So, the Patrick Deval administration came out with a plan this week to assist homeowners facing foreclosure. The plan, if approved, would help homeowners refinance their mortgage loans.

The loans would only be available to those with loans less than 60-days past due, and only those who were facing foreclosure on their primary loans, not those who had home equity loans or had refinanced their loans already.

Well, it sounded like a pretty good idea, to some. For example, kind and nice people thought it was the right thing to do. Help thy neighbor, right? I mean, a lot of these people were having trouble paying their loans because they lost their jobs, got sick, or had been preyed upon by unscrupulous lenders.

However, the majority of people thought it was a terrible idea.

From the Boston.com message boards (courtesy of an article on Bankrate.com):

"Should the government be helping people pay their mortgages?"

"Another Government Bailout Scheme for those who can't take responsibility to manage their own finances!"

Now, the typical person who posts to those boards is a unemployed (or underemployed) nutjob with a permanent chip on his (mostly his) shoulder, so you can't give much credence to their opinions.

Holden Lewis who writes the Mortgage Matters blog, thinks the commenters have been brainwashed.

Nope. Holden, this is just the way things are, here in Massachusetts. Call it what you will - cynicism, practicalism, puritanism. We want people to take care of themselves (and, along with that, keep it to themselves [re: gay rights, in my opinion].

We're a cheap bunch up here. We can also be vindictive and/or selfish.

And, we're damn proud of it, on occasion.

Read on: Mortgage Matters - By Holden Lewis, Bankrate.com