[SouthParkRepublican]

”I guess to me it boils down to self sufficiency. Don't get yourself into stuff you can't get out of. I am sorry the guy bought more house than he could afford. I am sorry he didn't save enough money when he was making a good salary. I am sorry he didn't prepare himself to be able to make money on his own if he had to. That's all a shame and I wish him the best of luck. But whining doesn't do any good, and folks have made it through much worse.

I agree in principle that we are all responsible for our own decisions. At the same time, if you work in the IT market you come to an understanding that you might be facing a situation that was nearly impossible to plan for. My wife was making a good salary with a systems integration consulting company when we bought our modest home in NJ, we have car payments on two mid level cars (Taurus and Maxima), and the standard monthly bills. We were careful to put money away in case of emergency/unemployment. In my wildest dreams I did not imagine that she would wind up making $8.00 an hour at a local retail chain.

So if someone does want to complain about H-1’s, outsourcing, absurd property taxes, or immigration, don’t be too hard on them as these are valid complaints. Saying “It’s capitalism” sounds fine, but it is the Fed’s responsibility to govern international trade.

[lelio]

In my wildest dreams I did not imagine that she would wind up making $8.00 an hour at a local retail chain.

I was almost in that same boat (I halfheartedly joked about being a "sign guy") when someone finally called back, and the only reason for hiring is that an employee was moving out of town. Heck, I don't think a retail place would take me as they know I'll take off at the first hint of a better paying job. At least being a sign guy I could dance around and maybe get someone to flash me.

Saying “It’s capitalism” sounds fine, but it is the Fed’s responsibility to govern international trade.

Right on the mark. I'm all in favor of international trade where it is an equal exchange. But it isn't. No one in this country has an ability to affect change, so it is up to the feds to do it. The least they could do is look out for their own citizens.