"Homeowner" bailouts...

I, like other responsible borrowers, are more than a little annoyed at the bailout plan for "homeowners" who are having trouble paying their mortgage. Was listening to the radio when someone called in with a suggestion to have the government take a stake in these bailouts, so that if that house were ever sold in the future, the taxpayers would get some of their money back. That sounds like a great idea.

While I'm not necessarily looking for a punitive solution here, there are clearly some folks who were responsible and lived within their means, and there were others who didn't. They lived large, and when their variable rate loans reset, were unable to meet their fiscal obligations. I appreciate the fact we don't want a lot of foreclosures (that's not going to do anyone any good), and I appreciate the need to act fast to keep people in their homes - but I really do hope that there is SOME other part of the "plan" that either involves some sort of reward for the folks who took out the conservative 15/30 year fixed rate mortgages within their means, or something like what this morning's caller proposed so that there is some penalty for the drunken spending some engaged in. Or both.

Maybe I'm just grumpy here because I missed the opportunity to buy a house I couldn't afford and have the taxpayers help subsidize it...