THE ECONOMY

My oversimplified view of our economy and the economic stimulus package that the government is trying to put together brings me to this conclusion. The housing situation started this whole mess and the mess wont be cleaned up until we solve that problem. Our banks and lending institutions are still reeling under the weight of bad and soon-to-be-bad mortgages. Giving people like me $500 to spend isn't going to do anything to help that problem. The unemployment problem won't go away until banks resume making loans to businesses and they won't do that with all the bad mortgages on their books. With unemployment high, consumers won't buy anything; with extra money they will save it or pay down debt because of the fear of being out of work. Lets find a way to reduce the number of mortgages in default or soon to be in default.