I work with someone who has been trying to own a home. All the power to him on that.

Today he told me that under Obama's plan, he can get 8000 or 10000 dollars from the government since he is a first time home buyer and it didn't have to be paid back. (I don't know the exact details, it's just what he told me) As he told me this, he also mentioned that I should get in on this since I have never owned a home.

This is when I lost it.

I told him why would I do that? This is part of the problem. I don't want to steal money away from other people and why in the world would I risk buying one right now when everything is going to hell?

His answer?

Well I just want to get what I can before it gets too nasty.

This set me off on a 20 minute rant. I am so damn ANGRY about everything that is going on.

Politicians are corrupt, we are being taxed far too much, are debt is way too high, unemployment is rising at an alarming rate, wars all over, people wanting things for free (When it isn't really free it's stealing!).

How can anyone put trust in what is happening? HOW?




[edit on 20-2-2009 by David9176]

As much as I hate this whole "free money" idea, he is right...you might as well take what you can grab now because things are only getting worse.

Does this "first time home buyers" stimulus bill give the government part ownership of your home?? I mean, they say that you don't have to pay it back, is that because they now own a piece of it?? Also, do the property taxes on that home go up because of this? Just some questions I had on this.. I don't blame you for getting upset. I think everyone is a little TO willing to take money from the government.. I don't trust it. I feel like they keep giving us a check every couple of months to shut us up for a while.. Its worse then hush money!

It is quite tragic to bear witness to the death of personal responsibility.

"Never demand of another that which would constitute his sacrifice to you. Never grant that which would constitute your sacrifice to him"~~~Ayn Rand

David, I sympathise, I really do. People really will put themsleves first and and so naive bout the long term effects. And our expectations are massive too...match those two up and there is a huge long term problem. We don't have anything comparable in the UK, and I know it's not the same issue, but under the Thatcher administration here in the '90s, people were encouraged to buy the local govenment housing they rented (at extremely reasonable, lifetime rents, I might add), and now we find ourselves with completely unaffordable private housing and badly diminished public housing stock, with no income for local government from rent to help replace them...and a shortage of affordable housing across the board. When I bought my first house 22 years ago, I could easily afford it on the basic salary of a sales assistant, as I was at the time. The same property now would cost me *6 times!* what I earn, even if I could get a mortgage, and I'm considerably further up the career ladder.

It's a case of massive greed and short term selfishness that ruins it for everyone, I'm afraid, and we never seem to learn. I hope your rant helped you though...

well, i know nothing of the U.S policies since im from Scotland, but i have to dissagree with compwiz, i mean, you get given a large sum of cash like that for buying a house in the middle of a globle recession, true that things may only get worse, but think of the mortgage nd stuff you'd have to put out and bills and stuff. Ofcourse we wont find out the real reason for the goverment handing out lots of cash to home buyers (which i might add probably isnt the best idea at this time), but it will only lead to more debt, and all debt must be paid, eventually. I'd be the same in saying that i wouldnt trust the goverment.

[edit on 20-2-2009 by HewhoKnows]

My wife and I have been having the same argument. I had the same train of thought as you a week ago. Then I found out the stimulus was going to cost the taxpayer $7k+. Well if I am going to be paying that theft back through my great-grandchildren I might as well use it to our advantage now. The government is stealing 14k from every married couple but only going to give them 8k toward a home. Seems like the theft is the system itself. However, if you don't use it to your advantage now you could be missing out on a chance to get some of your stolen money back.

Take the money and run Brother! Before the Banks and Wall Street take it all for themselves the next time they come to congress, hat in hand, begging for gas money for the Private Jet.

Its debt enslavement...your friend will be sorry.
Don't let it get to you man.

Look, IMO there are designated programs for people that can't afford to make their own living arrangements.. Its called public housing. I know its not exactly the same, but it feels like we are becoming a nation of welfare cases.. and most of us don't even realize it!! Stimulus check = Cash assistance
Housing Stimulus = Public housing

See a pattern?

[

If this continues to happen it will just keep ballooning the problem.

This is a huge part of why this country is in trouble yet we keep doing it.

I won't be apart of this. I refuse to.

If i'm missing out on thieving taxpayers then so be it.

I hope everyone else enjoys my money.

Things are pretty emotional right now cause we're all so much at-risk. But stop and think. If we don't stop the housing plunge we will never be able to turn the economy around. No existing homeowner will be able to sell their homes as there will be no buyers. More homes will be foreclosed. There will be more empty houses on the market further driving the housing market into oblivion. Along with it construction, home furnishings, landscaping, local governments (as property taxes vanish), etc. All these former homeowners will now need to rent. Rental units will start to become scarce, rents will go up and the people at the bottom of the food chain will be homeless. The increase in homelessness will put yet more strain on local governments, health care, etc.

So what can you do? Stimulating the housing market by helping out first time home buyers isn't a bad deal (given the alternative). As long as people have the wherewithall to make their mortgage payments, giving them a little more downpayment is a farsight cheaper than what will happen in the other scenario.

Although Santelli and others have railed against the idea, helping out existing homeowners to keep them in their homes (and their houses off the already drowning housing market) is also necessary. Contrary to the rantings of some imbeciles here and elsewhere, homeowners didn't create this mess but they are the ones suffereing the greatest damage from it.

So there isn't anything wrong with your colleague taking part in this program. It's why the program was created: to incent/help qualified people to buy homes at a time when we desperately need homebuyers.

Or we can just let thye whole thing come down and take 0our chances. But if we were going to go that route we should have BEFORE we gave Wall Street, the banks, the auto industry, the airlines, etc. the hundreds of billions we shelled out to prop up their industries.

You have to pay that money back over a 15 year period if you are a first time home buyer and choose to receive it. I think you have to wait to file for tax returns though. I actually plan to do this myself for my family is struggling very hard financially right now.

[edit on 20-2-2009 by NateNute]

I really understand how you feel. All of this crap gets me going. I was just saying to my work mate this morning, where in the constitution or bill of rights does it guarantee everyone the American dream of a house and car? NO WHERE!!!!!!!!!!! It says the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS, pursuit meaning- YOU HAVE TO WORK FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!! Look what you did, now I'm livid, lol. Seriously, I am sick and tired of them taking our hard earned money and giving it to lazy people who won't get off their butts and earn it themselves. Don't get me wrong, I think there are people that need help i.e. laid off workers, mentally ill, disabled, elderly, and veterans, but those that are too lazy or have too many kids, then screw 'em. I bet they would behave more responsible if they knew there was no one to hand over other peoples money to them. Anyway, I hope your day gets better, TGIF!!!

Hey! Take it.. It belongs to you and all the other taxpayers in the country. If I qualified for the funds, I'd take them in a heart beat.

Why refuse something on principles that is being freely given to those who are less deserving than yourself?

I think the OP might be trying to say that the problem here is everybody seems to think they deserve a free ride.

There is no such thing as a free ride. It comes from somewhere.

On top of that, it's awfully hard to respect people that live with a sense of entitlement. What about earning what you have?

The entire country seems to have sold out.

Where is the incentive for people that worked and paid off their homes, debts, etc. Now we have to pay for everyone else. This whole thing is just bogus to put it in a nice way. No one wants to be responsible for themselves anymore. Lets just let the government take care of us.