Telling it like it is

On the news a couple of nights ago, they were interviewing a not-the-sharpest-tool-in-the-box type who'd just got a title loan. He needed $2000 for something, so he'd gone to a well known, large chain title loan place and taken out a 6 month loan on $2000. Not too bad. Until he showed the camera his payment plan. His interest rate was 120%. He was supposed to be paying back $460 a month for 6 months, which, if he'd managed it, would mean he was "only" going to pay $760 in interest on his $2000 loan. As it was, he was only paying them $200 a month, which was stretching his payment plan out from 6 months to 4 years. At the end of it, he was facing $7700 in interest on a $2000 loan. And. He. Was. OK. With. That! These are the people we're going to be bailing out with the billions of dollars in this package? No thanks.

After the $700bn bailout plan was voted down yesterday, and the stock market went in to freefall, Mr Bush said this morning he was "disappointed" the House rejected the plan. He's warned Congress there is "the real prospect of economic hardship for millions of Americans" if they don't quickly pass a plan. You know what? That's total crap, as usual. Why should we pay for the greed of CEOs and risk-taking banks? Why not let them suffer the hardship instead of forcing taxpayers to pay for their bonuses, their yachts, and their incompetence? Once again, Bush is trying to rule by fear - by making people afraid that things will go wrong if we don't pony up the money. Let the risk-taking financial institutions take the fall - not us.

An oldie but a goodie just popped out of my playlist : Underworld doing Rez :: Cowgirl, live. ♫ Everything... I'm invisible... An eraser of love... Why don't you call me I feel like flying in two... I'm invisible... An eraser of love... Why don't you call me I feel like flying in two... An eraser of love... I scream, I scream, I scream so much... You know what I mean. this electric stream. And my tears in league with the wires and energy and my machine. This is my beautiful dream. I'm hurting no one. hurting no one... I want to give you everything. I want to give you energy. I want to give a good thing. I want to give you everything. everything... In one final scream of love who could climb this high she looks beautiful Like a child I feel tears. and I want to scream. You know what I mean cause this is hurting no one. an erazor of love. Hurt. the necessary feeling. Why don't you call me I feel like flying in two... An eraser of love. ♫

Saturday night was busy and tiring this weekend. It started out with a trip to the airport, airside of course, for some good old fashioned plane-spotting. I got to travel around the ramp and taxiways for 4 hours or so with a friend of mine who works out there. We nerded out, taking photos of some of the comings and goings. That went on until about 21:00. At 22:00 I met up with a police acquaintance who had offered to take me on a ride along for his night shift. We spent until 03:30 pulling over vehicles for miscellaneous infractions - tail lights out etc. We got one DUI - a 19 year old kid with an open can of beer in the front seat. There was some excitement at one point where we got called off to a local house where the woman had called 911 because she heard someone banging on the walls of the house. I was told to wait in the drive whilst the officers went rummaging around the back garden, guns and flashlights drawn. They didn't find anything. Got to bed about 4:00. Yawn.