Movember 25, 2010
Hello,
I am a retired senior citizen who invests in the municipal bond markets of the United States. In fact, the vast majority of my income comes from interest on my bond portfolio. Some time ago, with assistance from financial professionals, I put together a rather impressive portfolio of AAA rated, insured municipal bonds that were deemed extremely safe, gilt-edged securities. With the financial collapse of the last few years, these extremely safe investments are anything but. Municipal bond insurance has disappeared, my triple A ratings have disappeared, and now some bonds are trading for cents on the dollar and some have defaulted! This is an occurrence that I, and many others, never thought could happen in our once great country. To exacerbate the situation, many once great cities and municipalities have become technically bankrupt and unable to pay interest on their debt and cannot pay their police and fire departments. This situation should never been allowed to happen. I blame our Federal Government and its agencies for this decline in America. This situation needs to be addressed at the highest levels and appropriate action taken in a timely manner. Things are getting worse every day. Please help the citizens of the United States. Thank you.
William Laudani