Why You Ain't Stackin' Instead of Tryin' to Be Fly?

I may talk a good game, but I actually know very little about the economy and why it seems to be shutting down right now. So, instead of writing about what I think is happening, I think it may be more useful to ask questions. Good idea, right?

Lehman Brothers just filed for bankruptcy and they have about $60 billion worth of bad mortgages to deal with. What happens to those mortgages? What happens to the money? What happens to the houses?

Assuming that the houses are just given up and are sold at auction or whatnot, can I buy them? I've been collecting change for the past year and I haven't gone to coin-star once. Is that enough for a nice little two-story in Passaic County?



Are there any websites that you can look at foreclosed houses on that you don't have to sign up for and/or pay?

How much of this mess is the fault of the Bush administration? How much effect does the $600 billion war that the country is fighting in Iraq have on the economy? How much effect does the $10 trillion debt have on the economy?

Lehman CEO Dick Fuld (pictured above) made $22 million last year. If he made, say, $1 million and gave the other $21 mill back to his beleagured company, would Lehman still be in a position to declare bankruptcy?

If all that money going to the Iraq war and the ridiculous pay for corporate CEOs went, instead, to American taxpayers, would the economy still be in horrible shape? Is that an oversimplification?

Why don't we set a base pay for corporate executives at $2 million? Of course, then you'd have idiots like Stephon Marbury making 10 times more than any corporate executive. But, then again, people don't pay hundreds of dollars for tickets to see Jamie Dimon and Melissa Moore discuss the long-term appreciation of stock dividends.

What effect does AIG have on the market? If they fold, what will happen to Manchester United's jerseys?



Can a soccer team change their jersey sponsor mid-season?

What can Obama or McCain do immediately when they take office in January?

Do I know more about the economy than McCain?

Can Sarah Palin really see Russia from her house?

What will happen when the effect of the tens of thousands of jobs lost due to the events of this week actually hits the economy? Has the economy already felt the impact of the loss of the Bear Stearns jobs and the tens of thousands of other jobs that have been lost in the past few months?

What happens to all the credit card debt that most Americans have now and have no intention of paying off? Who foots the bill for that? Has this already effected the economy?

To be continued . . .