Mike Hendrix, of Cold Fury, weighs in on hard times (forgive the extended quote, link over and give him some traffic, but this is too good):

ABC’s presentation was just as lame. I don’t remember the specifics like names and places and whatnot completely, but I do remember quite well that they spent a good bit of time on some guy whose stocks had dropped in value by a third (!) due to the recent fluctuations. Yep, that’s right – this poor poor man had lost around 370,000 dollars. That of course means that he originally had over a million bucks worth before the market nosedived, and how much do you want to bet that he made most of that nut back during the ’90’s bubble? And I’ll guarantee you he has way more than a million tucked away elsewhere, like real estate and 401k’s and such. But the still-rich-by-my-standards little snot still had the audacity, the sheer tacky gall, to complain about possibly having to keep on working past age 55 just like Mr. Chest-butt above did.
Let me tell you a little story about my mom and stepdad. My stepdad is almost 65. He has no thought of retiring – he still works in the cotton mill he’s worked in for 40 years and will most likely keep right on until they wheel him out, and he ain’t doing it because he loves the work either. My mom has been unable to work for years due to the gradual worsening of a neck injury she suffered in a car accident 35 years ago. They’re on something like their 4th or 5th mortgage and have no hope of ever paying off the house, until they die and the insurance does it for ’em. They provide constant care and a living space for my mom’s sister, who has emphysema and requires the assistance of an oxygen tank to breathe. They do the usual sort of complaining about money that we all do, but nothing like the sort of whining these dickless yuppies are doing now. They have absolutely no expectation whatsoever that the Almighty Federal Government is going to step in and save their asses either and would be somewhat amused by the thought, which is probably why ABC News won’t be putting them on TV anytime soon. My mom gets a very small amount from Social Security and my aunt is on Medicare, and that’s the limit of federal assistance they figure on getting.
Let me tell you a little story about myself now. I don’t own stocks, I don’t have a retirement plan, and I barely scrape by month to month. I work my ass off and have never taken a vacation in my entire working life – not once. I’ve ducked out on the occasional Friday for a long weekend, sure, but a full-fledged week-long pleasure trip, never. I don’t expect the government to bail me out of any financial woes I may have anymore than my mom does. I’ve made my own choices over the years and it’s my responsibility to find a way to deal with the potential adverse consequences of them.

Now remind me again who federal policies are supposed to assist?
See, I am a liberal. I do believe that government should help folks who need help.
But seeing us look to help those whose portfolios dropped from $1 million to $100,000 really doesn’t make me feel all soft and warm. You were a grownup when you asked for the cards and put your money on the table. Ther’s nothing in the Constitution about a vacation house in Aspen. Get over it.
But if there were a group of Democrats who were looking at Mike and his parents…trying to figure out how he could retire without working as a greeter at Wal-Mart, and how they could get health care and still pay the mortgage…well, I’d bet there is a consituency out these who would vote for them.
I know I would.