As far as the bailout vote, this is interesting:

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It's no coincidence then that of the 205 Members who voted in support of the bill today, there are only two -- Reps. Chris Shays (R-Conn.) and Jon Porter (R-Nev.) -- who find themselves in difficult reelection races this fall. The list of the 228 "nays" reads like a virtual target list for the two parties.


Article

In other words, in true bipartisan fashion, the ones up for reelection voted no, and most others voted yes.

This is a hard pill for voters to swallow in a rush. We might warm to it if it were explained better, or if they crafted a bill that people could understand. But we don't, they won't, and it's difficult to account for the money.

How much do they REALLY need? Beats me. I heard an unsubstantiated remark on the radio today that the global stock market is probably overvalued by over $500 trillion. But whether or not that is true, I don't think this game will end at $700 billion...I think they will keep coming back for more.

On a personal level, I am aiming to minimize as much reliance as possible on credit. That's tough. Mortgages are important. Car loans need to be paid off...but after that, will I bother with new car payments again? Nope. Oh, and I've developed a sudden interest in home gardening and canning. Glad I never bought into spraying chemicals on my lawn all these years.

http://www.soundclick.com/MarkKaufman