Should we reward arsonist with bailout money?

Okay. If the fire is ongoing, we need to put out the fire first. Fine.

Then after the firefighter put out the fire, investigators should show up and do their job. They have to figure out what caused the fire. If it was an act of arson, the guy who was responsible for the fire should be sent to jail and fined accordingly.

A similar strategy is applicable to the bailout plan. The housing crisis was an outcome of greed mixed with stupidity. In 2005, data already showed that a big housing bubble would be burst soon. Builders refused to slow down. Real estate agents laughed at the notion that housing price would drop. Lenders all jumped on the subprime bandwagon. Buyers thought about year over year appreciation and tax deduction. Even the government chose to keep silent. They all ignored the writing on the wall. Nobody believed the data. Everyone buried its head in sand. Money, money, money! The dollar sign was all they could see or care. They all mortgaged their future in a sense.

Now the day of reckoning has finally come. Within half of year, hundreds of billions of dollars were thrown into the economy. Unfortunately the effects so far have been minimal. Our new president unveiled one plan after another to bail out the banking industry or troubled home owners.

In my humble opinion, I don't think the government should bail out a home owner who bought a MacMansion for investment purposes or a banker who turned a blind eye to questionable loan applications. A house is a roof over your head instead of an ATM. If the purpose of the government program was to make sure a family of four could live in a two-bedroom apartment-size house, I am all for it. That would be tax-payers money well spent. On the other hand, I hate to bankroll the mortgage of those MacMansion dwellers.

As to the recession, there is no quick fix since the whole economy was disfigured by the greed of the Wall Street. Honestly, profit-driven approaches could only shortchange the sustainability of an enterprise. If you label the sole purpose of an organization is to make money, well, you will walk down a path of no return, eventually. Monetary compensation should never be the satisfaction which a CEO is looking for. A healthy, productive, and life-enriching business should be the ultimate reward.

Talking about how to deal with the imminent layoffs, as a professional, you have to re-align your work with something significant. And you have to improve your portable skills as well. Life is short. Work is tough. Becoming part of a bigger picture might add security to your job and more meaning to your life.

One muggle