As I sit here at my computer reading The New York Times online on Monday morning, I am subjected to more and more doom-and-gloom stories about how the U.S. economy is in the toilet. I think I have made up my mind not to read any more of the stories.

This is not to say I plan to ignore the situation or play dumb about it. That would be impossible, since the failing economy is nipping at the heels of every American.

Greed is the reason for the deplorable economic status in which the most powerful nation in the world finds itself. Throw in some stupidity, too.

When I wanted to borrow money to buy a house in Thomasville in early 2002, I contacted the financial institution where I had a checking account. I made an appointment with the bank president. I told him the amount of a house payment I could afford and the amount of the down payment I had. I made it very clear to him that I could not afford a house payment of a penny more, preferably a little less.

What did I need to do to make a loan happen? I had to fill out a financial statement. I had to provide documentation that I had the 401(k) and other savings I had listed. Even though I had known the banker for years and had worked at the paper for more than 20 years, my publisher was contacted to be sure I had told the truth about my employment longevity and my salary. In the middle of the process, the banker called and needed more documentation for something.

About 10 days later, the banker called and said to come in. I had the loan, and my house payments would be what I said I could afford. My property taxes and house insurance were included in the payment. The interest rate was good. The banker worked diligently to ensure I got the best interest rate possible. He handled the deal most professionally, and I came away satisfied with a transaction that left no doubt in my mind about what was expected of me. My first house payment would be due — in full — in one month.

Yes, I would have preferred to have been able to purchase a $500,000 house, but I could not afford it and knew it. My banker reacted exactly as he should have. Had he tried to talk me into a bigger loan on a bigger house, I would have gone to another bank.

Had he told me I could purchase a $500,000 house and pay only the interest on the loan, I would have become suspicious of him and the entire banking industry. Had he told he that if I could not pay the interest it would be added to the principal and I would not have to make house payments, I would have reported him to state and federal bank-regulating agencies.

Bottom line: I have to make a house payment the first of every month. It is automatically deducted from my checking account. If I don’t make my house payment, my property taxes are not paid. Therein would lie another monumental problem. I have made other arrangements about insurance, but I still have to pay for it. No one is doing me any favors there, either.

So now I am learning that not only are there people out there who bought houses they could not afford and did not have to make payments, I am learning that the big guys at the top of all this foolishness were knocking down more money in a year in salaries than most Americans will earn in a lifetime of hard work. When they got caught and were fired, some severance packages — also known as golden parachutes — were more than $20 million.

These idiots are responsible for home loans to people who had no credit or bad credit and were low-income. I am no financial genius, but I do know that if one has bad credit or no credit and is in the low-income bracket, one cannot afford a $500,000 house. No rocket science required here.

All this garbage has brought the nation’s financial security to its knees. People moving from slums to mansions were in it for a free ride, not unlike the people who made it all possible.

When they could not repay the loans, the government jumped in and bailed them and big business out. The people with the big houses will be able to walk away from the debt, and the big guys in finance will walk way with millions and millions of dollars.

Never for one moment did I think I might not have to make a house payment. It never occurred to me. Neither do I think anyone will bail me out if I do not make the payments. I do not expect it. If I do not make my house payments, my home will be foreclosed on, and I will be on the street.

Our nation and American society as we knew it have gone to the dogs. Laziness is rewarded by government handouts. Pride has been replaced by government handouts. Hard work no longer pays off. The only people benefiting from the labor of working stiffs are those receiving the government handouts.