A Poor Man and His Antique Mercedes

The other day I was volunteering at the local food bank. With the economy being what it is, the line was quite long. The people in line were hard-working American citizens that simply needed a helping hand. Many of them were laid-off or out of work; but some held jobs and simply weren't making enough to make ends meet.

In an effort to calm the people while they waited, I worked my way through the line, smiling, chatting, and handing out snacks. The line was quite long that day and wound out into the parking lot as people stood in the rain. There were men, women, and children; all of obviously humble means, and all feeling ashamed to being asking for food. I helped them understand that there was no shame in what they were asking for, and told them that they would be able to take enough food home to have full bellies that night and several to come. That brought smiles to the parents' faces as they looked down at their children who were obviously hungry.

I started back into the building when I saw a man in a beautifully maintained antique mercedes pull into the parking lot. I let out a small laugh at the thought of more donations to help these sad, poor souls. The man stepped out of his car, (worth more than probably the net worth of the entire line of about 60 people), in a tailored Armani suit, wool coat, and leather gloves, with shoes polished so that I could see my reflection in them. The man burst past me and headed to the front of the line, knocking a poor child over in his wake. I stood there in the rain; baffled, as I watched him talking to one of the volunteers at the desk. I made my way back into the building to find out what this man needed. As I entered I saw the volunteers loading boxes of food for this man. And not just some food, but all of it. When I questioned the volunteers, they stated that this man wanted the food, said that he needed all of it, and they were simply complying with his demands. I asked this man why he couldn't sell off some of his possessions and assets and purchase food with the money. The man replied that he had a standard of living to uphold and that although he had made some bad investments, he can't be held accountable and he would simply have to take what he needed.

He left the shelter with his boxes of food as hungry children cried, and adults stood forelorned at the thought not being able to provide for their children. Their Thanksgiving tables would be empty again this year.

Although this story is fictional, it perfectly describes how I felt when the auto makers arrived in their private jets and their tailored suits to ask for OUR hard earned tax dollars in the form of yet another government bail-out.

It makes one wonder where Nissan and Toyota and other car companies were the day they had this meeting in Washington...oh wait, that's right...THEY know how to manage money, turn a profit, and plan for the future. Isn't it sad that American businesses can't keep up with their global competitors? But hey, with an example like the government to reference, why not just keep spending even though you have nothing in the bank?

And so it begins...