Politicians are now planning recovery from the subprime loan mess. Once again those of us who have spent our lives acting in a responsible manner are being called on to rescue those who acted irresponsibly. I have heard of people with an income of $40,000 per year who bought houses that cost $400,000. It is hard to uderstand why someone would do that, or why lending institutions would loan them the money. It is easier to understand why speculators would buy homes with no money down, and interest only adjustable rate loans. They planned to sell the house in a few years for more money. It must be admitted that this "sell to a greater fool" approach worked for several years. Now the politicians tell us that we have no choice but to bail these people out. Failure to do so will destroy the housing market and harm us all. So, it appears that the optimum strategy in the US to to stay as deeply in debt as possible. Those of us that act responsibly are suckers.