It really is ok to be responsible. I promise.

I just heard on CNN (boo hiss!) that home owners are crying because they aren't getting a bail out. Are you kidding me? No, I'm not kidding you. And we had to know this was coming.

If you have defaulted on your mortgage and now want the government to come in and fix your mess, my next words are directed at you.

Who exactly made you take out a mortgage where the monthly payment would absorb 80% of your monthly income? Just because you CAN get approved for that huge loan doesn't mean you SHOULD.

How hard did you try to keep making those payments before you just threw your hands up and, like a child, thought "hey, this sucks and I'm not doing it any more because I don't wanna and you can't make me." Did you reduce or eliminate the luxuries in your household in order to free up more $$ for necessities? Do you actually know the difference between a luxury and a necessity? If not, here is a tutorial.

Newsflash...a razer cell phone in the hottest new color is NOT a necessity...it is a luxury. Newsflash...a Wii or xBox 360 is not a necessity. It is a luxury. Newsflash, your DSL internet connection, flat panel TV, DVR, netflix membership, BlueRay DVD player, iPod, semi-annual vacations, bi-monthly pedi/mani, Ruumba, surround sound & eating out 5 of 7 days a week are not necessities. Yep, you guessed it...they are LUXURIES. Say it with me....L-U-X-U-R-Y.

These things are not a necessity no matter what your neighbors kids tell your kids. No matter what celebrities tell you. No matter what the democrats or MTV tell you. It IS possible to live without them. And it doesn't make you less of an American. It may be a little uncomfortable but it IS possible to go without some frivolous things in order to pay the bills that are necessities. Or did your mommy not teach you to pay important bills first then, AND ONLY THEN, if you have any left over you can get that big shiny SUV?

Back to my questions. Who exactly made you think that you deserve a big pretty house on a hill with a picket fence in a deed restricted neighborhood when you make $8 an hour? I'm sorry, but you just CAN'T have it all. I know the magazines, cable TV & the democrats make you think you can but you just cannot.

As for getting a bail out...you don't deserve one. You need to be responsible for your choices. (What? Did I just violate someone's American civil liberties? Oh no!) Don't make ME responsible for your choices. I didn't overextend my finances. I live in a dinky little 2 bedroom condo. Did I want a big house with a back yard 3 years ago? Yes. Could I have been approved for a loan? Certainly. Why didn't I get a bigger house then? Everyone else was doing it. Hmmm, let me think. My husband and I used our brains and realized that with a bigger house come bigger taxes and bigger house payments. We knew we had other bills to pay and DIDN'T want to get in over our head. It's called being responsible. There's that ugly word again. You need to experience the consequences of your mistakes.