General breakdown of demographics of who's for and against bailout

[scheming daemons]

FOR:

Likely married
Likely with children
Likely own home
Likely employed


AGAINST:

Likely single
Likely childless
Likely rent
Likely student, unemployed, or retired


That's VERY general... and lots of people who are married parents who are employed and have jobs are against the bailout. Similarly, lots of single childless renters are for the bailout.


But IN GENERAL... I think that's the demographic. Single folks aren't as afraid of economic uncertainty because they know they can survive hard times and have no others who depend on them.

Those with families are more fearful, because the quality of life of the people that depend on them is one of their main concerns.


But I have a message for the second group:

If the credit freeze isn't thawed... your rent will go up as your landlords start to have trouble paying the bills. You won't be able to get your next student loan. If you're unemployed, work will be hard to come by. Retired folks... I hope your money isn't in money markets and I hope you don't have a reverse mortgage to fund your retirement.



I seriously hope I am wrong about what all this means... Sincerely.

[lostnotforgotten]

1. Single, Childless, Own Home, Employed - Against The Bailout!

eom

[scheming daemons]

4. Well... the last two are in jeopardy.

[TxBlue]

16. Where the heck did you come up with those demographics

being for or against??

Marital status, home ownership, job status doesn't seem to equate to being able to smell something not right.


Like Dave Letterman sez: "Something smells"

[Union Thug]

2. Married, employed, "own" home, 2 kids, and against..

...the bail out plan offered up today (err, yesterday now).

[scheming daemons]

5. Acknowledged in the OP... You're in the minority in your demographic, I think.

[Union Thug]

7. Is the question framed to say against ANY bailout, or specifically

the current legislation? That might make a diff to the outcome.

[scheming daemons]

10. I think ANY bailout. Can the current leg. be improved? Surely.... but it needs 219 votes

No legislation is perfect.


But this legislation was "good enough" for now. Only $250B committed up front.

[Tallison]

3. I'm single, childless, rent and am for it

because I get macroeconomics.

You're right that the former group is likelier to be for it, according to my theory, because their status as providers compels them to understand how markets work.

[napoleon_in_rags]

6. I have my own theory

People see the bail out in two ways, nicely summed up by the dictionary:

bail 2 (bl)
v. bailed, bail·ing, bails
v.tr.
1. To remove (water) from a boat by repeatedly filling a container and emptying it over the side.
2. To empty (a boat) of water by bailing.
v.intr.
To empty a boat of water by bailing.
n.
A container used for emptying water from a boat.
Phrasal Verb:
bail out
1. To parachute from an aircraft; eject.
2. To abandon a project or enterprise.

In other words, some see it as trying to bail out water to save a sinking ship of state. Others see it as a privileged few with golden parachutes jumping from a plane on a doomed course which they are trapped on. Its a line that I think cuts across both demographics, to be frank.

[lostnotforgotten]

9. Version Two For Me - As The Plane Is The Titanic And It Cannot Be Saved!

eom

[napoleon_in_rags]

25. Its number two for a lot of people it seems...

And the real thing is that they both seem kind of futile. Even with number one it feels like the're endlessly bailing water but the leak that's letting it in goes unfixed. What I want to know is where is our economic deliverance package, something that gets us out of the boat entirely to safety...Something that leads us into a new practical sustainable lifestyle. That's something I could get behind.

[girl gone mad]

8. Married. Children. Own Home. Own Business. Own Stocks. AGAINST. n/t

[lostnotforgotten]

12. Well That's No Fun - All Assumptions Blown - Sorry, Needed A Little Levity

eom

[scheming daemons]

13. Your home, business, and certainly stocks are at risk. In reverse order.

Your stocks are already toast today... and it won't stop soon.

Your business will be unable to secure credit when it needs it. Hope you have lots of cash reserves.


And then... when your business fails.... say bye-bye to your home when you can no longer pay the mortgage.

[girl gone mad]

14. Yes, I'm certain you know more about my home and business than I do.

:eyes:

[tblue]

11. Ditto, except only one child. Against.

[scarletwoman]

15. Widowed, 2 grown children, own home, full time job -- TOTALLY AGAINST.

Your absurd attempt to pin down some sort of pro/con demographic is just silly,

sw

[Lydia Leftcoast]

17. Furthermore, if you're single and lose your job, you have no second income

to fall back on.

[readmoreoften]

18. Why do you think RETIRED people on pensions have nothing to lose?

I'm concerned about my parents' pension fund, but I'm way more concerned about hyperinflation. What part of THERE IS NO BAND AID SOLUTION do you not get?

[TexasObserver]

19. Pure nonsense.

FOR:

Likely not cognizant during any previous boom and bust cycle
Likely never heard about matters of finance before two weeks ago
Likely easily frightened and tending to economic gullibility
Likely uses far too much credit and already can't pay bills

AGAINST:

Likely uses credit wisely, instead of as a way of living
Likely has not borrowed against the equity in their home, and is not overleveraged
Likely has lived through other boom and busts, and realize this one will be survived
Likely not given to hysteria on a daily basis
Likely had sense enough to move out of the DOW at 14,000, or 13,000, or 12,000

[TxBlue]

21. lol Love IT! That's my demographic - Against

FOR:

Likely not cognizant during any previous boom and bust cycle
Likely never heard about matters of finance before two weeks ago
Likely easily frightened and tending to economically gullibility
Likely uses far too much credit and already can't pay bills

AGAINST:

Likely does uses credit wisely, instead of as a way of living
Likely has not borrowed against the equity in their home, and is not overleveraged
Likely has lived through other boom and busts, and realize this one will be survived
Likely not given to hysteria on a daily basis
Likely had sense enough to move out of the DOW at 14,000, or 13,000, or 12,000

[TexasObserver]

22. The DOW dropped from 14K to 11K in under a year. You reckon it's time to get out?

Naw, let it ride!! It can't go further, can it?!

I had to beg some friends and relatives to get out at 13K. I warned them off of WAMU, Merrill Lynch and Wachovia months ago. Some listened, and some didn't.

I frankly do not understand how anyone can think $700 billion is enough to do more than save a handful of companies that do not deserve to be saved. Let the bad ones fail and the good ones pick up the pieces. There are five star rated community banks all over America, and they're open for business. They didn't get infected with the "virus" of bad paper the BIGS caught.

The problem is in the trillions and trillions of dollars, and one trillion will not slow this correction down much. Think plate tectonics.

[TxBlue]

24. I reckon it's past time

this dog don't hunt no more

[girl gone mad]

23. I meet every one of your qualifications for against. And I'm against!

What do I win?

;)

[TexasObserver]

26. You win ...

... my respect and gratitude.

I think those of us who learned the joy of avoiding debt - particularly for the obligatory bigger, better and newer - tend to look askance at those who surf through life on a wall of debt, consumer debt often many times the annual income of many citizens.

Bank Holding Companies are the "dealers" and credit cards are the "street drug" of this century. They've hooked many of the population, who cannot imagine life without saying "charge it."

[girl gone mad]

28. I've noticed that we have many Texans...

in our camp.

I lived through the 80s boom and bust and witnessed my parents' struggles. Experience is one hell of a teacher.

[TexasObserver]

30. the late 80s BUST in Texas was UG-LY!!

It was worse than this by far. All the local banks went bust and the big city banks swooped in and took over their assets.

[readmoreoften]

20. Parents shouldn't be for the bailout because their children will be enslaved to it.

How do you want your economic crisis? Fast and deep or slow and terminal. I'm going with the former but that's based on the fact that the Bush Administration is trying to ram it through, so I'm assuming it's what benefits their interests.

My family does not want the bailout and neither do I. We all own houses. Some are retirees whose pensions are invested in the market. Some are unemployed. None of us trust Bush as far as we can throw him. All of us would rather see a collapse of Wall Street in a month than hyperinflation, the collapse of Wall Street and the permanent destruction of the US in 6 months after the Bushistas.

[ContinentalOp]

27. I'm married with a 4 year old and a mortage and my wife and I are both self-employed and I'm against

I'm against THIS bailout. Obviously there needs to be some kind of action but this wasn't the right course of action.

I think you got your demographics reversed. It's the people who can't think toward the future who supported this poorly crafted bailout. The people who are living moment to moment and who are more concerned with a market crash this week than what the future decades have in store for our country. I would say that the supporters probably skew young and childless.

[ContinentalOp]

29. I've done a little demographic research and come to these findings:

The people in favor of this bailout are:

- Likely to buy extended warantees
- Likely to act now for this limited time offer
- Likely to help out the nice Nigerian man
- Likely to get hot stock tips from Cramer