Mr. Bernacke only thought that the housing was a small portion of the economy and it carreid little influence over the economy. Well that was about 18 months ago. Now it's today and millions of people have been influenced by the collapse of the residential market. I worked for a builder on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Not only is the builder out of business but I am now working three jobs just to garner the same salary I was making with him.

My retirement plans have gone on hold for an unthought of date now. Certainly I will never retire from the homebuilding business as I once dreamed of. Certainly the millions of us who have been left with dissolved and unrealized dreams will be working harder and longer than we ever thought possible and we are watching the great American Dream crumble before our eyes as our savings accounts dwindle to nothing as it's chew up by the gas prices and grocery price rises and just managing from day to day becomes a difficult task.

Now I could have thrown in the towel, declared bankruptcy but I have chosen to stay in there and fight for my living. Perhaps someday retirement may come along but if the forecasts are true ( and I have my doubts about that ) my Social Security will go belly up and then what folks? Three more jobs until I die?...

So who do I blame for the collapse? Certainly the mortgage companies who got so greedy. Certainly the stupidy of the american home buyer who bought houses that they knew they could not afford and then bailed when the going got tough.. but I really blame the Congress for pussy footing around with what should have been a CRITICAL issue to them when it was first seen as becoming a national crisis the likes have still not been realized in the fall out yet to happen. Mr Bernacke, in my estimation needs to return to his economics classes and learn a few more things. Those of us in the building world knew how wrong he was. Shame is, he didn't.

Am I overworked.. you BET I am.. But I'm not alone, that's for sure.