Here' s a new poem from the Detroit Free Press.
Enjoy and everyone have a GREAT Christmas........
Twas the night before Christmas with the world in recession,
And Michigan buried neath a one-state Depression.
The factories were closed by the car companies in fear
That no money from Washington would arrive til next year.
On Wall Street the brokers were packing briefcases
And shuffling to subways with very long faces.
The Dow Jones had fallen to another record low,
And three banks were in ruptcy, where else could they go?
Of course Freddie and Fannie were snug in their bed,
And not by coincidence their quilt was bright red.
A third shape, between them, was watching the two.
Twas their Uncle Sam, to tell them what they could and could not do.
The insurers and bankers had all written their lists
But werent too excited since theyd already got gifts.
The Treasury money that bailed out their firms
Had come back in October, pretty much without terms.
But deep in Detroit, there was a chill in the air,
Because money was tight and cupboards were bare.
(It was especially cold in the Wayne County Jail,
Where a certain large inmate proved nobody was too big to fail.)
The town always hurt when car sales were slow,
When people couldnt get credit and didnt have dough.
The numbers for GM were nowhere near quotas
Why, the industry slump had even hammered Toyota.
The ripple effects were felt far and wide,
As jobs disappeared and pension plans died.
You would pack up your kids and gather your spouse
To get out of town if you could just sell your house.
But then what through this gloom should appear in the sky?
Was it a sled, with a driver, a bearded fat guy?
Indeed it was Santa all jolly in red
Making his rounds while all were in bed.
The sled was quite heavy from the bags in the back
Not loaded with toys, but laden with jack.
Ive got Washingtons, Lincolns, Jacksons and more
Franklins, Hamiltons and Grants by the score.
If youve got money trouble, well I guess youre in luck
Why even this sleigh is pulled by eight bucks.
My printers been running since early this fall.
Ive got the gifts in a size that fits all.
And so he delivered a bail-out to folks cross the land,
Especially those out of work, most in need of a hand.
But this wasnt top down, for the bigwigs in banks.
It was more bottom-up, to folks who said thanks.
And Santa made clear to avoid all confusion
That these lumps of cash were a onetime infusion.
By next year, he said as the gifts were imparted,
I fully expect your recovery will have started.
And then he jumped in his sleigh and rose into the night,
Calling To all, Merry Christmas as he raced out of sight.
And like so many others who had assessed the situation,
He left the long-term fixes to the Obama administration.
Enjoy and everyone have a GREAT Christmas........
Twas the night before Christmas with the world in recession,
And Michigan buried neath a one-state Depression.
The factories were closed by the car companies in fear
That no money from Washington would arrive til next year.
On Wall Street the brokers were packing briefcases
And shuffling to subways with very long faces.
The Dow Jones had fallen to another record low,
And three banks were in ruptcy, where else could they go?
Of course Freddie and Fannie were snug in their bed,
And not by coincidence their quilt was bright red.
A third shape, between them, was watching the two.
Twas their Uncle Sam, to tell them what they could and could not do.
The insurers and bankers had all written their lists
But werent too excited since theyd already got gifts.
The Treasury money that bailed out their firms
Had come back in October, pretty much without terms.
But deep in Detroit, there was a chill in the air,
Because money was tight and cupboards were bare.
(It was especially cold in the Wayne County Jail,
Where a certain large inmate proved nobody was too big to fail.)
The town always hurt when car sales were slow,
When people couldnt get credit and didnt have dough.
The numbers for GM were nowhere near quotas
Why, the industry slump had even hammered Toyota.
The ripple effects were felt far and wide,
As jobs disappeared and pension plans died.
You would pack up your kids and gather your spouse
To get out of town if you could just sell your house.
But then what through this gloom should appear in the sky?
Was it a sled, with a driver, a bearded fat guy?
Indeed it was Santa all jolly in red
Making his rounds while all were in bed.
The sled was quite heavy from the bags in the back
Not loaded with toys, but laden with jack.
Ive got Washingtons, Lincolns, Jacksons and more
Franklins, Hamiltons and Grants by the score.
If youve got money trouble, well I guess youre in luck
Why even this sleigh is pulled by eight bucks.
My printers been running since early this fall.
Ive got the gifts in a size that fits all.
And so he delivered a bail-out to folks cross the land,
Especially those out of work, most in need of a hand.
But this wasnt top down, for the bigwigs in banks.
It was more bottom-up, to folks who said thanks.
And Santa made clear to avoid all confusion
That these lumps of cash were a onetime infusion.
By next year, he said as the gifts were imparted,
I fully expect your recovery will have started.
And then he jumped in his sleigh and rose into the night,
Calling To all, Merry Christmas as he raced out of sight.
And like so many others who had assessed the situation,
He left the long-term fixes to the Obama administration.
