I'd write a poem, or two or three,
Because I'm good at that, you see.
But, no, my talents don't come free
So you won't get a thing from me.
P.S. Forget the Cat, Just pass the hat
-- Anonymous (signed as "The Grinch")

I once had a job
But it is no more.
I was once considered rich
Now I'm just plain poor!
Well it happened to me
I'm the one affected.
And I'm sure of one thing
It won't happen to those elected!
--Jack Anderson, Rancho Cordova

Four jobs, three jobs, two jobs, one
Pretty soon there will be none!
We like to buy for prices low
Not knowing what bad seeds we sow.
We don't make much now over here
Except for our "domestic" beer.
So what has made our jobs disappear?
Check with China where it's not so severe.
My job's gone bye-bye, yes it's true
I can't even afford the domestic brew!
So here I sit, beaten and battered
Mortgage and bank account completely shattered.
But I'll get a job before I die,
I'm packing my stuff and moving to Shanghai.
-- Deborah Arnold, Sacramento

I'm sorry that I think it funny
Bernard Madoff with people's money.
I wouldn't think it so sublime
If Bernard Madoff with mine.
-- Marguerite Wobschall, Fair Oaks

Once AmEx wanted to be Wendy's friend.
They wrote her warm letters, begging to lend.
"You're pre-approved, Wendy, so spend, spend, spend!"
"Pick a card, any card: Gold, Plum, or Blue.
Throw out your old stuff. Buy something new.
No one is more deserving than you!"
So she didn't expect that they'd get so mean
And cut off her credit like a limb with gangrene.
Now they don't know Wendy from a bean in a hill
and they only make contact to send her the bill.
-- Hope Shafer, Meridian

I am, Homeless
Homeless, I am.
I do not like
Homeless, I am.
Do you like broke and cold?
I do not like broke and cold
I do not like it here or there
I would not like it anywhere
Homeless, I am
Cold and broke.
I would not like it on the street
With all the others that I'd meet.
I would not like it in the park
I would not like it in the dark.
I would not like it in a car
Even if it travels far.
I would not like it in the rain
Or even traveling in a train
My home I lost
It was the cost
Homeless, I am
I'll take the ham.
-- Alice Clinton, Roseville

"The Budget-Ax"
Way back in the days when the cash was still green
and the stocks were way up,
and the jobs weren't so lean,
and the bell of the stock market clanged out high rates,
one morning I came to this prosperous place.
Then I saw the big homes!
Big builder tract homes!
The identical roofs of big builder tract homes!
Mile after mile in the treeless terrain,
I saw all those houses, from nothing they sprang!
And under the roofs I saw plenty of loot
being spent on the gas for a Hummer, to boot.
And they drove off to work in nice fancy suits,
or went off to the gym to tighten their glutes.
From the hi-def TV
came the gibberish glib of the sound bites from Fox
urging "buy!" by the by.
And those homes! Those homes!
Those ginormous homes!
All my life I'd been yearning for a home just like these.
A house priced so high that I'd croak from the fees.
But the bankers they held the sweet lure of low rates.
I felt a great leaping of joy in my heart.
They knew what to do so I'd jump at the bait!
In no time at all, I had built up great debt!
I couldn't afford to put gas in my Hummer.
And before I could trade that gas hog for a hybrid,
I was kicked to the curb by my bank, what a bummer!
Now I live in surroundings that I can afford
It's down by the river in my Honda Accord
I ride my old bike to the job fair-o-rama
My hopes on a man who is known as Obama
-- Barbara Dellamariem, Sacramento

One day, debating tax,
In the city of Sax.
Came a Right-Wing Zax
And a Left-Wing Zax
And it happened that both of them came to a place
Where they bumped. There they stood.
Foot to foot. Face to Face.
"Don't tax, now!" the Right-Wing Zax said, "I say!"
You are blocking my cuts. You are not voting my way.
I'm a Right-Wing Zax and I always vote right.
Vote my way, now, for less environmental oversight!"
"Who's in whose way?" snapped the Left-Wing Zax.
I always vote left, making more government tracks.
So you're in MY way! And I ask you to move
Let me increase income tax, schools will improve."
Then the Right-Wing Zax puffed his chest up with pride,
"I never," he said, "take a tax hike in stride
And I'll prove to you that I won't change my ways
If I have to stall the state budget for fifty-nine days!"
"And Ill prove to YOU," yelled the Left-Wing Zax,
"That I can stall here in the city of Sax
For fifty-nine years! For I live by a rule
That I learned from unions in Left-Wing school.
Never budge! That's my rule. Never budge in the least!
Not a cut to spending! Not a cut, famine or feast!
We'll stay here, not budgeting! We can and we will
If it makes you and me and the whole STATE stand still!"
-- Andy Rockriver, Galt

Oh the people you'll meet
And the places you'll go
When you're looking for a job.
The teacher, the clerk and the janitor, too,
They and the firemen all wait
For a stately "IOU".
Can you pay the rent
Or buy some food?
Can we jump-start the economy
With an "IOU"?
I don't think so.
What about you?
-- Lilyan Mastrolia, Carmichael

The Zax of Sac
One day, making tracks
In the valley of Sac,
Came a no-tax Zax
And a yes-revenue Zax.
And it happened that both of them came to a place
Where they bumped. There they stood.
Foot to foot. Face to face.
"Look here, now!" the no-tax Zax said, "I say!
You are blocking my path. You are right in my way.
I'm a no-tax Zax and I always vote no when under the dome.
Let me have my way, now, and you can go home!"
"Who's in whose way?" snapped the yes-revenue Zax.
"I will vote yes, making the budget balance at last.
So you're in MY way! My pledge-signing friend
And get your toothbrush, this will be a night without end."
Then the no-tax Zax puffed his chest up with pride.
"I never," he said, "take a step to one side.
And I'll prove to you that I won't change my ways
If I have to keep standing here one hundred six days!"
"And I'll prove to YOU," yelled the yes-revenue Zax,
"That I can stand here in the valley of Sac
I'll stay here, not budgeting! I can and I will if it makes you and me and the whole world stand still!"
Well...
Fortunately (one hopes) the world didn't stand still. The world grew.
In a couple of years, the new highway came through.
People had jobs, and affordable health care too.
-- Grant Boyken, Gold River

The stock market falls
My bank account's flat
How can an artist
Survive all of t hat?
I've posted a website,
I've stuff in a store.
Where is a buyer?
I need a few more
Here comes the mailman
More bills to pay
But wait!!! There's a check
He just made my day.
-- Ann Bowns, Citrus Heights

Will you eat these beans and Spam?
I don't want to, Uncle Sam!
Will you eat them in your house?
I could no longer pay the note.
I can barely stay afloat.
Will you eat them with champagne?
I lost my job.
My accounts are drained!
But don't you know all will be sunny?
I'm passing out bail-out money!
I don't think it will stretch too far.
I'll barely have gas for the car.
I will get by as best I can.
I will eat the beans and Spam.
-- Deborah Koontz, Sacramento

One fish, two fish,
Barack's our new fish.
Will he, will he,
hear our plea?
And help boost our economy?
Can our big fish
Turn red to black?
And bring some faith in our leaders back?
-- Laurie Miller, Fair Oaks

So please give me work
I'm not a jerk
I'd stop my nail-biting
If I got paid for writing...
If you could call me with a lead that would be great
My cell phone is 764-9238
-- Cindy Burch, Lincoln

DETROIT BLUES
Be it car or be it truck
Buy American, you're out of luck
With gas so high, an SUV
Is a tough sell in this economy
For years the writing was on the wall
Blind was the Big Three, and they did fall
Congress knows the reason why
They need more money to get by
Consumers helped bring them to their knees
Bought better cars made by the Japanese
Years ago I bought a Taurus
Soon thereafter, it wasn't for us
Little things broke, the residual drops
Less time on roads, more time in shops
Looked like Tiffany but drove like Walmart
And they wonder why it all fell apart
Twice the labor cost to make
Less gas mileage, more uptake
Now we buy what we can really afford
Not GM, Chrysler, or even Ford
More reliable, like a Honda Accord.
-- Dan Wright, Auburn

One tax, two tax
Sales tax, gas tax.
This one takes a little more.
This one's on my car.
My! What a lot of taxes there are!
Some make you turn red,
Some make you turn blue.
Some make you sad
None of them makes you glad.
Some make you veeery, veeery MAD!!
-- Eileen McKenzie, Sacramento

Do you want a furlough, Nate?
A furlough from the State.
I do not want a furlough from the State, mate.
Do you want a day to play with no pay?
I can't afford a day to play, Ray.
I do not want a day to play with no pay.
Do you want to pay more tax?
No! To the Legislature I will fax.
I do not want to pay more tax, Max
I do not want a furlough.
I do not want a day to play.
I do not want more tax.
I want my State back, Jack.
-- Barbara McClellan, North Highlands

Cat at the Crossroads
When our mother went down to midtown for the day
she said somebody has to be able to pay
all the bills, cause she couldn't; our money was tight,
so she and my dad, well they got in a fight.
Since they'd both lost their jobs, they were in a foul mood
which left me and Sally out getting fast food,
when we saw on the corner of Fair Oaks and Watt
right behind the McDonalds, where the French fries were hot,
a strange apparition, she saw it at first,
then I saw it too, cause it seemed to have burst,
it was one ugly monster, so big, and so green
you'd think it had come from some lost Dreamworks scene.
When this creature we spied hid behind the gold arches
looking sheepish and weepy, and fatty and starch-ish,
we stopped the Toyota, while burgers were fryin'
and my sister demanded: "What are you? Why you cryin'?"
It took a few seconds for Green Thing to speak;
it was like a strong wind before rain hits the street,
but then he got going, and everything shook --
Me and Sal, our Toyota, my calculus book.
"It was only a few years ago I was riding
as high as the horses that fly like kites kiting.
They said I was one that would never come down:
The U.S. Economy, me, world renowned!"
He paused for a moment, but then, after gasping
began his sad story, as if we had asked him
about his best friend who had recently died,
and Sally and I sat with eyes open wide.
"It was all an illusion," did Green Thing opine
"We tried to make billions on everyman's dime;"
then he mumbled out something I think was "sub-prime,"
turning greener than green as his tears turned to slime.
"So what will you do?" I asked, "What's the solution?"
He looked to the sky with its hazy pollution
and said "No one knows who can bring back my sweet
way of life, 'cause the Democrats won't kiss my feet.
"They want to raise taxes, there's no sense in that
all my fat cat constituents won't wear that hat
'cause it's too Socialistic, whatever that means.
No, you won't see this pinstripe dude slummin' in jeans."
"But wait, Mister 'Conomy, what about us?
Our folks are both jobless, we're riding the bus
and if there's no way to pay gas for the city
then neither of us will be sitting so pretty!"
"Enough!" cried this Grosser-than-National-Wonder,
"I leave you with nothing but questions to ponder.
Here's a stimulus package, I fling it to you,
it's all I can offer - Tarp One and Tarp Two."
Then he disappeared up like a bat out of hell;
he swallowed the Arco, the Chevron, the Shell,
expanding and grinning as if his own jokes
were what made him ascend there at Watt and Fair Oaks.
Well, it left the whole corner in a film of green slime
and everyone filling their cars at the time
said that somebody has to clean all this away
and Sally and I did not know what to say.
-- Bob Stanley, Sacramento

Too Many Accounts
Did I ever tell you, dad always told me to save to retire?
So I set up ten stock accounts on which to live comfortably until I expire.
As it turns out, this may not have been a smart thing to do.
You see, the economy has taken a dive, and so the dollars in my accounts are few.
When I go to my broker, it causes great pain.
All ten accounts have begun a serious drain!
This makes things quite difficult, little money on which to live.
As you can imagine, so few dollars, all to creditors I give.
And often I regret, that when this was done,
I had not set up a checking account, named as one.
And one of them savings. And one of them CD.
And put one in a money market. And one in a safe in the wall for me.
And put one under my mattress. And one in the corner of the room, dollars piled in a heap.
Another one under the couch cushion. And one of them buried in the backyard deep.
Another one guaranteed, that is, protected for life.
This one to provide continuing support for me and my wife.
As I reflect on my plans, I now know what I should have done.
I should not have been so ambitious, at least with one.
And with no one to blame for my fate....
I just didn't do it. And now it's too late.
-- Alan Lowe, Lincoln

"No Eggs and Ham"
Fried eggs and ham
One or the other
None at all
How would you like them
If at all?
Poached eggs and ham
If you're lucky
You'll have a choice
But for many
It's only toast.
With coffee and orange juice
With orange juice and tea
How would you like them?
Oh right, not at all.
With waffles and bacon
With bacon and pancakes
How would you like them?
Oh yeah, not at all.
No eggs and ham
There's only one choice
No frills, nothing fancy
Just no eggs and toast.
-- Hannah Taylor, Willows

Woe, the Days of Furlough!
Repercussions!
Fridays are my day!
Stay home but spend money?
I'm off without pay!
I have brains in my head.
I have work to be done.
But first and third Fridays
I report to no one!
I'm on my own. And I know what I know.
I'm the guy who'll decide where to go.
You might find me on J Street. Window-shopping for me.
To shopkeepers I say, " Do you have anything free?"
My funds are tight and their moods so blue,
I wish I could help with my State IOU.
Woe, the Days of Furlough!
-- Scott Yates, Sacramento

There is a place way out in the west
some live on the right, but mostly on the left.
This place they do agree is full of fun and very sunny
But don't get along when spending their money.
Some people say we must spend on music and art,
surely that will help in making kids smart.
Others contend that if you're going to spend
it better help those living on the lower end.
They spend on the air, water, and health care
paying for that burden, is a burden they all must share.
STOP! Others say we spend too much on too much
no way we can keep all this big spending up.
They say give back to the makers who do the making
and quit giving to the takers who do all the taking.
No these two sides just don't get along
when it comes to money spending they keep getting it all wrong.
If there was a way to meet smack dab in the middle
maybe then, and only then could they solve their spending riddle.
One thing is certainly certain for all of the rest
we certainly don't want to end up like the place in the west.
-- William J. Helms Jr., Rio Linda

How did it go? What did they say?
Did you find a job today?
I could not find one here or there.
I could not find one anywhere.
I could not find a job in town,
Or in the other towns around.
Would you could you on a boat?
Any openings for milking goats?
How 'bout jobs in selling shoes,
Or reading out the evening news?
I would not, could not on a boat.
I don't know how to milk a goat.
My skills are wrong for selling shoes.
My voice is wrong for reading news.
I could not find a job today.
All the jobs have gone away.
Would you could you building houses?
How 'bout selling cute white mouses?
Picking produce? Catching fish?
Making calls for "Make a Wish"?
I would not, could not selling mouses.
There is no market for new houses.
Picking produce makes me sweat.
Catching fishes makes me wet.
I made some calls for charity,
But everyone hung up on me.
I could not find a job today.
All the jobs have gone away.
"No jobs here." They said and then,
"Maybe in two thousand ten."
-- Catherine Cowles, Granite bay

HOW THE CEO STOLE CHRISTMAS
Every Howe down in Howeville found that Christmas was light.
Their pocketbooks were empty. Their belts were tight.
Even the rich CEO found that needs weren't met:
a new house for his wife, more fuel for his jet.
The Dow-Jones had plunged, but the CEO was greedy.
He wanted a parachute. Too heck with the needy!
Then the CEO Grinch got an evil idea.
The Grinch got a greedy, malevolent idea.
"I know just what to do," the CEO snorted.
He called up his Congressman. He begged. He extorted!
Tax payer dollars are the first thing to go!
Two-hundred million seems awfully low.
In every last Howe-home, the Grinch was a crook.
He raided the ice box. He stole the MacBooks.
Little Mary Lou Howe asked, "Grinchy-Claus, Why?"
The CEO thought fast. He told a big lie.
"This is Capitalism, Love. To keep the economy healthy,
we must take from the poor and give to the wealthy."
-- Cynthia Linville, Sacramento

One house one gone
New neighbors none now
Neighbors living on the lawn
The banker comes lke a fighter he hits pow
Congress makes us sell our only cow
We ask what can be done
The politicians are vacationing in the sun
-- Stephen R. Goetz, Sacramento

One complaint, two complaint,
Oh, here's more!
Let's focus on the negatives,
Positives bore.
Schwarzenegger, Bush,
Let's name names.
It's not our fault,
We're not to blame!
Let's teach our children,
To yell and fight.
If our needs aren't met,
it affects our rights.
If voter's pass a law,
that can't be right.
It's not what we wanted.
Let's put up a fight.
Discord in the government,
Oh, how sad.
Chaos, chaos, chaos,
Is it all that bad?
Greed is the answer,
Power is the need.
We all know this,
It's so clear to see.
The stability of our nation,
Once founded "Under God".
Is losing its strength,
By the "Almighty Wad".
How do we fix it?
What do we need?
What can be done
To help us succeed?
One knee, two knee,
Down on the floor.
This is the power,
the need to restore.
-- Linda Putnam, Sacramento

No one quite knows the reason, where all the money was spent these past seasons;
Please don't ask why, it could be their heads- they aren't screwed on just right,
Or perhaps their pants were a bit too tight!
But I think that the most likey reason of all,
Is their greed for money and their brains are too small;
But whatever the reason, their pants or their brains,
They keep wasting taxpayers money and nothing is gained;
They slithered and slunk, worked late hours, and got drunk,
They've been most unpleasant in that big capitol room,
Taking all the presents (taxpayers money), and now bring us all gloom;
Oh what are all of us taxpayers to do?
The money is gone and now they want more,
Oh I wish we could kick them all out the back door!
And now they are puzzled,
How could this be so?
They puzzled for months, till their puzzlers were sore;
Then they finally thought of something that always worked before,
Raise all the people's taxes, a bit more and more;
Now more people are homeless than ever before,
Businesses are unfolding, so many forlorn;
Our lawmakers say everything must now be cut,
To help us get out of this great big rut;
But what about them, their new fancy cars and expensive diems?
They are all paid for by us!
How can this be so, we should all vote "NO"!
And stop all this nonsense like the CEO's,
Who took too much money from every household;
The Unions, Board of Directors, and Special Interest Groups, too,
You have too many millions and now you want to sue,
Why don't you all pitch in and help us get through,
After all, we the taxpayers are the ones who pay you :)
-- Kathleen Johnson, Sacramento

I wonder what Dr. Seuss would say, about all of these problems going on today! What a mess, what distress, and oh my, is there any other way? He certainly would not delay like our lawmakers have been doing for many a days. He'd get things done in no time flat, even if he had to get the Cat in the Hat! And then there's Sam, who ate green eggs and ham, my he'd sure help all that he can. What we really need though, are Thing One and Thing Two, they would surely know what to do! They'd clean this whole mess up in an hour or two, and wouldn't raise taxes to take more money from you! They'd clean that big Capitol and all those in charge, wasting taxpayers money and causing a deficit too large. They'd be out with a shout and not be allowed back. That Cat in the Hat will get things back on track! If only Dr. Seuss were alive today, he'd have plenty to say. For now though, he's probably rolling over in his grave.
-- Kathleen Johnson, Sacramento

If I ran the state, I would certainly not delay, like our lawmakers do everyday, and are putting our great state to shame!
I'd call on the Sneetches and the Lorax, too, and of course we'd need Thidwick, the big hearted moose!
Yertle the Turtle, Horton, and Grinch, they have this budget crisis taken care of in a sinch!
Bartholomew Cubbins, and the Fox in Socks, we'd all Hop on Pop, and go right to the top!
And find out how this whole mess started, who took all the money, and where it departed!
And let's certainly not forget, Gerald McBoing and Daisy Head Mayzie,
Compared to our lawmakers, they've got smarter heads, and sure aren't as lazy!
Mr. Brown, Hooper Huperdink, and Marvin K. Mooney, why they'd
all get our money back and life would never again be gloomy :)
And last but not least, we need Curious Mc Gurkus and Horton and a Who,
And you never know what the Cat in the Hat, Thing One and Thing Two will do!
The Legislature will surely now have to move out from that big, comfy, cozy, white Capitol house,
with all the dirty rats and corruptible mouse.
And most important of all, may God help us get through,
For we know even Dr. Seuss must have believed in Him, too
-- Kathleen Johnson, Sacramento

Alas and alack
The market's gone awack
Can we turn back
Or do we live in a shack?
No we keep in shape
And thus escape
And with fingers crossed
We no longer are lost!
--Betty Gordon, Lincoln

Would you, could you get a job?
Would you, could you fight a mob?
Out of work, just like you;
For them this state is nothing new.
Engineers, ad men, back execs,
Just some whose jobs have gone to heck!
But wait, me thinks prosperity nears,
Brought to us by the one with big ears.
Barack has a plan to make things better,
If it works, you can buy a new sweater.
Michelle is sure her man's the one
To get this job completely done.
So let's all party and celebrate
Solving this problem is a piece of cake.
All we need, the Congress has said
Is to print more money so we can buy bread.
But I'm not convinced that things will be fine
'Cause I'm not sure how much will be mine.
I know there are others from whom we will hear,
But for them it's a problem, for me it's severe!
To President Obama I just want to say,
"I'm counting on you to save the day."
-- Michael Arnold, Sacramento

Goose, goose, a golden egg is laid,
Each month that's how our debt is paid.
Big banks who keep this golden goose
Want it hid; won't turn it loose.
They have a small fraternity
Only members earn maturity.
Taking all but penny's on the billions,
Not enough zeros to count their gazillions!
Workers, factories, the old, the young,
Not their concern, 'tis the song they sung.
So, when people rose and took a stand
They played first horn, and took over the band!
Demanding, "We the People" have our say:
"Government, take over the banks today!"
Organize supervise, and stick to this rule;
Stop loaning our money, and stop being a fool.
-- Peggy Manfredi, Davis

Oh, The Woes You Now Know
Condolences!
Yesterday was your day,
Living beyond your means was the way.
Bankers happy to lend, enticed you to
spend, spend, and spend!
Rising real estate prices carried you
UP AND AWAY!
Bigger and Bigger McMansions were the
Theme of the day.
Then came the
BIG DROP!
All the pretty bubbles went:
POP, POP, POP!!!
Now you're sitting on a fine stick-ly perch,
Wall Street's left Main Street in a big, ugly Lurch.
You find yourself waiting in the Dreaded
Furlough Place,
wondering and worrying, "Will this stimulus package
really pick up the economy's pace???"
But you're not frozen with fears,
Soon you'll pick yourself up and
wipe away all of your tears.
Yes! You will trudge on through the economy's howls.
You will keep on, bravely on
to a budget-balanced dawn.
With new lessons in your brain, you'll
choose better Choices.
You'll never again listen to those
"SPEND, SPEND, SPEND" Voices.
You'll balance your budget and kick
Debt out your door.
You'll find on much less you can
Actually LIVE more!!!
-- Della Clavere, El Dorado Hills

I SPEAK FOR THE CHILDREN
...a poem inspired by the Lorax, who spoke for the trees, in The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss, 1971
I speak for the children
Who number twice ten.
No testing,
Just learning
And growing
Amen.
Please, please
Hear their cry
For meaningful days,
For music and laughter,
For gardens and
Plays.
And teach them, oh teach them,
To read if you can,
With gentleness, prompting,
And more than one plan.
Because they're all different,
Don't see eye to eye.
Just need you to know them
And show them the sky.
What's happened to wonder?
To childhood?
It stinks!
And do I see tears
In between those big blinks?
Is it too late?
I hope not, I'm blue.
It's more than a case of
A day of the flu.
I speak for the children...
Let's give them a break.
Let's teach from the heart.
And let's make no mistake-
They'll learn if we listen
And listen again.
They'll learn if we teach them,
Not test them,
Amen.
--Jan French, Fair Oaks

We used to eat out a lot.
Green eggs and ham always hit the spot.
Now daddy's job ain't no more.
And Mom's back is always sore.
But we bake and sew and sing and hope...
Melia and Sasha's daddy will help a lot.
--Richie Ross

The city was in the black
But now it's off track.
Lay offs abound.
Jobs can't be found.
Library's hit by 30 percent.
Patrons feel the dent.
Children's programs cut.
We're in a rut.
Library staff know
Alone they can't save the show.
A call for volunteers
They cheer and cheer.
Times are tough.
There's not money enough.
Libraries become a haven
It's the patrons they're saven.
-- Shirley Russell

Lincoln
Uncle Sam
I am Sam
Sam I am
Why should I do all the bailout?
Cause greed and fraud let all the air out.
Everyone wanted more and more
And kept on going to the store.
They made things bigger
And added to it.
Now they can't see their way through it.
They never asked could I afford
Just let's go shopping because I am bored.
So they bought houses, cars, boats and toys
For men, for women, girls and boys
Ipods, laptops, spas, vacations
Now it's leading to fur-cations
Interest rates went up and up
And credit cards are all cut up
They've lost their house, their car, their job
And head to Washington like an angry mob
But here I sit in my little house
With a paid off car, quiet as a mouse
Should I feel bad you've lost it all
And that you're taking quite a fall
I don't tell you how to live
So just don't ask me more to give.
-- Maria Ravera, Sacramento

I do not like our economy
I do not like near poverty
I do not like my mortgage now
I'd like to sell, but holy cow!
The price is low
The cost is high
The jobs are gone
We don't know why
No one can buy
No bank will loan
The future's bleak
The end unknown
Why are there jobs a state away?
But none right here, where I'd prefer to stay
We're California, the Golden State
But not for long, at this sad rate
The Senate meets for days on end
They talk and talk but no one bends
Unemployment's up and hopes are down
My smile fading into a frown
We'll pay the mortgage until we're broke
That's the plan, what a joke
California, the Golden State
You took my money and sealed my fate
A native son, who'd love to stay
Why must I move so far away?
--Scott Crownover

If I ran the zoo
This is what I would do . . .
Unlock every cage. Let the senators out.
Get rid of them all. Give them the rout.
I'd find some good people, the caring kind
Who don't have partisanship on their mind.
I'd look for people who have a big heart.
Ones that are nice but also quite smart
Who think that people deserve to be helped
That bankers are greedy and should be scalped.
I'd go to the faraway land of Sashay
And gather good people along the way.
I'd look for folks of a particular kind
Who are honest and fair. They may be hard to find!
I'd insist the elephants and donkeys depart.
I'd give them the boot and make a fresh start.
Changes are needed. My zoo will be new.
My legislators will work entirely for you!
-- Donna Foote, Grass Valley

IF I WERE GOV FOR A DAY
I'd stoke the fires,
Get outa' the mire.
Not fuss the budget,
Certainly not fudge it.
I'd drain the swamp,
Draw up a comp.
Gut the pig,
And end the jig
Neuter ass & elephant,
Which is extremely inelegant
Call in my marks,
Harpoon the sharks.
Muscle the bustles,
Clamp the suits,
Shake 'em up,
To the bottom of boots.
Real decisions,
Not derisions.
I'd have real juice,
Like Dr. Seuss.
We'd all wake up and meet halfway,
Everyone could have their say.
So bills would pass,
With one accord.
The public would respond,
And not be bored.
That's the way it would be run,
Serious things would all be done.
Sound impossible?
Sound improbable?
Could be all those,
But not unsolveable.
So I'd have my say,
Without any pay,
Avoid the fray,
Keep the wolves at bay...
-- Carl Bray, Sacramento

Mostly I Want A Bipartisan Ship
I promised good jobs, later, just jobs, I know,
I promised that openness, fairness would grow,
I urged that we all be accountable.
But mostly I want a bipartisan ship.
I said that gross lobbying, corruption must go,
The people must speak out, democracy grow.
I urged that we all be responsible.
But mostly I wanted bipartisanship.
I have a good stimulus package in mind;
A bottom up plan, not the earlier kind,
We urge that it should be a two party ship,
but I'm starting to rethink bipartisanship.
Footnote:
Barrack then confessed "I'm an optimist, yes,
I'll give Boehner a shot but a sap I am not."
Maybe that "ship" should not be our main goal,
Until we have dug ourselves out of this hole.
-- Theresa Morehouse, Sacramento

Times are rough, and times are hard I can't even use my MASTERCARD.
We need milk, meat,eggs and some bread_ forget the cheese
I can't buy a hat for my head
It's cold outside, layoffs and homeless count is getting higher
The rain is wetting the wood sooo difficult to make a fire
$2.49_ $2.39 -- $2.25 cheapest price for gas, my poor car
I gotta become a super star
Rent is due, PGE, Smud and Cable too.
I have two daughters expecting babies and grandchildren that need new shoes!!
Do you have a clue, to what a Na Na is suppose to do?
-- Carolyn Chandler, Sacramento

Big, big bank
He used to thank
Then subprime came
And his bank sank
A 700 credit score
No mortgage defaults
They wanted more
Past payments due...none
Cash down? Got some
Bills all paid
Dependants? Just one
Libor rates down
And still they frown
Even has a cap and gown
From a big University town
Bailout funds were sent
Still can't borrow?
They still haven't lent?
Only a credit card at 20 percent?
Wasn't his fault
You're in this jam
Bust ask for a loan?
He begs and WHAM!
-- Dan Wright, Auburn

Let Me Take on Wall St. with a Camera
Let me take on Wall Street in a chastity belt,
Should investors be interviewed on a throne.
Let me gulp my bonds like a patty melt
Should words peak in my throat on the phone.
I love
My Google, Frugal, and Snoogle stocks
Because they keep going down up
Like a salty sea of sanity
To check remiss reality.
And when they go down,
I shall not drown, or sell or frown,
Or upward gush the race to rush
like lemmings to the edge.
Instead, I'll compound my legions
Of Ginnie Maes with cortical maze
Or dip my pen in softly fallen metaphors
To skate cleanly shaven buy waves.
-- Anne Hart, Sacramento

The dog in the cap came to our house
But we were not home--
me and my spouse
We now have no place to dwell
our life has unraveled
and it feels like...well
we must eat beans and greasy Spam
We must eat stale bread
and other things from a can
Our credit's dried up
Our money long spent--
not one thin dime or one red cent.
Come, please, dear dog in the cap
Help us Out!
Give us a map!
Where do you go when in a recession?
What can you do
about the stock market crashin'?
The dog in the cap came back
but without his cap
said he'd traded it for a Cadillac.
Now we all live in a rusty ole wreck
eatin' canned beans and
waitin' for a bail-out check.
-- Cheryl Edwards, Lincoln

I lost my job----And now I'm broke--
Let me assure you---This is no joke----------
I'm now on the street----Asking for assistance----
Democrats offer help----Republicans only resistance
-- Jack Anderson, Rancho Cordova

Mr. Brett, I'm Mr. Brett,
Here to help pay off your debt.
Mr. Brett? No, Mr. Brett!
It's no fun to pay off debt.
Would you pay off your new house
Using income from your spouse?
I will not pay off our new house!
Or the second mortgage for my spouse,
Who wants square footage that will shock
Every neighbor on our block.
Well then, why not pay off your car?
Maintain it well; it will drive far.
I will not, will not pay off my car.
In a newer model, I'll be a star.
Will you pay off credit debt?
Your cards are piling up, I fret.
Mr. Brett, see Mr. Brett,
I cannot pay my credit debt.
I use one card to pay another:
More toys for kids, more gifts for Mother.
Can't you see your spending mess
Is sending you a load of stress?
If you clear one debt you'll see
That paying off debt sets you free!
Free from bills, from harassing calls,
From dragging bags through crowded malls.
Mr. Brett!
If you will let me be,
I'll pay off one.
You will see.
Say!
I do like paying off my debt!
If I trim more, I'll be freer yet.
So I will pay off my new house
Using income from my spouse.
And I'll pay off my family car;
Last year's model can still drive far.
If I cut spending, though it's hard,
I'll even pay off a credit card.
Thank you, thank you, Mr. Brett
It feels great to pay off your debt!
--Jo Lynne Keough, Yuba City

Oh the Thinks I can Think!
There's no Cat in my pop's Hat,
Nor a Wocket in his pocket,
Cause the Gringe stole his job
And made my momma sob.
Now she's got a tickle in her thorax
And a bad case of the Sneetches,
But we're plumb out of Lorax
And no Wockets in Pop's britches.
Momma still says he'll Go Places,.
Just so it's not the races or she'll Hop on Pop
And put him back in his traces.
But I have a Bunch of Hunches:
McElligot's Pool has fish to catch,
And if we wait long enough Horton's eggs will hatch.
What a splendid supper:
Fish, Green Eggs, but skip the Ham.
'Til Pop's on top again,
we'll just pass the Spam.
-- Marilyn Wallner, Carmichael
Red Rabbit
Red Rabbit
Why does Sac Metro
have to have it?
Must be they have a
plastic spending habit!
Dagnabbit
Dagnabbit
-- Jane Nahhas, Fair Oaks

I HAD TROUBLE GETTING TO SOLVENCY SLOUGH
I was real happy and carefree and young,
And I lived in a place called the Suburb of Sprung.
And nothing, not anything ever went wrong.
Until one day I was walking along,
And the boss called my cell phone and said,
"You can stay home today in your bed.
You've just been laid off.
The economy's soft.
I get a humungus bonus,
And you get the boot.
You wear pajamas,
And I keep the suit."
That is how it all started,
And how it all smarted.
I couldn't pay my mortgage.
And I had to go and forage.
The bank took my house,
My TV and pet mouse.
I lived in my car,
In a place near a bar.
Then I ran out of gas,
And parked on the grass.
The cops towed my car,
To a place very far.
That left me you know,
Stone cold in the snow.
I'm looking for Solvency Slough.
While dining on Charity Stew.
I sleep under the freeway, it's rough.
My life has gotten quite tough.
Meanwhile the CEO full of greed,
Who placed me here, in dire need,
Gets a Government bailout in excess,
And never has to deal with my mess.
Congress sits now nice and warm,
And debates about those who did harm,
Then argues about Stimulus Spending,
Foreclosures and Taxes never ending.
Meanwhile, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,
Won't ever take me back.
Where does that leave my trouble,
As I float in a poverty bubble?
Even if I reach Solvency Slough,
In the land of, It Will Never Do,
What ever will become of me?
We will eventually see.
--Carol E. Murphey, Davis

I love my house, I love my home.
Never far from it do I roam.
I love my house it's just the best.
I love my neighbors and all the rest.
I love my street and its location.
But I don't have time now for vacations.
I want to keep my house and must work harder.
Because my A.R.M's reset! now that's some fodder.
I tried and tried to get relief.
Frustration and despair spiraled into grief.
I'd love to say that I am brave.
Our first home I'm trying to save.
Bills piled high, as my income shrunk.
The mortgage taking a large chunk.
No one cares at the Bank.
Preditory lenders are who I thank.
I appealed to all who'd listen.
Tears in my eyes still glisten.
I'm afraid, so afraid I can't pay.
They will take my home they say.
The future of my family's bleak.
Evicted, homeless, on the street.
The house I love, on the market for less.
Foreclosure, Bankowned, Reposessed.
I'd love to be both seen and heard.
NO! should not be the final word.
The five of us live day to day.
Hoping that we will find a way.
I'd love to know just where to turn.
Who can help us I need to learn.
Modify my loan to fixed.
Decrease my interest rates the trick.
Wheres My Bailout, I want to yell!
But I don't know just who to tell.
I need help before its too late.
Lessen my homes principle would be great.
That way I can keep my home, and recover.
Pay my bills, with money leftover.
Be able to eat and pay for gas.
Is this really too much to ask?
I Love my home, I say it still.
I want to stay and pray we will.
But the Bank refuses to concede.
"Where's Our Money" they ask--It's just pure greed.
--Brenda Cheatum, Sacramento

Silly Sully Sullenberger went out to get a cheeseburger,
instead decided to take a dip
and turned his airplane into a ship.
A woman with a gargantuan girth,
in another town,
was giving birth.
Eight at once with six at home,
can you imagine or possibly fashion.
Fourteen babies, Ohhhh my, ONE MOMMA,
that brings me to Barrack Obama.
He says the Stimulus will do the trick,
to get us through where debt is thick,
he says the Stimulus will do the trick.
Now can I be smitten
and mention Clinton,
who once wanted to be on top
but now seems happy with she's got?
Could be a rough year ahead,
just stay calm and cool instead.
Do your best, work hard, and pay your dues,
your home may not end up on the foreclosure news.
In God We Trust
Felicia Reyes and Krysten Gage, Mather

It has drastically been brought to my attention
That the State is in a catastrophe
The debt continues to grow
and so do the residents woes
The Governor who used to be a muscleman
doesn't have the stamina to say yes I can.
So we sit and wait to find out our fate be we Democrat or Republican
Diana L. Webb, Sacramento

The Bear without Care
Times were getting tough, it was getting quite late
In the year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Eight.
Too broke to shop, too poor to buy gas;
All we could do was sit on our rear mass.
And then the economy went "Bump!"
Oh, how that bump made things go in the dump.
Then in walked a bear...
A bear without care, who promised to share
The profits humungous he'd swear to prepare.
"I know that you're blue, and things aren't so sunny,
But we can have tons of great fun with your money.
We'll dole out bum loans, and then we'll pad 'em,
Inflate our commissions so high we can't add 'em;
We'll run mortgage markets way up to the hilt,
And then we'll be basking in everything gilt!"
Up the flagpole we should've run something red -
A voice inside all of us should have said,
"You should not make those loans, you should not!
Interest payments only; no down; credit shot!"
But the bear, with a wily leer, said "don't fear!
What can possibly go wrong while I'm here?
Here's a great game that you all should know,
Called 'down, down, down with your portfolio.'"
He dropped all our funds like some addled hero,
Our home equity swan dived way below zero;
Our bonds in the toilet, our savings a wreck,
He even dropped 401Ks into Heck.
Our mutual funds looked like a clutch of goose eggs,
Our money markets scraped the barrel's loose dregs.
But that is not all;
No, that is not all!
He trashed the S&P, pole-axed the Dow,
Then sunk the NASDAQ, though I'm not sure how.
With vaporized worldwide indices he stung us,
Our stocks wound up lower than a mole's foot fungus.
He pretty much loused up the whole finance system,
Made so many insolvent that we couldn't list 'em.
Why that bear, he sure pulled off a feat -
Humbled the Great and Exalted Wall Street.
And you and I saw how everything sank -
Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers, AIG in the tank;
Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Chrysler and GM,
Market caps so low a nitecrawler couldn't see 'em.
Then out went the bear, leaving each Tom, Dick and Daryl
Poor as a nudist in a pinewood barrel.
And then he was back, but this time far more scary -
With bailouts for banks, for the love of sweet Mary!
"In this bailout are two great things for you,
I call them, my friends, Thain 1 and Thain 2."
They refurbished offices, gave gravy to friends,
Bought jets and cars; their fun never ends.
Bought out their rivals, took luxury cruises,
Got custom manicures and gourmet boozes.
They flushed our life savings right down the bowl,
All the while mooching the bailout dole.
Then they left us with the mess. What a mess!
Debris to confound even FEMA (God them bless).
And this mess is so thick and so tall and so deep,
It reminds us of barns with sick cattle and sheep.
But then, back into our hair came the bear,
As if he'd materialized from thin air.
"I always clean up my playthings, and so
I will show you some other good games that I know..."
He cleaned out the jobs; purged pay, taxes, and duties;
Waxed offices, manufacturing, and poor farmers' booties.
He mopped up the floor of state jobless coffers;
Scoured career postings; expunged all job offers.
Wiped out construction - left them comatose, twitchin';
He swept out the boutiques, the malls, and soup kitchens.
Left less than a comma or period to edit;
Then, with a tip of his hat, rubbed out credit.
So he cleaned us out, left us with no doubt
That we'd be left standing for years with hands out.
But from this travesty, what can we divine?
Haven't we learned squat since 1929?
-- Ken Walker, Carmichael

Pork and Ham
Do you like Wall Street flim-flam?
Your greenbacks going on the lam?
No ma'am; I do not like this bloated sham.
Would you like some pork and ham -
An 800 billion dollar scam,
From Republican'ts and Democrams?
Do you wish they had a clue
To extract us from this doo-doo?
Do you think "Senate" and "House"
Are synonyms of "Mickey Mouse?"
Do you view them somewhat zany?
And wish they'd go hunting with Cheney?
Would you like bridges, roads, trains
From politicos with cow-pie brains?
Would you like them to dole out bacon,
While we stand and watch, our backsides achin'?
So 'ere you take this ham and boil it,
Think why the'conomy's in the toilet...
Would you believe some finance wizards,
With their skulls up to their gizzards,
From laws got injunction tacit,
Then tumbled on their own dumb assets?
Handing out the sub-prime loans
Like candy-tossing parade-float drones:
"Loans to all! There's no need
That credit ratings should impede...
Loans without a rhyme or reason,
Loans on any day or season;
Loans to poor folks on the brink,
Heck, loans to winos for a drink!
Loans to nomads, drifters, migrants,
Loans to dogs to rent a hydrant,
Loans to get Charon a paddle,
Loans on chickens' teething rattles,
Loans for rabbits' birth control,
Loans up the ying-yang of Sheol."
Could you believe these lending Ponzis?
These wanton credit Kamikanzes?
On the heels of this loan bulldozer
Came the grim reaper, Foreclosure.
They foreclosed chalet and hovel,
Ignoring owners' pleas and grovels;
Nothing slipped their foreclosure noose -
Nabbed hovels, lean-tos, turkey roosts.
Foreclosed all the eye could see,
Left not a pot for our teepee.
They foreclosed mansions and huts,
Dispossessed poor squirrels' nuts.
They foreclosed mountain chateaus,
Seized an elephant's snotty nose.
From families their equity ripped,
They even seized great-grandma's crypt.
D'you like these seas of red ink,
Thanks to chowder-headed dinks?
Would you like to boil their fannies?
Swing your boot at their nooks and crannies?
Would you like to egg Greenspammer,
Put Thain and Paulson in the slammer?
Would you like to give a spanky
To that noodlewit Bernanke?
Now we're heirs of huge debt stacks
From Fannie Mayn't, and Freddie Lack.
And pretty soon we'll own GM
Who's circling down the porcelain.
And Chrysler's just as relevant
As navel lint from a pisant.
Can you believe their loused-up gumption
That we should finance their assumption??
A million to re-do a suite!
4 billion in gold para-sheetes!
Corporate jets, hostile takeovers,
Deluxe vacations, silicon makeovers.
While clowns on Wall Street pick our purses,
We watch the exodus of jobs in hearses;
From offices, perpetual abduction -
Each day another workforce reduction.
Morale, like earthworm feet, is sure low,
With half the state out on furlough.
And in D.C., our Governot
Keeps stirring up the chamber pot.
Would you like them to get the lead out?
Perhaps pull their collective head out?
Are they saviors from economic death?
I tell you what - won't hold my breath.
Then, while the news is less than nice,
Would you like my best advice?
Although the price of them is steep,
Buy hip waders, 'cause it's getting deep
With the government's bailout blarney.
So... I'll see you at Salvation Army.
-- Ken Walker, Carmichael

Debt is up,
Spending down,
And the frowns
Are all around
The town
Can joy be found,
From the cash mounds
That abound,
Well the answer is found
For not even the finest gown
Will dress this clown
-- Terry Fitzwater

Sorry this holiday card is so dreadfully late.
It's been quite some time since 2008.
I'll be on time
In 2009.
And speaking of the new year,
What to expect now that it's here?
We've watched, we've read, we've listened to the blather,
And now we've formed some thoughts on the matter.
In years past
We might well have asked,
"What's a default swap and why should we care?"
But with the burst of a bubble
And associated trouble,
We worry our homes might be worth less than air.
Programs will have to be axed.
People will have to be taxed.
The budget process is something our state's leaders have not yet mastered.
And now Arnold has imposed state worker furloughs; that...meanie!
But we can take comfort from the words I heard late one night in 2008.
Late one night as Christmas drew near,
My son said to me "if Santa isn't real, I do not want to hear."
"Wait 'till I'm 20, tell me then," he said.
He said this to me one night from his bed.
From a seven year-old comes an idea that might help us thrive.
Perhaps denial is something for which we should strive.
So with family and friends, let's bring in the New Year with a whold lot of cheer.
Because certainly, certainly recovery is near!
-- Grant Boyken, Gold River

Beg Green and Spam
The time has come
That this nation in debt
the market has crashed and everyone's holding on to the money they have not wanting to dine out or even to shop.
So, some of the stores are beginning to close while employees are at a loss
CEO's are continuing to come in their private jets while others are speculating "are they really in debt"
People are struggling while others are juggling from job to job they go to put on the table
while switching to generic label.
We all voted for Barack for a change
Since we are all out of change, pennies, dimes,nickel
Collectors are calling
while the landlord is knocking
The bills are piling
while the children are playing
Vacation in Hawaii is now changed to making "origami"
I pray while I lay that this economy will soon be better so we can all live for the better.
-- Belen Durfee, Greenhaven

Back in the Black?
Well, who's to blame
For Wall Street's shame?
For bills unpaid,
For jobs off-laid?
For repro'd homes
And o'erdue loans?
For a bailout
That's just a sellout?
How 'bout Freddie Mac
Or Fannie Mae? Did
They look the other way?
Or Enron's Kenny Lay
And all the other crooks
Who cooked the books?
$50 billion's Madoff, Bernie;
Should he off to jail journey?
CEOs at Countrywide and Wa Mu
Might do some deep thinking, too.
Banished Bush and Cheney, Dick
Put away that shotgun quick.
Harry Reid and Pelosi
maybe we oughta go and see.
Don't pick on young Geithner;
With the plan, he's gotta tighten'er.
Chris Dodd and Barney Frank:
Now there's a pair to thank.
We've no single villain found;
There's blame enough to go around.
Besides, what's blaming gonna getcha?
We can beat this; yes, you betcha!
-- Joe Sheehan, Elk Grove
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
Big Red and Blue fish run a state
offering constituents red herrings
acting so coy with medias' questions
But alas, little fish took their bait
though they end up fried
with Big fish dealing with the budget
The conclusion of Big fish's debates
are new taxes for the little fish
feeling they've ended up on the plate
- Michelle Kunert

PRIME TIME-NOT A DIME!
No caviar or shrimp for me,
No lobster tail from the sea,
Not even honey from the bee.
I know... it's the economy.
No going on a shopping spree,
No presents and no Christmas tree,
Not even something I get for free.
This year it's the economy.
No new car or SUV,
Not even one accessory,
I can't even afford the key.
Blame it on the economy.
Golf's out, can't afford the fee,
No money for a measly tee,
My excuse is "I hurt my knee,"
But it really is the economy.
I decided to change my tune a little,
Pretend that I have money to diddle,
But a tunes' no good without a fiddle
So the economy remains a riddle.
-- Patrick C. Castonguay, Fair Oaks

Oh No! The Places You Will Go.
Condolences go out to all of you, young youngsters,
a hole has been dug you by all of us, old oldsters.
It measures twice the depth of a bottomless pit,
to get out you will need all available wit.
This hole can't get much darker or much deeper,
so don't waste time as a larker or a weeper.
We should have foreclosed it, before it got scary,
we should have been afraid, but were we? Not very.
Now, don't lead by following our good example, that was bad,
rather set a better good example, that could be had.
Don't waste, don't pollute, don't feel entitled to be greedy,
what ever you do, make sure it's entirely needy.
Value valuable skills, don't be a know-nothing no-brainer;
to un-crash the market seek a know-better-now brainers-trainer.
And will you succeed? Will you get out of the hole?
Oh, yes! You'll be up, out and away, you will indeed!
This can absolutely, positively ... not be guaranteed.
-- Malene Jensen, Davis

A PENNY'S WORTH(LESS)
USED TO BUY A BASEBALL CARD
A STICK OF GUM THAT'S USUALLY HARD
ALWAYS FOUND ONE ON THE STREET
AND PICKED IT UP TO BUY A TREAT
FILLED MY JAR AND PIGGY BANKS
WHEN THEY WERE FULL I'D GIVE MY THANKS
MY CORDUROY POCKETS WOULD BEG FOR MORE
THEN I'D SPEND IT AT THE CORNER STORE
MAYBE SAVE AN UGLY ONE
LET THE TRAIN SQUISH IT FLAT...THAT WAS FUN!
"SAVE YOUR PENNIES" MY PARENTS WOULD SAY
"SAVE YOUR PENNIES FOR A RAINY DAY"
AS YEARS WENT BY THE GUM COST MORE
A 7-11 HAD REPLACED THAT CORNER STORE
THE PIGGY BANKS ARE GONE, SO ARE THE JARS
TAKES ALL MY CHANGE FOR THAT CANDY BAR
NOW THAT PENNY'S WORTH LESS MONEY
THAN ITS EQUAL WEIGHT IN COPPER....ISN'T THAT FUNNY?
WITH DEBIT CARDS AND INFLATION, THE PENNY IS GOING AWAY
AND THEY WILL GO TO HEAVEN ON ANOTHER RAINY DAY.
THE BUCK STOPPED HERE
THERE ONCE WAS A TIME A PHONE CALL COST A DIME
A PENNY BOUGHT CANDY AND DEBT WAS A CRIME
BE IT UP IN COLD CANANDA OR MEXICO, WHERE IT'S SUNNY
OUR DOLLAR WAS KING, ALL OF THEIR'S: JUST PLAY MONEY.
IN TIMES OF GLOOM, EVEN DOOM,,,,OR A BOOM!
THE WORLD BOUGHT THE BUCK IF THEIR OWN CURRENCIES SUCK
A SAFE HAVEN, TO BE SURE, UNCLE SAM SAYS IT'S SECURE
BUT THESE BAILOUTS AND DEFICITS TURN IT INTO MANURE.
IT'S A PRIMARY FUNCTION OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE
TO PROTECT OUR GEORGE WASHINGTONS, IT'S VALUE TO PRESERVE
WHO KNEW THAT EVENTUALLY OUR GOVERNMENT WOULD SPOIL IT
SOONER OR LATER OUR BUCK'S GOING IN THE TOILET.
THE BACK OF OUR BILLS STATE: "IN GOD WE TRUST"
CAN OUR DOLLAR STAY STRONG, OR WILL IT GO BUST?
NOW WE'RE STUFFING OUR MATTRESSES IN CASE OF COLLAPSE
BANK STOCK PRICES SPELL TROUBLE... A DEPRESSION, PERHAPS?
IT WOULD BE SO GOOD, SO GREAT, SO FANTASTIC
IF WE ALL COULD SPEND CASH AND NOT USE OUR PLASTIC
TOO MANY OF US USE WHAT WE ALL CALL CREDIT
IT'S NOT REALLY MONEY, DON'T YOU KNOW? DON'T YOU GET IT?
OH, THE BUCK GETS A REBOUND NOW AND AGAIN
UP AGAINST THE EURO, THE FRANC OR THE YEN
IT MAKES CHILDREN CRY, GETS US HOT UNDER THE COLLAR
TO SEE WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO OUR ALMIGHTY DOLLAR
THERE'S ONE HIDEOUT LEFT, SANCTUARY, I AM TOLD
AT ONE THOUSAND AN OUNCE, THAT YELLOW ROCK: GOLD!
-- Dan Wright, Auburn

When Horton hears a Who
And the Dow is like a zoo,
When our pennies have been pinched
And our belts have all been cinched,
We will look to better days
And good health of I R A's
We will banish doom and gloom
And celebrate a BOOM!
-- Jair Moore, Sacramento

DISORGANIZATION
Papers in a pile.
Should be in a file.
Got too much to do
trying to get through
tax preparing time.
What's the bottom line?
Shouldn't they pay me
an appreciation fee
for paying all my bills
and not adding to their ills?
Why ask me to send
more money they can spend?
-- Margaret E. Bell, CitrusHeights

Mulberry Street was just like the other's you've seen
A street in the suburbs, the lawns mowed and green.
Then markets and home prices shot to the sky
And anyone who was breathing was able to buy.
When they couldn't afford it, criminals found them a way.
"Come Greedy and Needy. You won't pay today!"
The loans were fine when prices were high.
When loan payments came due, it was time to re-fi.
Greedy crooks bundled the loans in a tangled mess
And sold them on Wall Street, rated triple A no less.
They sold them to foreign countries, selling the American Dream
And pulled the world into this pathetic, criminal scheme.
So now as everything will tumble and crash,
Those behind all this mess just run with the cash.
The evidence of this is all at our feet
And to think it could happen on Mulberry Street.
-- Kathy Itow, Rocklin

Our future's in
The hands of caucus
Statesmen driven
To Capitol raucus,
Protecting pledges
To each other
On the honor
Of their mother.
True it is,
They all have talents
But none have clue
Which is the check
And which the balance.
-- Bernard A. Goldberg, Sacramento

BUDGET BY FUDGE IT
Our debt is larger
Bigger than before
Not one billion, two billion
But forty billion more!
Farmers are worried
Schools are in a mess
Schwarzenegger pleaded
He did all but wear a dress.
The Senate and Assembly
Took their sweet time
IOU's are coming
Will you take a quarter for a dime?
Cuts will be made
Lenders on the lam
No one can afford
Even green eggs and ham
So please stop the spending
Be honest and be true
No one believes the politicians
Including Horton and his Who.
Is this budget any good
Will it have great success
Or will the promises fall short
And more will just be less?
Quit haggling and gaggling
And arguing in your box
Cause before you even know it
The foxes won't have socks.
So one budget, two budget
Three budget five
Quit thinking of you
Help keep California alive.
--Bob Bellinoff, El Dorado Hills

Gov- I-Am:
Red ink budget is not blue,
Legislators can't come through.
What am I supposed to do?
Must cut expenses, that's what I'll do!
Valued workers are my crew;
They've got my back, I've got them too.
Here's an order just for you...
Please accept furlough times two!
State Employee:
I cannot act just like a mouse.
I must pay bills to keep my house!
Money's missing here or there,
Times are tough just everywhere.
I can't afford green eggs and ham,
Our family eats just bread and spam!
Our Legislators cannot see,
The stresses put on you and me.
The public sector's also hurt,
Because we can't report for work.
Right or wrong, it's what to do.
Our public pays the bills, it's true.
Legislators, it's up to you...
So we accept furlough times two!
-- James Harrison, Sacramento

One click two click
Old click new click
No jobs out there
Pull out my hair
I have no job
I'm not a slob
I've just been fired
Can't even get wired
My job's been hosed
And Starbucks closed
"My favorite store went down the drain."
Is too common a refrain.
Can't buy stamps
for resume mail-out
We'll end up tramps
where's our bailout?
401K
Melted away
They're using my money for jetting around
I'm looking and scrounging for dimes on the ground
No dough for Doctors when we get vapors
We even had to cancel newspapers
I told my new boarder I needed the rent
With tears in her eyes she said to "Get bent!"
If I don't find something soon on Monster.com
Oh God please help me I'll have to move in with Mom!
We scrape and save and do not spend
to break the trend of government friends
They take their planes and limos too
and care not what the peasants do
They give and give the bailout money
the lobbyist all think this is quite funny
Our children will owe til they grow old
their American dream will nere unfold
With their inheritance gone they will suffer
and owe their lives to the government coffers
-- Elaine Emery, Sacramento

Car salesmen everywhere going mad
Vendors in California aren't so glad
Taxes raised all over the place
Buyers for empty new houses builders chase
The economy is sliding downward fast
Just how far and how long will this last
Not even Obama knows the answer to this question
Perhaps buying stock in antacids can cure this indigestion
When the future looks grim with no end in sight
Folks might remember a familiar plight
A time when long lines for butter and bread
formed outside in the rain, in the snow, okay, 'nuff said.
-- Leslie Allen, Elk Grove

STIMULUS PIE
Me, oh my!
You've got to try
You're very own piece
Of Stimulus Pie!
The benefits so high
Almost touches the sky!
Only need a simple reason
Get yours before it's out of season!
Just can't sit still
Going to get my fill
'Cause my Congressman attached
Some pork to the bill
Trillions available in the till
Trillions more coming down the Hill.
Can't believe my eyes
At these bailout lies
Watch as Capitalism dies
Socialism on the rise.
Imagine my surprise
As banks said their good-byes
Had to heave a heavy sigh
It may all be a disguise.
Never knew a lunsch that's free
Bill the taxpayers, that's you and me
It's so simple, can't you see?
Never learned lessons from history
So have a bite, won't taste like chicken
It goes down hard, but it's finger-lick'n
Calorie-free , it's good for the nation
Let the costs be paid by the next generation!
-- Dan Wright, Auburn

"Tax"onomics
I do not like that X.S.Tax
I do not like it Brother Max.
Tax my food, tax my car
Can kissing tax be very far?
No cost of living raise for me
Lawmakers, share yours with me?
My house is just 1200 feet
How does that with yours compete?
My salary is not so grand
Living just from "mouth to hand".
No cars, no perks, no per diem,
When I see yours I want to scream!
Bankers, auto CEO's
Telling me all your woes.
I don't vacation in the sun
I'm lucky if I can take one.
Furloughs, salaries decline.
To us you have the nerve to whine?
I have to do my work on time
Or earn no even one thin dime.
More fortunate than most I am
A job, a house, some eggs and ham.
I do not live out in the cold
I have family to love and hold.
Even though our budget's tight
We'll survive, we'll be all-right.
-- Peggy Marriott, Sacramento
Hey there, Horton, here's the Who!
It's not just WE, it's also YOU!
We're the Who who get the stimulus
which feels more like a stick-it-to-us!
It saves the banks- but we can't budge it,
We're upside down in our own home budget!
Do we buy into the country's buy OUT?
Do we scream out loud or idly deaf, sit?
Do we calmly succumb on a pile of "tacks"?
How can we explain all these bare-bones cutbacks!
We're the Who who can't shop "for clothes".
We're the Who that get the furloughs.
We're the ones who've got econ-icks,
as our leaders use same ol' pol'tics!
But wait! Oh Horton, You be the Who!
'cause all together we can fix this stew.
Let's 'knowledge the Honest, let's celebrate Brave-
the Who, who with hard work, this country will save!
-- Nancy Withers, Granite Bay

Once upon a time when livin' was easy
And I was livin' like there was no tomorrow
My finances were soaring, nothing was boring
Money I surely didn't need to borrow
I'll start a business, and people will give me their money
So I can get them some more
I'll keep it safe, returns will go up, up, up
Nobody wants to be poor
I'd cook the books, because nobody looks
Everybody else does it too
I'll keep it a secret, and tell nobody
It would only be bad if anybody knew
I'll send out their statements every month
So they can watch their money grow
Then I'll take it and spend it on what I want
It won't hurt anyone if they don't know
I bought a nice place
Much more than I need
I had to have something
To show for my greed
I had it all
It felt so nice to win
It didn't matter at all
If it were a sin
Now everybody hates me
I don't think that's fair
I didn't want to hurt anybody
And it's not that I didn't care
But it's all over now
I didn't want to fail
But it looks like now
I'll spend my life in jail
-- Bob Wilkinson, Carmichael

Hello Californian's, our budget's a mess,
we've spent too much money, our leaders must confess.
From everything imagineable, copiers and faxes,
now we're furloughing workers and raising our taxes.
Our health care is outrageous, cutting back on our schools,
what's a few more sick people, or a generation of fools?
Let's build some more prisons, for crime's in the cards,
and hire those fools as overpaid prison guards.
Our banks can keep lending, it's still the same game,
give money to anyone, who can sign their last name.
Just keep on spending, don't worry about the bill,
if you can't pay for it, maybe the government will?
For those who have worked hard, you can look back and say,
"I remember when I had retirement in my 401k".
Politicians calm down, can't we meet in the middle?
Cut wasteful pork spending, raise taxes....just a little.
We need to stay focused, I know you can do it,
scrap that attitude of "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it".
The time to act is now, don't wait until the end,
the next toll plaza is coming.....June 2010!
-- Al Obringer, Roseville

THE WHOVILLES OF PLACER ARE FACIN' DISASTER
FORECLOSURES, STORE CLOSURES ARE RATTLIN' OUR RAFTERS
OUR CITIES ARE WROUGHT WITH ALL KINDS OF DROUGHT
WITH LAYOFFS AND CUTBACKS IN THE MIDDLE WE'RE CAUGHT
OH WHO WILL COME SAVE US FROM ALL OF THIS RAVAGE
WHY ARE WE CAUGHT UP IN ALL OF THIS BAGGAGE?
THE GRINCH MUST BE AT THE HEART OF THIS MESS
YES, IT IS HE WHO IS CAUSING THIS STRESS!
BUT NEVER FEAR WE WILL TAKE HEART
WE WILL GET THROUGH AND HAVE A NEW START
THE WHOVILLES OF PLACER COURAGEOUS AND STRONG
IN TIME WE WILL FIX AND RIGHT EVERY WRONG!
-- Susan Joyce, Lincoln

Economy in Seuss Minor
DOWN
FROWN
The market is down
YUP
UP
Foreclosure is up
ALL
FALL
The state will fall
DAY
PAY
Our bills get raised
NIGHT
FRIGHT
Our money is tight
WAIT
STATE
My bill is late
FLIP
FLOP
NASDAQ drops
-- Olivia Zepeda

A crisis, the price is
A furlough, no cash flow
Our work ends, The books bend
To bow down, We all frown
The Golden State, Will communicate
Appointed officials, Should see our initials
Perhaps even signatures, For Legislative forfeitures
No salary raises, Just cold, hard gazes
The political posturing, our wallets emptying
Fear not the layoff, Our fight will pay off
Not from the Union, Not from the press
But the people will nurse, From the bottomless purse
Of Hope and Faith, We will spend and save
The next campaign, The people will reign
For responsible runners, Not Hollywood stunners
The Governor did dare, The citizens are aware
Yet five days became four, Most offices closing doors
Who really runs this place, Lost in a government maze
All this Tom Foolery certainly effects you and I
There will be resolve, Like the sun in the sky
If not, turn the page and sing a little song
Sean Connery will double "O" seven, We will all play along
Our poor California, we will rescue you...
From bureaucratic criminals, Singing their bank's hymnals
The people will battle, We will ride in this saddle
A petition is drafted, Political careers to be blasted.
Our children are fed, Most bills have been met
So come next election time, They better stop on a dime.
-- Veronica Wolfram, Sacramento

OH, THE MONEY YOU'LL OWE!
Congratulations!
Beginning today
You no longer have
A mortgage to pay.
Your house was foreclosed on
By a big east coast bank
That your tax dollars rescued
When it started to tank.
Its chairman, its founder
And all its execs
Squandered deposits
On huge bonus checks,
And junkets to Vegas,
Tahiti and Tokyo
Monaco, Greece,
Hawaii and Mexico.
They spent it on mansions
And luxury yachts,
They spent it on parties
At trendy nightspots,
They spent it on Lear jets,
They spent it on clothes,
And plenty of other things
Nobody knows.
But you shouldn't grumble,
Protest or complain
Or seek any government
Aid for your pain.
You have clothes on your back,
You have shoes on your feet.
What else do you need?
You've got plenty to eat.
Go find an apartment
Or a cheap rental house
For your three little children,
Yourself and your spouse.
If you just look around you
You'll locate with ease
A vacated home
You can probably lease.
The banks have foreclosed
On thousands like you:
The Joneses, the Blackwoods,
Your poor Auntie Sue,
The butcher, the baker
Your son's history teacher,
The high-school coach
And the Methodist preacher.
Wherever you look
On the streets of this town
For Rent signs are up
And homeownership down.
A handful of shrewd
And rich speculators
Have bought up your home
And the homes of your neighbors'.
These dealers in formerly
Distressed real estate
Will rent you a house
At a competitive rate.
But a few months from now
They might flip it for profit
To someone who may
Want to throw you all off it.
But if that should happen,
Just take to the roads
Like an updated version
Of John Steinbeck's Joads.
Pack up your family
Your kids and your wife
And move somewhere else
To start a new life.
Just get off your fanny
And don't be so lazy,
Try Fort Myers, Florida
Or Scottsdale, AZ.
They both have been battered
By the current Recession,
The populace suffering
From heartbreak and depression.
But even in darkness
There's always some light.
The home-prices there
Have been shriveled by blight.
A quaint little house
That sits on hill
And once was appraised
At a quarter of a mill
Right now can be got
For just seventy grand!
That's less than the builder
Paid out for the land!
So don't be defeatists,
Be darers and tryers.
Pack up your family
And move to Fort Myers,
Where thousands of houses
Sit abandoned and bare.
It ought to be easy
To find lodgings there.
And if you've no money,
You and your daughters,
Your wife and your son
Can all live as squatters.
It may be a hard life
But it's also exciting:
The sneaking and skulking,
The frequent check-kiting.
Once you've hit bottom
There's nowhere to go
But up, up, and away!
So do not be slow.
Go look for employment
Selling shoes at a mall.
The greatest successes
Often start out quite small.
The government needs you
Employed in a hurry.
It bailed out Wall Street
And it's starting to worry,
If there's money enough
To bail out GM,
Chrysler and Ford
And the rest of them.
The bankers need money,
The airlines do too.
And the government's hoping
To take it from you.
They'll tax all your wages
From now till you die.
They will tax what you earn
And they'll tax what you buy.
They'll give direct bailouts
To the privileged and wealthy
Whose lives are all charmed
And bank accounts healthy.
The government's broke
But still throwing cash
At the corporate wizards
Who brought on this crash.
But when you fall into
In a financial pickle
And ask for a bailout
They'll toss you a nickel.
But enough of this chatter
Go find a new job.
Don't sit around whining
Like some lazy slob.
Your wife and your kids
Should go find jobs too.
The government's broke
And it's counting on you.
The debt it's compiled
Since 2001
Will burden your life
And the life of your son
And the life of his sons
And grandkids galore
And guarantee
That you all will die poor.
So each time a child
Is born in your line,
Take him aside
When he's no more than nine
And say, "Child, the country
Is drowning in debt.
The government needs
All the cash it can get.
Expect to work hard
For most of your life
Just to eke out a living
For you and your wife.
The future's not rosy
It's ink-red, and you
Will someday be drowning
In that same ink too.
I hope you'll be happy
And find plenty of
The good things in life
Like friendship and love.
But the government's debt
Is likely to grow,
And oh, little child,
The money you'll owe!
-- Kevin Mims, Sacramento

Dr. Suess
is on the loose.
He's serving us
Kool aid
With debit pills
he'll pay our bills
from cradle
to the grave.
The rescue plan
is full of ham--
the politicians pork--
and stinky nest eggs,
now turned green,
all scrambled with their forks.
-- Margaret E. Bell, Citrus Heights

That Schwartzenegger
He no beggar
Me now homeless
Got no address
Live in cardboard box
Holey soles and sox
Trash can dinners
Are real winners
Come rain or hail
Put me in jail
Intense heat of sun
Ain't no fun
Bottle of booze
Drink I choose
Fuzzy in brain
Get hit by train
-- B. Lambert, Citrus Heights

I'm trapped in debt,
In debt, you see.
Who's in debt?
In debt? That's me.
I'd rather be trapped on a tropical isle,
Or even working overtime, just for a while.
With talk of furloughs and a cut in my pay,
I can't foot the bills for one more day!
I'm trapped with gas prices rising through the roof,
The value of my home has decreased with a poof!
Food on my table costs an arm and a leg,
I'm spending every penny of my precious nest egg.
My taxes are rising,
They're growing you see.
Who's moving to Nevada?
To Nevada, that's me!
-- B. Hill, Loomis
One cent, two cents, three cents, four
That's not enough to go to the store
I'll need hundreds, no, thousands of pennies galore
To bring home the bacon or anything more
One dollar, two dollars, a lot more than a few
To gas up the car for whatever to do
On mountains, in valleys or living at shore,
We're all getting less
And paying much more!
-- Rev. S. A. Abbott, Fair Oaks

"i see, we see ... crooks on the t.v. ... every night getting worse ... see the bottom of my purse ... bought our houses nothing down ... now we've lost all around ... they lied for us and we knew it ... now we're out, guess we blew it ... debt was bundled, given names ... all was lost the big fed claims ... financials fell, a "house of cards" ... left us crawling in the shards ... obama says his plan will "do it" ... hope no day we see "he blew it" ... in the mean-time crooks to prison ... they should pay for problems risen ... greed and sleazy morals abound ... eyes not watching, them not found ... those in power yak and spend ... while we wonder, will this end?
-- Ron Rodvold, Cool

GREENBACKS AND SPAM
I am slammed,
Uncle Sam, I am
Do you have
Greenbacks and spam?
Uncle Sam!
If you will let me be,
I will try them.
You will see.
Say!
I like greenbacks and spam!
I do!! I like them, slammed as I am!
And I will take them to the bank!
At least the ones that haven't tanked
And I will take them for my house
And in my car and to my spouse
And on a train, and in my dreams
I know now what a bailout brings!
They are so good so good you see!
I do so like
Greenbacks and spam!
Thank you!
Thank you,
Uncle Sam!
-- Mike Rice, Sacramento

The Governor's Team
Young men, laughed the senior,
This isn't a dream!
Can we really make budgets
Work with this team?
The governor's tried
to make it all work.
But, he only came out
Looking like a jerk.
The "team" was a joke.
They all wanted their way.
This went on
Day after day!
We all got hurt,
while they played their game.
They couldn't admit
they were to blame.
So now, the rest of us
have paid.
While personal deals
were made.
We better hope
this is a dream.
because we are stuck
with this "team"!
-- J. Struthers Roe, Sacramento

I do not like Red Ink and Spam.
I do not like the state's current jam.
I would not, could not, forgive the Legislature.
I have thought, still thought, they could have done better.
I thought they could have done better back in June.
I thought they could have prevented our state's economic gloom.
I do not like Red Ink and Spam.
I do not like it, Gov-I-Am.
I do not like Red Ink and Spam.
I do not like this budget flim-flam.
I do not feel sorry Legislators slept in their house.
I do not feel sorry there was dirt on their blouse.
I do feel sorry services and programs are being cut.
I do feel sorry for citizens being hit in the gut.
I do not like Red Ink and Spam.
I do not like it, Gov-I-Am.
-- Kris Whitty, Loomis

If I was in charge of the U.S.A,
I believe I'd have to say
Things cannot go on this way
To people pocketing a million or so
Some of this dough has to go
Into taxes to help others who are needy
Having 3 cars and 2 homes is greedy.
And lets all get together and find
Some ways to help us get out of this bind
Our lifestyles have been too loose
And our economy needs a boost
-- Marian Lewis, Carmichael

Foreclosures up
Foreclosures down
Markets up
Down
Foreclosures up
Foreclosures down
Markets up
Down
Foreclosures in the West
Foreclosures a mess
Unemployment up
Profits down
Spending down
Collaspe
Sales up
Sales down
Confidence up
Confidence down
Stimulus needed
Republicans retreated
Democrats spending
Bailout pending
Job losses, mean bosses
Foreclosures Foreclosures Foreclosures
How many, many
foreclosures you see.
Stimulus plan
Geithner can
Obama's hope
People cope
Freddie Mac
Fannie Mae
are in trouble too.
Financial crisis
Auto crisis
What are we to do?
His debt
Her debt
All our debt
In our state,
and all of United States,
so much, much
debt we accumulate.
Economy out of control
American dream on hold
More and more people
in the hole
Here come
more and more.........
......and more houses!
Mortgage meltdown.
Global turmoil.
Foreclosures. Foreclosures. Foreclosures.
Oh, how many
Foreclosures I see!
-- Kim Barr, Carmichael

A crisis, the price is
A furlough, no cash flow
Our work ends, The books bend
To bow down, We all frown
The Golden State, Will communicate
Appointed officials, Should see our initials
Perhaps even signatures, For Legislative forfeitures
No salary raises, Just cold, hard gazes
The political posturing, our wallets emptying
Fear not the layoff, Our fight will pay off
Not from the Union, Not from the press
But the people will nurse, From the bottomless purse
Of Hope and Faith, We will spend and save
The next campaign, The people will reign
For responsible runners, Not Hollywood stunners
The Governor did dare, The citizens are aware
Yet five days became four, Most offices closing doors
Who really runs this place, Lost in a government maze
All this Tom Foolery certainly effects you and I
There will be resolve, Like the sun in the sky
If not, turn the page and sing a little song
Sean Connery will double "O" seven, We will all play along
Our poor California, we will rescue you...
From bureaucratic criminals, Singing their bank's hymnals
The people will battle, We will ride in this saddle
A petition is drafted, Political careers to be blasted.
Our children are fed, Most bills have been met
So come next election time, They better stop on a dime.
-- Veronica Wolfram, Sacramento

President Obama,
we see your dreams.
We're hoping your vision
is all that it seems.
The Stimulus package
gives us all much hope.
But we are losing our houses
and it's real hard to cope.
The country's in crisis.
A blackout is near.
When we can't pay the bills,
We live in great fear.
You took the oath
with wide-open eyes.
We look to your guidance
to answer the whys.
President Obama,
lend us your ears.
Hear our voices,
mingled with tears.
-- Sandi Collins, Sacramento

I do not like the economy
Where debt is high and the rich get it free
I do not like it, no I don't!
Some can change it, but they just won't.
Politicians try to meet and eat
But it seems like an impossible feat
I just don't trust them here or there
I just don't trust them anywhere.
Obama came, with "Yes we can"
They tried to stop him with their hands.
Raised their hands with a, yes vote.
Spending our money, we have no hope
We will stop them," Yes we can"
We will take back our citizens' land.
I do not like the economy
I will change my spending habit, so I can be free.
-- Deborah Simmons

Furlough
Furlough
Tax hike
hike
Crisis in the day
Recession in the night
High gas
Low stocks
Doubt doubt doubt
How many pink slips will go out?
No loans
Foreclosed homes
Here come more groans
In the state and in the Bee, how much bad news can you read?
-- Tina Hawkins, Elk Grove

Dr Seuss Remembers When
Once in a land not far away
Folks had a mortgage they thought they could pay
Big homes, big cars, wasn't it fun?
Off to work they'd go, one by one
You want it; go get it - the American way
No money right now? "Just charge it," they'd say
Would you, could you, remember when?
Would you, could you, go back again?
Now in that land not far away
Folks lost their jobs, they cannot pay
Big homes, big cars, oh what will they do?
America, bail them out! It's up to you!
Lessons hard-learned we should impart
The change we need is in the heart
Would you, could you, remember when?
Would you, could you, go back again?
-- Nancy O'Neill, Roseville

Shoe News
The newspaper ad had me all raging mad
If only I had money I could be quite glad
But the ad said today, any other was nay
-- Lori Ricciardi

THE WALL STREET HOUSE
"Come inside", said the elephant to the donkey
I'll show you Wall Street, and you can see
that the Wall Street House has things like
Stocks - things like bonds and lots of clocks.
Things like symbols of a company
B of A, Citibank and GE
CSCO, LZB, SM and EL
awaiting the sound of the closing bell.
There's mutual funds like Fidelity, Vanguard and Pimco
Full of retirement funds at an all time low.
You'll see hand wringing - foot stomping-- and rolling eyes
Waiting for the DOW to finally rise.
Stocks upon stocks full of hard earned cash
Look out below -- it's going to CRASH.
And another thing, it's time you knew
The Wall Street house has traders too
Waiting for us to get our act together
As Americans -- another storm to weather.
So all you people who played by the rules
Stand up and be heard above all of the fools.
Fight for the principles in which you trust
Before this country goes into 'OBAMA BUST'!!
Mary Townshend, Carmichael

HOW THE ECONOMY STOLE CHRISTMAS!
Christmas was nearing, but no one was merry,
Shopping was dismal, few packages to carry.
The weather seemed normal with snow on the ground,
But the only crunch heard was the cash crunching sound.
Traditional vacations as families to travel,
Saw plans to see grandma began to unravel.
All of the people, the short and the tall,
Knew they were doomed as they watched Wall Street's fall.
"Job losses", "Stores closing", "Foreclosures", we heard,
The headlines were gloomy, we read every word.
Oil prices were up and commerce was down,
The homeless were wandering all over town.
"What shall we do?", the people all cried,
"Our business is closed and we're living outside!"
Every citizen alive was feeling the pinch,
The worldwide economy was surely a Grinch.
Then along came Obama who said, "You will see",
"I'll fix all your worries with politicians in D.C."
All of the senators and all of the reps,
Put pencils to paper, it was quite a test.
They argued and argued the pros and the cons,
The haranguing went on from dusk until dawn.
At last an announcement from Pelosi and Reid,
"We've solved all your problems and done a great deed!"
"The recovery is imminent; your cares can be tossed,
And 800 billion is all it will cost".
"Banks will recover and Detroit will be fine,
So go now and spend for Christmas '09".
P.S. A thirteen buck increase in our weekly pay,
May stir the economy, but here's what we say,
We each now owe part of a multi-billion debt,
And we think, as usual, D.C. is all wet!
-- Deanna C. Holman, Stockton

I knew when I got up today,
That things were not going my way.
My payments are due; I'm down with the flu -
How I wish I could go out and play!
Our country's economy's grim,
With chance of success growing dim.
The jobs are all gone; the banks overdrawn -
Nothing left in my budget to trim.
Let's bring out the red, white and blue,
Show the world what our people can do.
No need to despair; the answer is there -
I know we will find it; Don't you?
-- Patricia Brandl, Sacramento

The butter is gone
The milk is sour
The bread is mold
The rain will fall
The clouds will shudder
The days are long
The hours many
The clouds will pass
The sun will shine
The flowers bloom
I have hope in God of my God
-- Charlotte Gertz, Citrus Heights

WHAT GOES DOWN
MUST COME UP!
NOT TOO LONG AGO, THE OUTLOOK SEEMED SUNNY
WHEN HOMES HERE WERE SOLD, FOR A WHOLE LOTTA' MONEY
THE SELLERS WOULD LAUGH ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK
THOUGH THEY HAD AN UNUSUAL MARKET TO THANK.
ACROSS THE WHOLE REGION, MOST FOLKS WERE EMPLOYED
MANY AT JOBS THAT THEY ACTUALLY ENJOYED
BUT SORRY TO SAY, THAT IT JUST WOULDN'T LAST
THE WORK WOULD SOON FADE, LIKE A THING OF THE PAST.
THE MARKET WOULD CRASH, POLITICIANS WOULD CLASH
STOCKS WOULD GO DOWN, THEY WOULD PLUNGE IN A FLASH
ON WALL STREET, SOME MADE A MAD DASH FOR THE CASH
OUR 401(k)'s THEY WOULD SLASH AND THEY'D SMASH!
OUR RETIREMENT FUNDS, EVEN THEM THEY WOULD TRASH!
BUT DON'T YOU DESPAIR, DON'T YOU GIVE UP THE FIGHT BE PATIENT, RECALL THE DISTRESSED ISRAELITES
GOD MADE THEM ALL WAIT, THEN HE LENT THEM A HAND
AND EVENTUALLY SOME SAW THE 'OL PROMISED LAND
SO NOW DON'T YOU FROWN, PUT AWAY THE TIN CUP
SINCE HISTORY HAS SHOWN, WHAT GOES DOWN MUST COME UP!
-- Pat Carvalho, Wilton

There is a crowd
We want to go,
To just go fast,
And not go slow.
We mean to tell
Each neo-con
Right now it's time
To move right on.
Our choice for first
Is Mister Bush,
And if you're slow,
We'll give a push.
Please take the stocks
That took a crash,
And don't just walk,
Speed up and dash.
Then take along
Those lending fools,
And jet them to
Some ethics schools.
Now take each crooked
Bureaucrat.
We want to see
Those losers scat.
And lastly shoot
The slumping Dow
Up toward the sky
Real quick, right now.
You all can ride
A cheetah's back
Or huddle in
A fast kayak.
We do not care
The way you go.
Just go right now,
And don't tip toe.
We'd gladly see
You in a whale,
And that would end
This sorry tale.
Or take your Hummers,
Every one.
Yes, take your crowd
In unison.
Please hop a bird
That flies through space,
Or take the train.
Just leave this place.
So listen up.
By now you know
We plead with you
To GO GO GO!
Well Jan. arrived;
Relief was sent,
And that sad crowd
Just upped and went!
-- Roger L. Stoughton, Sacramento
I see the tax hike everywhere.
I do not like it anywhere.
I do not like that flim and flam.
I do not like this, Uncle Sam.
I don't like bail outs in a boat.
Bad economy doesn't float.
But would you, could you try to cram
All those taxes (with a WHAM!)
Into lots and lots of sneaky bills
For towns and cops and roads and frills?
I do not like that flim and flam.
I do not like this, Uncle Sam.
Don't frit away our millions, pleez.
Don't nibble away our ham and cheez.
But could you, would you make a plan
To balance budgets like a man?
Apparently, the money goes
Here and there--and then, who knows?
I do not like that flim and flam.
I do not like this, Uncle Sam.
I see our jobs and houses go
And there is something we should know--
Should you, could you vote to choose
A way to spend so we don't lose
All we've worked for--every dram--?
I do not like this, Uncle Sam.
And I'm not sure you give a damn.......
-- Carol Froman, Roseville

I.O.U.S.
It's a cloudy day in Washington,
President. Obama is all a-fret.
How is he going fix our land,
A country oh so much in debt..
Our stocks are falling quickly,
And house values even quicker.
The more the President envisioned,
The more it made him sicker..
The banks are all screaming,
After years of being greedy.
Now they want a lot of cash,
And complain of being needy.
We authorized them money,
Which they grabbed like a leach.
Instead of loaning to the needy,
They spent a week at Pebble Beach.
And Barack spent the whole morning,
Listening to the Automakers cry.
Wanting plenty of government cash,
For cars no one can afford to buy.
The people want an answer!
They want a plan in place!
They want to see improvement!
They want us to fix this disgrace!
Congress needs to get busy,
And forget about looking grand.
We need each other to pitch in,
To save this wonderful land.
Quit being so high and mighty
And forget about their career.
If they don't do what's best for America
We'll throw them out upon their ear!
-- Dennis Curran, Sacramento

Oh what a process, the budget, it is
If only we had a real budgeting wiz
A wizardly wizard, a Mr. or Ms.
Who could bring groups together, like labor and biz
Or the Dems and the Reps, who are so prone to squabble
And end up like turkeys who gabble and gobble
A gabbling, gobbling capital rave
If only a wizard could make them behave
The schools and the clinics and workers who suffer
Would so want a wizard to go and get tougher
The Governor tried (no one liked the things he meant)
Til a group of six Reps finally made an agreement
But oh, this has been such a terrible biz
If only we had a real budgeting wiz.
-- Raymond Carter, Sacramento
Our Economy At Hand
The economy is going down,
It makes you want to frown,
It is also in a rut,
It socks you in the gut,
People are losing their houses,
And have to live with mouses,
Many people aren't making money,
They don't think it's funny,
Something is terribly wrong,
We have to get strong,
Many stores are out of business,
It is a big weakness,
Poor people can't find food to eat,
They might not have socks on their feet,
Rich people were rich before,
Now they can't buy pretty things at the store,
We need the economy to go up,
So we can drink out of a champagne cup.
-- Gabrielle Knutson, Fair Oaks

You Can Think...
You can think of some cash,
some money so great.
The black and green,
all of it's late!
You can think of the homes,
They're leaving us too!
There is a lot more,
that the earth can do.
You can think of the loss,
money, oh dear!
Most of it's gone,
and most people have fear.
You can think of the earth,
the change has been spent.
I hope it will vary,
though it's left a dent.
-- Olivia Bowman, Elk Grove

HOPE ECONOMY
I sat at the table, bills in hand
I reached for my checkbook, a pen and a pad
As I open each letter, one by one
I jot down the figures, the amounts, the sums
Then I pickup the phone and call the bank for my balance
I hang up the phone and debate the challenge
My thoughts start to wonder about the task I must face
And my mind starts to think of a different place
What if this water bill is really for my yacht
That I take down the coast when the weather is hot
Maybe the electric bill is really for my cars
The Hummer, the Limo and my Jaguar
The cable bill is really for my home theater that seats fifty
projection screen, popcorn maker and machines for candy dispensing
My phone bill is really the charges for my private jet
That I just took to Aspen to ski a slope on a bet
The insurance on the house, that's for my diamonds, tennis bracelets,
anklets, necklaces and rings
and all the platinum things
Garbage and Sewer...that bill is for my land
The acres with the stables, and ranch hands
The big one, that's the mortgage for a house that's lost its value
But in my daydream, it's on a beach in Maibu
And when I wake in the morning financially secure,
I step onto a beach, secluded and observe
the gentle mist in the air, the foam topped waves
the call of a seagull on a sunshine day
I look down at my marble top desk
No, it's wood, and it's a mess
Juggling finances in this economy, I've become a genius with money
I write the checks, placing stamps on the envelopes
And I thank God for an imagination called hope
-- Kimberly Murphy, Antelope

Why I Stay in Bed
I'm not getting up today
to face the red sea of debt
I'll swallow my fright about this bad economy's life
and explain why I lay here in bed
one fish is red
two are blue
all are in fear of this bad bad news
There's a wail across the street
the rats have to move out
to find something to eat
I rapidly find some job for me
so I don't lose everything
but I just can't get myself to do it
I'm just too Blue
"Harry!"
I'm out
nice knowing you!
--Ann Rainey, Elk Grove

Green Eggs and Man
Sam I am
that Sam I am
he expects me to put some
money in his hand
but I don't have some
in a house
or a mouse
in a box
or a fox
some live in houses
some in boxes
some have food
some have none
not one of them is rich
or has a nice ham
don't ask us why
Go ask Sam!!!
--Keely Rainey, Elk Grove

Mr. Brown is the man with the power
and I am an unblooming flower
he can pay
can you?
I cannot
for I am at a loss
I have no money
or honey for my honey
I have the red goo
under my shoe
and it has left me cool and blue
The black skies
are ceasing to rise
and all this hullabaloo
is burning my eyes
Mr. Brown
is leaving me down
he is ruining our town
and stealing the crown
I hate that Mr. Brown
-- Maya Rainey, Elk Grove

Oh the wonderful things Mr. Economy can do.
He can drive a state to bankruptcy.
How about you?
He can go like a bank.
He can TANK, he can TANK.
He can go like foreclosures
YANK... YANK...YANK.
He can go like a scared consumer,
GROAN....GROAN, GROAN...GROAN
He can go like a failing retailer,
MOAN...MOAN, MOAN....MOAN
DOOM... DOOM... DOOM.
Mr. Economy's a wonder
GLOOM... GLOOM...GLOOM
Even Right Start's going under!
He can go like a deflated IRA
HISS....HISS....HISS...
He can go like a college savings plan
PISS....PISS....PISS
Mr. Economy even makes stocks fall
FLAT...FLAT... FLAT!
And it's very, very hard
to make a grown man cry like that.
He can erase year-end bonuses
CLINK...CLINK...CLINK
He can stress out entire families
DRINK...DRINK...DRINK
CLINK...CLINK
DRINK...DRINK
What are we gonna do?
BOO....HOO...HOO....HOO
How about you?
PAY...PAY...PAY...PAY
Aren't pink slips so pretty?
PRAY... PRAY... PRAY... PRAY
Toss your last dime in the Stimulus kitty!
-- Lynn Machon, El Dorado Hills
I Am Not Going to Get Up Today!
I am too depressed
The economy's recessed
The market just fell
Things don't look so well
So I'm not getting up today!
I'm staying in bed
I'll just cover my head
My investments are lost
I've counted the cost
So I'm not getting up today!
No need to get up
My job is washed-up
I don't have a boss
I'm just at a loss
So I'm not getting up today!
My cupboards are bare
I'm getting grey hair
I'm under a curse
Things couldn't be worse
So I'm not getting up today!
The President says new laws he will pass
Maybe then I can get a thankful of gas
For the car I don't own
Cause I can't pay my loan
So I'm not getting up today!
My house I may lose
I can't pay what's due
I owe more than it's worth
That's no cause for mirth
So I'm not getting up today!
-- Margaret Dakinl, Oroville

Pink Slips and Ham
On a cold cloudy day
At the end of the week
In an empty café a man started to speak
Of days when his future seemed not quite so bleak
Before layoffs and furloughs and marathon sessions
with lawmakers doing their finest impressions
of caring, concerned fighters of this newfound recession
Who promise to suffer and give many concessions
To the perks and rewards of their elected professions
But they still work Fridays and own all the possessions
They had at the start of this fiscal depression
They've not had to worry about home repossessions
Or lay offs or cutbacks or work week compressions
They worry only about hiding the day's indiscretions
But fear not furloughed worker and suppress your aggressions
We'll make them pay for these fiscal transgressions
and frustrating years of financial oppression
Rise up with me friends and shout this confession
When Election Day comes...
We'll teach them all lessons!
-- Bryan Chatterton, Mather

If during classical performances the people are informed just right.
All will be understood and there will be great delight.
You should not just see the conductor's back when the performance is
going on.
You must be given information and that stick become a magic baton.
With the technology we have today.
What is happening when it is happening can be on display.
Information on a screen can be projected.
Handouts with cues will be respected.
When an orchestra is playing a melody,
Inform the audience so they are full of harmony.
In opera the supertitle lines in English must be done.
Another line should display the language being sung.
The action in ballet is more than an extended hand.
The motions should be explained so the audiences do understand.
The wonderful classical performances should go on and on.
If they are not made more audience friendly they will be gone.
Without information during classical performances, most people are
confused and stupidfied.
Informing what is going on when it is going on brings clarity so the
audiences are happily mystified
-- Mark Helsley, Sacramento

The First Bailout
The CEO suits were grey,
The John Q suits did fray.
The CEOs to Congress pled
For money to keep their business fed.
When John Q asked for loans,
From the "bailout" drones,
The CEOs said "no way,"
And left in their jets to play.
-- Lee Snelson, Citrus Heights

Oh the taxes you'll pay
The taxes you'll see
To help our poor Economy
Oh the taxes you'll pay
The bankers you'll spoil
With luxury Whatsits
That make your blood boil
They'll tax your car
They'll tax your gas
While sitting on their Flumberbass
Oh the taxes you'll pay
On your bread and you're poodle
They'll even tax your Wackadoodle
But don't fret and whine
Don't cry and mope
Though you may feel a first class dope
Your house worth less than a Flippertyfloap
There is one thing they will not tax
Not even to save jobs from the ax
Not never. No how. No way Jose
There is one tax we will not pay
No matter how much it may help
Reduce our crime and build our wealth
In deference to the mighty Flabertysnot
California will not tax your pot.
-- Sarita Salzberg, Sacramento

One mortgage, two mortgage
Red mortgage, blue mortgage.
How many loans do you own
On your 5000 square foot, 2 year old home?
Times are tough and folks are mad.
Working people are losing their pad !
We work and we save, with nothing left to save.
We hope and we pray to get back in black someday.
Never fear! Help is here!
Our presidente es muy inteligente!!!
Onward and upward is the only way left.
Patience and time to work on this debt.
-- Sandee Metzger, Placerville

One Trouble, Two Troubles, Old Trouble, New Troubles
Did you ever see a bubble
Leave our land in such a muddle?
Now our country's in a crisis,
Bankrupt houses, mark-down prices.
Have you ever seen a million,
Seen a billion, seen a trillion?
Cash will surely cure our trauma,
Stimulation by Obama.
Treat our water, save our health,
Pay by taxing those with wealth.
Down, down the numbers dip,
Sell or buy? What's Wall Street's tip?
When the market stops its stumble,
Stops its rumble, stops its tumble
Will we conquer this recession
Or sunk deeper in depression!
Hold the line, don't buy, don't sell.
Then when it's over you're in clover.
-- Vera Fontaine, Davis

One house, two house
Red house, blue house.
Small house, big house
Old house, new house.
Some paid little dough to buy.
Then the prices went sky high.
Some put down a lot of bucks.
Now they're down and out of luck.
So many owners live in fear.
So many upside down this year.
Some wait for help from Uncle Sam.
Some move in with Auntie Pam.
Her striped and polka-dotted house
is better than not any house.
From there to here,
from here to there,
the auction block is everywhere.
Going once, going twice.
To buy one is to roll the dice.
The market's up, the market's down.
Repo signs all over town.
What can we do?
Where will this end?
Nobody knows for sure my friend.
Oh me, oh my,
Oh my, oh me.
Not that house too.
I think I see
A repo sign.
It can't be true!
Not on a red house or a blue.
Not on a grey house or a brown.
Not on the pink house across town.
Not on a green or on a tan house.
It's on the lawn of our nation's White House!
-- Rebecca Page, Orangevale

I DO NOT LIKE THIS AWFUL JAM
I DO NOT LIKE IT, UNCLE SAM!
I DO NOT LIKE the great unrest
The USA in such distress;
I DO NOT LIKE such dreadful strife
To change our quality of life;
I DO NOT LIKE the innocent
To suffer so, in this great stint;
I DO LIKE peace and harmony
Like I remember used to be;
SO WE MUST KEEP our spirits high
Have faith that this will soon pass by;
RECOVER AND WIN, I feel sure
It just takes time to find a cure;
WE WILL WEATHER THIS STORM, BY DAMN
YOU CAN COUNT ON IT, UNCLE SAM!
Ruby Egan, Sacramento

Uncle Sam the Tax Man!
I am Sam, Uncle Sam; I am Uncle Sam the tax man!
I raise taxes here and there, I raise taxes everywhere!
That Uncle Sam, that Uncle Sam, I do not like Uncle Sam that tax man!
Tax my gas, tax my food, tax my U-Haul when I move!
Got no house from foreclosure, that Uncle Sam is a hoser!
On the street, but not done yet. That Uncle Sam taxed my debt!
I am Sam, Uncle Sam, where you go here I am. Tax you now, tax you later, tax your child's now and later! I am Sam, Uncle Sam the tax man!
-- Haeley Burns, Roseville

Pennies, Nickels, Dollars, and Dimes
One dollar, two dollars, three dollars, four
This happens when you get a knock on the door
You pay some money
And you pay some more
If you don't pay the rent, you're out the door
Layoffs cause threats
Money causes debts
Go to the bank and complain
I won't help you explain
Make a check or a donation
To help save our indigent foundation
Make more time
Don't waste a dime
Then you'll be fine
-- Aaron Javier, Roseville

"In a Government"
(A play on "In a Peoples House")
"Come inside,"
said the adolescent.
"I'll show you what there is
In a government...
A government has things like...
...Laws
Things like politics
and flaws.
IOU's
Red ink
Furloughs
Tax
That's what you find as our drawbacks.
Budget crisis
Foreclosed homes
Debt and red ink
Too many loans.
There are layoffs.
We get poor.
Come along, I'll show you more.
Debt increases
Prices soar
Construction
Students
Parents &
School's
Monthly incomes miniscule
-- Anna Parker, Roseville

Fix the Economy Now!
The time has come
The time has come
The time is now
Just fix it
I don't care how
You can fix it through stimulus packages
You can fix through taxes
Obama Obama
Will you please fix the economy now?
You can fix it through Agencies
You can fix it with allowances
You can fix it with budget authority
But please fix it
Please!
I don't care
You can fix it with federal funds
You can fix it with deposit funds
Obama Obama
I don't care how
Obama Obama
Will you please fix the economy now?
You can fix it with outlays
You can fix it with loan guarantees
Obama Obama
Don't you know
The time has come
So, fix the economy now!
The time has come
So, Obama will hopefully fix it
But how?
-- Eric Swift, Roseville

Debt
Old debt,
Old debt,
New debt,
New
Debt at home,
Debt at school,
Old debt,
Old debt.
Old debt.
New
Little debt,
Big debt,
Working debt,
Money debt,
Your debt,
My debt,
California's debt,
USA's debt
Old debt,
New debt,
Debt, debt, debt,
How much debt California's set.
-- Anna DeCuir, Roseville

Big Budget Problem
(A play on "The Foot Book")
Left debt, Right debt,
Left debt, Right.
Debt in the day,
Debt in the night.
Debt go away!
Big debt,
Little debt.
No money yet.
Big budget problem.
Debt, debt, debt.
How much longer must we wait?
A long time,
Or a little time?
We are not doing well,
We're doing the exact opposite!
Prices have risen.
Amount of money left going down.
Little money left for anyone.
Big economic problem already!
His debt,
Her debt.
Legislators, please fix the budget!
-- Daniel Eastman, Roseville

Obama Can Go Woo! Can You?
Oh, the wonderful things
Obama can do!
He can go like you.
He can go boo boo!
Obama can do it.
How about you?
Obama can make the market new.
Obama can go new new new!
Obama just made the market go woo!
Obama can help the ones in need.
Just like the ones who plead, please please!
He just did it, let's do it, too!
Can you?
-- Amanda Baskerville, Roseville

A Play on Green Eggs and Ham
Do you like debt bills with your ham?
Oh man, oh man, not with my ham!
I do not like them, no I don't
I would rather be floating on my big boat.
When would you like your big debt bill?
When and where?
I do not want a debt bill anywhere
Debt and ham I do not like them!
Would you like it delivered to your house?
Perhaps maybe by a mouse
I do not like debt with my ham
Not anywhere, not now
How about never ever!
That would be my pleasure
-- Olivia Francis, Roseville

A Play on Hop on Pop
Up up the debt bills are up!
Now is the time the "for sale" signs go up
Money is bouncing off the wall
People have no money to go to the mall
Up up the debt bills are up
All of our money is going away
Debt bills and taxes no time to relaxes
We all wish the bills were smaller
But instead they just get taller and taller
Bad bad, debt is bad
Debt bills are what make people sad
They really should all go away
But today I guess isn't the day
-- Destiny Butcher, Roseville

The taxes were being paid
They were too drowned in debt to pay
So they sat in the house,
On that sad, sad, sad tax paying day
We sat there together
Together we sat
I said, "How I wish
These stupid taxes weren't due
Too far in debt to go out
Too expensive to go play
So we sat in the house,
And did nothing all day
All we could do was
Pray!
Pray!
Pray!
Pray!
We did not like it!
Not one little bit.
And then
A change came to us
Oh! Did that change make us think!
We thought.
And then we saw him walk through the door
Did we make the right choice?
President Obama.
As he said to us,
"All you need is hope!
Are you ready for change?"
I know you are drowning in debt that needs paying
But I have good plans,
Lots of good plans for our country.
So get up, let's make some good changes
I have new ideas,
It won't hurt our country if you do.
We let him run,
This country of ours,
Let's just wait and see if we made the right choice.
-- Mikaela Gallagher, Roseville

The Debt Has Been Set
The sun did not shine
The debt was too high to pay
So we sat in the street
On that cold, cold, sad day
I sat there with Sally
Whatever shall we do?
And I said, "How I wish
We had a million bucks or two."
We walked away from our house,
And bought an apartment next to Paul
It was just me and my spouse
We did nothing at all
The debt has been set so we just threw a
Fit!
Fit!
Fit!
Fit!
And we did not like it,
Not one little bit
-- Austin Lawshe, Roseville

Dr. Seuss Poem
Our economy is a shame
But is our 43rd president really the blame?
He made some mistakes that can be fixed,
But put away the guns and those silly BANG sticks.
Stores close doors because they don't make enough
With bad economy, life is tough
Families move out of their house,
Take one more look and pout
Kids wish they could spend just one more day
To sit in their house and play, play, play.
-- Kelsey Adenrele, Roseville

The Unfortunate Life
I sat there with Crash
We sat there, us two
We sat hoping for some cash and something to do!
No job out there,
No job anywhere!
I guess we have to just sit and stare!
So all we could do was just sit, sit, sit!
Until we could find a job,
That would fit, fit, fit!
And then something went bump!
Now that made us jump!
We looked and saw the scariest of them all!
They knocked on our door, and we couldn't ignore
They ordered us out without a doubt!
My face was so pale when I saw our house for sale!
Our life is over with this foreclosure!
-- R.J. Johnson, Roseville

Left debt, left debt,
Right debt, Right
Tired in the morning
Tired at night
Left debt, left debt, left debt
Right
Wet ink, dry ink
Red ink, black ink
Low sales, high sales
Front-page sales
Left debt, right debt
Debt, debt, debt, debt
How many, many debts do you get?!
-- Eli Mead, Roseville

"I am Feeling Blue, are You?"
Oh, the horrible things that debt can do.
The economy's crashing, oh, what can we do, not to feel blue?
I guess you feel that way too.
We all wish money'd rain from the sky,
But we all know it's just a lie.
They all say we're gonna die,
But nobody will ever tell us why.
Our debts are up, our credit is down,
Let's just hope more green comes around.
We all wish we were out of this fix,
Just to get out of this stinking mix!
-- Matt Grattendick, Roseville

No Hops on Pop
Up, Cup
The prices are up, will we have to sell the cups.
High, Bye
All prices are high; say good-bye to the customers.
All, Small
All of the salaries are small.
All, Fall
All of us fall when the money is gone.
Nights, Fights
At nights parents fight.
Day, Play
During the day there is no time to play.
Red, Ed, Ted, Ned
All the boys share a room in the new apartment.
Say, Nay
Say, wait, nay! This pink slip says MY name!
Good-bye, Good-bye
Say good-bye to the jobs, say good-bye to the money
-- Stephanie Revers, Roseville

"The Threat is the Debt"
I woke up one day
to find my pockets without money.
I didn't even have cash
to buy carrots for my bunny.
I dreaded to find
what sat in the mail
'Cause I knew whatever it was
it was gonna make me wail
The TV was turned on
with an ad that screamed "Buy me! Buy me!"
Oh certainly I would
as soon as I was debt free
My desk piled up with
Bill!
After bill!
After bill!
After bill!
And I knew if I stood still
It would turn into a landfill!
Everyone has cried, "No! No!"
Our economy's gone wack!
The threat is the debt
And we must pay it back!
But we have NO cash
Oh! What shall we do?
We have NO cash
We will all become blue
My house will be sold and
I will no longer be a resident
So what would I do?
I'll go fix it with Mr. President!
-- Jackie Su, Roseville

If I Ran the Country
(From If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss)
If I ran the country
I'd make a few changes
Maybe even more
Yes, that is just what I'd do
So, I'd change some bills, I'd reduce
debt
I'd even give things people don't always
get
I'd make an area where people could
relax
And I'd let them escape those horrid taxes
I'd make a new budget for all states that
need it
And a jobless economy would just not be
worth it
People from places far, far away would
say
"Maybe we could run a country like
that some day"
People would wonder and ponder in awe
Just to realize it is my work and all
I would lower some prices bit by bit
from stores all over
This would bring more money
And help the working shoulders
Businesses would score
Having record high sales
And because of this
No one would ever fail
If I did run the country
This is exactly what I would do
-- Anoli Kothari, Roseville

Marisa's Economy Poem
The President's Economic Stimulus Plan
The President's Economic Stimulus Plan
A stimulus plan he thinks he can
He thinks he can fix the economy,
By spending all the grandchildren's money.
I do not like his economic stimulus plan
Do you like his economic stimulus plan?
I do not like this economic stimulus plan.
I do not like the fact that the government must spend money,
To help the companies that messed up the economy.
I do not trust them here
I do not trust them there
I do not trust them anywhere
They say the money is for the companies that got us into this mess
But all they're doing is paying their executives their bonuses
If the President or Congress really wants to stimulate the economy,
They should let the free market system take its course,
Give back the 1 trillion dollars to the taxpayers
Cut government spending, reduce our taxes,
Then maybe most of us would've been able to pay our mortgages
Mr. President if you could consider my plan,
You will see the economy will get better
in a car,
in a boat
in a plane,
in a train,
You will see the economy will get better
The free market system must prevail for America to survive
Socialism doesn't work and history is proof
We must have limited government for the United States to stay alive.
-- Marisa Carino, Roseville

Green Cash for Grub
(A play on Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss)
Not the soup
not the ham
I don't want pancakes
covered in jam.
This menu's too pricey
$10 for one egg
Your money's not well spent
Restaurants take, take, take!
Taxes are rising
Who wants to eat out anymore?
Restaurants are shutting down
Like many other stores.
People aren't spending
as much as they used to.
Sale! Sale! Sale!
almost the only thing businesses can do
It doesn't matter what you get
dinner, breakfast, or lunch
You're always paying the same amount
The total: way too much!
The prices are still outrageous
Anytime of day
And whether you are in New York
Or even in L.A.
So think about when you eat out
Is it really worth the price?
The food may taste delicious but
The cost isn't all that nice.
-- Cheyann Burmeister, Roseville

Oh! The Crisis We're In!
You have dust in your bank.
You have debts overdue.
On your list of things,
You have too much to do.
You lost your job. You're on your very own.
You have no credit to get yourself a loan.
What's happening to you replayed for your spouse.
"For Sale" sign goes up, you are losing your house.
You convince yourself you can't survive much longer.
You wish in these times you could be much stronger.
The stock market crashes.
More money is lost.
Obama sends help.
How much now does gas cost?
Let's help fight this.
Oh, what a crisis!
-- Jon Alcoran, Roseville

Dr. Seuss Economic Poem
One House, two house
Sign up, no house
Stocks are up, stocks are down
Brokers running all around
Debt flies up into the air
Giving America quite a scare
Jobs is here, job is gone
I won't have a paycheck for very long!
Government doesn't know what to do
I am clueless, what about you?
For better or for worse
We should take action of course!
Stop bankers from committing economic crimes
And bring our country into better times.
-- Ryan Norris, Roseville

If I Ran the State
"It's an okay state,"
said Young Little Kate,
"And that guy who runs it
Seems proud of it, too."
"But if I ran the state,"
said Young Little Kate,
"I'd make some changes, and you'd better believe,
A better state is what I'd achieve."
The debt and mortgages and that kind of stuff,
That are all around are not good enough,
You see things just like them in any old state,
They're way too cruel, and I want something great.
So I'd pay every bill, every last cent,
Even Mrs. Jenkins's overdue rent,
Let the economy heal, then start over again,
And somehow or other, I think I could find,
The state is much better within my own mind.
-- Alyssa Moore, Roseville

How the Bankers Stole Our Money
Every person down
In the U.S.A.
Liked money quite a lot
But the bankers,
Who lived in their BIG houses,
Did not!
The bankers hated money! The whole year round!
Now please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
It could be the bankers' heads aren't screwed on just right.
It could be, perhaps, that their shoes are too tight.
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May be that their hearts are two sizes too small.
But,
Whatever the reason,
Their hearts or their shoes,
They stand there all year, hating their peers,
Staring down from the houses, with sour, bankers' frowns
AT the warm lighted windows below in people's towns.
For they know every person in the U.S.A beneath
Is busy now, spending money, left and right.
"And they're spending their money!" they snarl with a sneer.
Then they growl, with their bankers' fingers nervously drumming,
"I MUST find some way to stop them spending their money!"
For,
Tomorrow, he knew ...
...All the adults and the kids
Would wake bright and early. They'd rush to their shops!
And then! Oh, the cost! Oh, the cost! Cost! Cost! Cost!
That's the one thing they have! The COST! COST! COST! COST!
Then the people, young and old, would go to their banks.
And they'd borrow! And they'd borrow!
And they'd BORROW!
BORROW!
BORROW!
BORROW!
They would borrow from their banks, and their rare accountants
Which is something the bankers can't stand in the least.
And THEN
They'd do something
He liked least of all!
Every person down in the U.S.A., the fat and the skinny,
Would go out again.
They'd go out together. And the people would start spending.
They'd spend! And they'd spend!
AND they'd SPEND! SPEND! SPEND! SPEND!
And the more the bankers think of this people-spend-a-lot,
The more the bankers think, "I must stop this whole thing!
"Why, for fifty-three years I've put up with it now!
"I MUST stop this spending coming!
... But How?"
-- Sophie Crisp, Roseville

Barack Obama Can Save, Can You?
Oh, the wonderful things
Which Barack Obama can save.
He can put the money in a bank,
He ca not buy the things we crave.
Barack Obama's got money.
Oh, yes indeed! He's got the most.
Yet when we need the money,
It's nothing but a mere ghost!
Mommy and Daddy pay taxes and fees,
But right now, they're down on their knees!
Please, Barack Obama, come save the day!
For how much more can my Mommy
and Daddy pay?
-- Anna Busby, Roseville

Obama is With You
On the 5th day of November,
In the houses of USA
I hope you do remember,
What had happened that day ...
People were cuddled in their houses
Glaring at the TV, sewing their blouses.
All of a sudden their children came rushing!
One of them came actually gushing!
"Oh Mama! Come look Oh Mama!" one would yell.
"See! See! Our new president is Obama!" one would tell.
They could see their parents really surprised
The parents had even happily cried.
Because, up or down went the prices.
Everyone knew they were in economic crisis!
They had to look out for stock prices,
And watch out for housing crisis.
People lost their jobs due to layoffs.
Now they wouldn't get any payoffs.
Some tax was paid, and some tax was due.
Some taxes really, really grew.
You saw that many stores were closing.
And we knew we h ad to do something.
Feeling blue wouldn't have been the right thing to do.
Taking some action would be a good thing to do!
So, when bad things start to happen,
Don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
Because Obama is with you!
-- Tapasya Surti, Roseville

The Big Money Mess
"Pay taxes!
Pay taxes!
Pay taxes now!
It's good to spend money,
But you have to know how.
We can build a fast train,
Or a car or a cake.
We will buy many things
With the money we take!
We can buy a big ship
And an oil rig too!
We'll have so much stuff,
We won't know what to do.
What to do, what to do.
With the things we haul?!
But that is not all.
Oh, no.
And then we were in debt,
So there's a reason to fret.
It hit us really hard,
From Walmart to the mall.
And then I watched
Our economy fall.
"Have no fear of this mess,"
Said our new president.
"I have a great plan,
'cause I knew we overspent.
We'll raise taxes here and
A little over there.
And we'll watch our spending
With extremely great care."
And so there it as,
Our crisis was solved!
But next time they spend,
We should get more involved.
-- Emily Lipps, Roseville

Go, Debt. Go!
Debt.
Big debt,
Little debt,
They always come to you.
They seem to make use black and blue,
"Hello bill!"
"look! Red ink!"
That horrible debt.
It makes you think...
"Good-bye house!"
one small paycheck going in,
three big fat bills are going out.
"Good-bye money!"
"one small paycheck going in"
-three big fat bills are going out.
A bill on the tax
A bill from your money
A big ol' bill cause your nose is runny
Some big bill and some bigger bills
Given from door to door
It's the mail-man! There's more!
I'm done with that load whew!
Here's a paycheck: I owe you?!
-the white flag is up
our smile is down
"a letter!" you frown
"I'm furloughed!" you shout
"one big change!" it's all about
a big noose over our head
the bucket about to be kicked
two bills on the desk
I'm pretty much ticked
A bill over our head
A bill under our head
"hello bill!"
"Hello ink!"
a depressing feeling will start to sink
"Good-bye cash!" "Good-bye food!"
this money steal is kind of rude
very rude,
and very crude.
A bill again!
white flags are up!
they need some help!
all those market prices make us yelp
Billions of dollars are coming with speed,
To save foreclosed houses, and the hungry to feed.
--Andrew Solano, Roseville

Creepinmg crooks
As I head to the pump
My throat feels a lump
Prices rise higher each day
The x is on us, the ones on whom you prey
Up on us, those suffering from cuts of ten percent
They know 76 ways that our money is spent
Spent buying gas to keep us mobile getting to work
Spent of fossils fuels that are destroying our earth
Spare the air, no spare me some cash
Your manipulation of the market has given me, free, gas
Red fish, blue fish, the old fish is the new fish
And I dont like the taste of your oily carcase on my dish
Your slick like the crude, you suck out of the ground
Only in you, yes you, no standard of truth can be found
You lie to us, while greasing the pockets of those who be
A shell game you play, fooling them, but you aint fooling me
Crooks
I am the 1st quarter prophet
-- Gene Holliday Jr., Sacramento

Grey Skies or Apple Pies
What? What? What is here?
Lots of things that create fear!
Fear you say, comes my way
Nothing seems to make my day.
Can't afford the little things
Some that used to make hearts sing
Coffee, butter, mayonnaise too
Can't afford them.
Makes me blue.
Paper towels, good-by to you
What, oh what, shall I do?
Oil changes in my car
Now that really seems afar
Movies, popcorn, Clint and Cruise
Surely that will truly bruise.
Mr. Gardner who mows my lawn
Sorry, sorry now you're gone.
Friends and lunch in my day
Please help my find a way:
What to do with all my worry
I need to lose all this fury.
On a limb and in a stew
I just can't think of what to do.
Mercy me!
Oh me oh my!
I think I'll go and make a pie.
-- Carol Stone, Carmichael

Ming and the Money Thing
My name is Ming
And I hate this money thing
I like to play, shop, and have fun
But with this money thing
I have none
Madoff and his ponzi scheme
Makes me want to scream, scream, scream
My elected leaders are no better
They don't know how to stem the weather
Chosen to help to the max
I find some haven't paid their tax
Isn't this pretty lax?
They can't come to any agreement
Yet I ask how can I pay my rent?
My favorite restaurant went belly up
Now I have no place to sup
My shops went by the way
I guess I'll shop another day
I haven't looked at my stocks or portfolio
The little money there is now zero
I use to eat steak and eggs
But all I'm left is to beg, beg, beg
My friends are doing much worse
They have no money in their purse
My job is up for grabs
I can't do anything but nag
CEOs have plenty of money
I am left with bread and honey
I use to eat peanut butter
But that too is gone by the gutter
It couldn't be any nuttier
I'd like to say one thing
Work hard in school
Follow the golden rule
Put money in the bank
Keep a full tank
Use money, use cash
Don't be in a hurry, don't be rash
Work hard and have a roof over your head
Go home, eat, and go to bed
Try to find your own niche
And maybe someday slowly you'll be rich
It's not about material things
If this isn't so, then my name isn't Ming
-- Janice Joe, Sacramento

One bank, two banks,
Three banks, four.
All of them have closed their doors.
It really truly isn't funny
When you really truly have no money.
They say it's only a recession
But it's got me in a deep depression.
I don't seem to know just what I think
But I think we might be on the brink.
I hope that help is on the way.
I just sold the kitchen sink
On E-bay!
-- Bradley Funk, Camino

One Bill,Two Bill
Over The Hill, Will Bill.
What we now need,
Is security in deed.
Together we labor,
America will savor.
A promise made,
Obama can't evade.
To honor what's due,
Gets us out of a stew.
-- Margaret Hill, Sacramento

The economy has really got me down
seems like there are no jobs around
so everyone is sad in my town
waiting for our government to give up the crown
so everyone else can feel golden now
we're struggling in ways we never thought
we're exchanging items we already bought
we're in need of a real change
employment has really been strange
hopefully we'll see new light
If our president does us right
we just might have a chance
so in our upcoming years we can all advance
because the united states is blue,
there is nothing to do
we are all in debt, from our safety net
we are in social distress, our lives are a mess
so we wait now, with a sad frown
because the economy has really got me down!
-- Shenae Crain, Sacramento

If I ran the state
I'd meet a Zante
That bounces to place to place
With this Zante
No gas tax in my way
But with no use to gas
The taxes would just go lamea
Don't worry we will have to
Pedal you out of dept you silly little Jittle
Don't take that fiddle
You're not going on a Hot Spot Spring Spa
You are sitting here with a growl
Waiting, wishing to withdrawal
To go to your Hot Spot Spring Spa!!!
-- Ellen Hansen, Arbuckle

"Cat's In The Sand in Hobo Land"
Where's the money, honey?
Down the drain - oh, what a pain!
. . . be a hobo on a train . . . let go past gain.
Ride Cat luck against the grain;
Leave those behind that do disdain.
Backward, forward, giddyup go!
Build some steam for Kokomo.
Clickity clack, Cat hears the beat.
No money left, he's on the street . . .
with little heat, no friends to greet.
Stick out his hand, trust Hobo Land!
The Cat's in sand in Hobo Land
. . . . just stuck in muck and soft quicksand.
Catnip ads bring on a smirk . . .
Times are tough, Cat has no work.
Got off his duff and took a stand;
Cat rode the rails to Hobo Land!
Strike up the band and sing a song . . .
all year long. . .
No money, honey . . . can life be sunny?
A hug or two will see Cat through . . . beyond the blue . .
No time to fuss; create a dream . .
Build up some steam --- go forward green.
Pick up the pace --- Amazing Grace!
Cat's off the street and on the train . .
It's movin' out in wind and rain . . .
. . . despite the pain; there's lots to gain.
He lands upright --- still full of fight.
The Cat is back from in the sand;
he rode the rails to Hobo Land!
-- Earl J. Farney, Fair Oaks

The Really Big Scam
I am broke, broke I am
Don't have burgers, don't have ham
The jobs are scarce and leaving fast
I hope this recession really won't last.
The government says they'll stimulate
But I'm not sure their plan is really too great.
Would you have equity in your house?
Only if you were a little field mouse!
Would you buy a brand new car?
If without gas it goes really far!
Would you buy a blue-chip stock?
Only if I wanted to go into hock!
Spend it, spend it you will see
You'll help out the rest of the economy.
That's what got us into this trouble
We've got to pop the spending bubble
So save some, spend only what you've got
That's the thing that'll help a lot.
Managing my money is what I plan to do
I think the solution's up to me and you!
-- Sue Goodwin, Sacramento