In the news...

A German billionaire is the latest casualty of the economic crisis:
http://www.700wlw.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=104668&article=4809382

Aw, poor guy. If there was only something we could have done for him. Like included Volkswagen in the American bailout.

But, it's not too late for us to save others:
http://www.700wlw.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=104668&article=4810494

Good for them, I say. Larry Flynt doesn't need the money, and he knows it. He's just trying to draw attention to this sham.

Or, should I say "scam".

You see, an economy is considered healthy only if money is flowing. Changing hands at a frenetic pace. It's not doing that now. Why? Because most of the money is in the pockets of a very select few.

And what that select few doesn't seem to understand is that they can't make money if they've already got it all. Forgive me if I sound socialistic here, but the masses are tapped dry. We don't have any more to spend, and our credit cards are all maxed out. (Generally speaking.)

We sent all our money to the heads of the big corporation. We bought as much as we could, and then some. And instead of that money being redistributed through the salaries of many, the majority went to the few.

Now that the money well has dried up, those select few panic and lay off employees. Why? Because employees cost money. So, then we have even fewer people with money to spend. And how will the big wigs deal with that? More cost cutting. More layoffs.

Instead of trying to keep their companies and corporations healthy, CEOs and board are grabbing everything they can for themselves.

Want to revitalize the economy? Take that bailout money, and instead of sending it to the banks and the automakers, give it to us. It's ours in the first place. We'll use it to buy things. We'll pay off credit card debt. We'll invest it.

Voila! The dough flows and the economy chugs back into shape.

Of course, then we're right back to where we started from. For instance, did you happen to notice when gas prices leapt? Right as everyone was getting their last economic stimulus check. Speculators knew we could afford high priced gas, so they speculated the price of crude to ludicrous levels. What's to keep them from doing it again?

Nothing. Nothing but the realization that an economy can't function if only a few hold all the dollars. And sociologically speaking, that ain't gonna happen.

I don't know. I don't understand economics. If any of this makes sense to anyone, they're ahead of me.