Sometimes I get the feeling that the world has turned upside down. Especially lately.

I feel that either I don't get it or maybe bad is good and good is bad. When I first found something that was peculiar, I thought maybe I had misunderstood what I heard, and let it pass. The second time I found the world a bit out of sorts, I chalked it up to global warming, even though I was shoveling the snow at my house by a lake where it never snows in the month of March, or hardly ever. The third time it happened, I knew it wasn't me. Something was up!

The world is in turmoil from the financial downturn, but our nation is in disarray because it appears to have lost its Judeo Christian roots, resulting in the moral and ethical compass pointing due north while facing south. There are countless examples of what I am talking about but I will concentrate on three major categories: the mortgage arena, the business atmosphere and the basic way we conduct our governmental rules and procedures. If this doesn't move to unnerve you then it must be that my bearings are off.

Who knew that after a major financial setback, our government would be concerned with those who, for the most part, were part of the problem and literally throw only crumbs to those who were steadfastly trying to do the right thing. Unimaginable, but true!

Those who got into trouble because they over reached, cheated, or simply took the expedient way out when it came to the mortgage on their house, are being lead by the hand to the promise land of a new beginning. May I note here that not everyone who has lost their house through foreclosure, or is in serious trouble with their mortgage, falls into the above categories. Many were hit with another catastrophe, the loss of their job, an accident or illness, that made it impossible to hold on.

When the current administration came out with their mortgage bailout plan, it detailed the plans for those facing foreclosure and those drastically behind in their payments over a number of pages, while outlining the details of a plan to help those not behind in their payments, but were simply unable to refinance because of the real estate market actions, in three or four paragraphs. Those who are behind can have their mortgage reduced, their interest rate reduced and the term of their mortgage extended as long as they are holders of conforming loans. It doesn't matter how much over the current value of the house these borrowers owe because the government will pay off the mortgage to reach certain levels. Not so for those who stayed and paid. 105% of the value of the house is the limit that the government will help with refinancing the mortgage. The sentiment of the populace who did the right thing is "why did we do it? We would have been better off to not make the payments!" Is this the lesson we learned from the history of our beloved country that we wish to pass on? Who came up with these plans? Continued...