This brief analysis of recent legislative action is designed to inform you, the voting public, where your representative stands on the issue of government intervention, control of free markets, and redistribution of wealth. I am specifically referring to the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the subsequent government bailout program. The bill, H.R. 3221, Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008, passed originally in 2007 but was reconciled with the Senate bill this past week with a vote of 256-160. Thirty-one Republicans voted in favor of spending $300mil. per year for the next four years to mitigate foreclosures on individuals who overextended themselves and took on more debt than they could possibly repay based upon their current income. Besides creating numerous government agencies to study, analyze, propose, supervise, test, and regulate the free market, it implemented the following:

Section 305 -

Appropriates specified amounts for emergency assistance and for housing counseling resources.

Allocates $30 million for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (NRC) to: (1) make grants to HUD-approved counseling intermediaries; or (2) hire attorneys to assist homeowners who have legal issues directly related to foreclosure, delinquency, or short sale.

Section 603 -

Allows a one-time tax credit of up to $7,000 of the purchase price of a single-family principal residence in foreclosure.

So, taxpayers will pay to educate financially ignorant people about how to live within their means even to the point of paying for legal advice regarding how to get out of their self-inflicted financial predicament. Then, for those who have the net worth to capitalize on this crises, we, the taxpayers will give them a $7,000 tax credit on each home they buy.

I don't know about you but I chose to opt out of this program. If it were up to me I would let the market forces play out and if financially irresponsible people lose their home then so be it. I do not believe that I am being hard hearted or mean-spirited. As a matter of fact, if a personal friend or relative were losing their home and came to me asking for help, I would do all I could to help. I strongly believe, however, that the government has no business intervening in the financial markets preventing foreclosures and guaranteeing loans with taxpayers money.

If you agree with me then you should know how your representative voted on this bill. I would be especially concerned if my representative were a Republican who voted in favor of this government intervention because he or she probably promised during his campaign to reduce/control government spending and intervention in your life. And, you voted for him/her with the expectation that this would be done. Now you have been betrayed! You need to vote him/her out in November! You can find out how your representative voted at http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2007-832.

By the way, there were also 35 GOP Senators who voted to take your money with the express purpose of increasing the size of government and helpinga select fewin financial crises. You can see who they are at http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s2008-96&sort=party. You will want to find out which ones are up for re-election this year and vote them out!

Common sense tells us that the government cannot solve every problem and care for our every citizen's individual needs. But, as they say, common sense is not too common in Washington, D.C.!