10-23-08

In a nation full of greed, who needs to buy a Thneed

Look, Lorax,” I said. “There’s no cause for alarm. I chopped just one tree. I am doing no harm. I’m being quite useful. This thing is a Thneed. A Thneeds a Fine-Something-That-All-People-Need!
The Lorax said, “Sir! You are crazy with greed. There is no one on earth who would buy that fool Thneed.”
But the very next minute I proved he was wrong. For, just at that minute, a chap came along, and he thought that the Thneed I had knitted was great. He happily bought it for three ninety-eight.
I rushed ’cross the room and in no time at all, built a radio-phone. I put in a quick call. I called all my brothers and uncles and aunts and I said, “Listen here! Here’s a wonderful chance for the whole Once-ler Family to get mighty rich. Get over here fast! Take the road to North Nitch.” — Dr. Seuse; The Lorax
What a great book and it’s current on so many levels: A story of selfish greed and getting rich without a care for anyone else’s suffering.
The Onceler stumbles onto a forest of Truffula trees. He chops down the trees to make his ‘Thneeds,’ By the time he chops down the last one, all of the Swomee-Swans, Bar-ba-loots, and Humming-Fish have been forced to leave. Their forest is gone and the Onceler is rich.
I was reading this book to my four-year-old son, Ethan, laying in his bed, propped up by pillows and him laying on my chest. While reading the book, I couldn’t help but think of how this children’s story relates to so many current events today.
The stock market is in disarray, homes are being foreclosed left and right and the oil companies are just getting stinking rich.
I am all for making money and I am all for getting stinking rich, but how do people live with themselves when they know they are possibly ruining other peoples lives?
Five years ago, my wife and I bought a house in a great little community outside of Washington, D.C. This house was out of our price range, but with an adjustable rate mortgage, we were able to buy above our budget. We knew that this ARM was not a good thing. In five years, this mortgage was going to explode with interest. Our plan was to sell in two years anyway, so we weren’t too concerned.
I drove by the old house about a month ago and it was up for sale. It was run down. The woman who bought it took the same kind of mortgage but it must have bit back.
All of those brokers, during the time of great rates, were doing tons of re-financing and “helping” underrated people get into their first home. Those same homeowners are now wondering where they are going to sleep tomorrow night. Meanwhile, the brokers’ pockets are fat with cash from all of the commission they earned. They knew what might and probably would happen, but money sometimes speaks louder than conscience.
It just hurts that everyone in America is having such a hard time getting by, barely making ends meet and having to supplement their incomes with the use of a credit card.
Even the Onceler would say this is bad. It’s a terrible thing when everyone’s been had.
Our pockets are empty, no money around. They expect us to sit and not make a sound.
Gather ’round people lets all fight this greed. American people don’t need a Thneed.
Bryan Pinkey can be reached looking for change in his couch or at bpinkey@nccox.com.