Yet another completely stupid "bailout" plan...

Via Fatwallet comes the latest bit of proposed legislation to help the poor and the poor domestic auto companies - a plan to give 10 grand to people making 25k or less (40k or less if married if they trade in their 10 year or older vehicle for an American-made one that gets at least 25 miles per gallon.

I'm starting to feel like the government's plan is to give everyone money except me. Or at least, to give everyone money except people who were reasonably responsible.

Now, I'm not looking for money from the government, or anyone else. I'm not happy that my house is worth significantly less than I paid for it, or that I'd probably lose a pile of money if I had to or wanted to sell it. I'm glad that a mix of responsibility, hard work, and luck have let me be in a position where I feel reasonably secure financially.

But it is really annoying to see the taxes I pay going to other people - in this case, union members and people with low income - for stuff that is completely not necessary. I can deal with my taxes going to prevent, say, poor kids from starving to death. Having my taxes go to make sure UAW workers get a better health insurance plan than I have and low-income people get Dodge Calibers, not so much.

Now, this bill probably won't pass. But my guess is in the next year or so, lots of other bills that are nearly as stupid will. And lots of people will get money they don't really deserve, and that money will come out of the taxes of the responsible, the hard-working, the savers, the people who have kept the economy from going even further in the shitter. And that is fundamentally unfair.