my mortgage! Do you have Henry Paulson on speed dial?

I haven't really looked into the specifics of the bailout details, but if any monies were to trickle down to me and mine, I'd rather have them sooner than later.

That being said, my look and my wife's as well, is not positive on our nation's current state - not only financially, but politically and socially too. If that 100K or the closest significant equivalent were to come our way, we'd probably be learning French-Canadian. Only because it would be easier to get the kids to my mother-in-law from Canada than Ireland.

I do agree with some of what JohnGilroy says, we have become a nation that does live beyond our means, and have put most of it on credit. There are two sides though to every coin, last year my brother-in-law and his wife put a house and all the furnishings on credit cards. While at the same time, my wife and I put heating oil and food on ours.

Tightening belts is standard procedure in most one income houses - certainly around here it is - but when the basics of existence are considered "living beyond your means*" one can only tighten the belt so much.

*I don't mean steak and lobster every week either. Two meat meals a week and a bottle of wine on Sat.

Scott
Stay@Home/Scott

I didn't mean to be insensitive, I know times are hard for many, even when the economy is supposedly doing well.
My point is that 8 years of out of control government borrowing have put the US in a hole and the last thing the country should be doing is borrowing more to try and consume its way out of it.
If you want spend billions and help poor families you direct money to kids not houses. I wonder how much it would cost to give every kid $250 a month to age 18?
So far as the bailout proposal goes who in their right mind would give this administration a trillion dollar blank cheque?
The Fed is already pumping vast amounts into the credit markets. If banks have bad loans to flog or need capital they should look elsewhere.

It's ironic that our government has to borrow so much just to 'give' it to other countries. When are they going to start worrying about our own? I can't believe that nobody in the financial markets and treasury saw this coming. It has been pretty obvious for a while that the easy mortgage situation was out of control. It just sickens me that my taxes are going towards bailing out large companies who go themselves into this mess and all the stupid people who thought it would be a great idea to get an adjustable mortgage or balloon payments.

How about his: people who gets themselves into a stupid situation are held responsible for their own actions? I didn't buy a $500,000 McMansion; why should I have to help out people who bought them and could never afford one?

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