Cavuto: Walking Away Isn't Good for All

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Cavuto: Walking Away Isn't Good for All

New badge of honor for forgetting about your debts

They walked away, and they're glad they did.

That's the headline of a New York Times article today…

Detailing how two under-water homeowners walked away from their mortgages and lived to tell about it.

In fact, the times reports they're all the better for it.

Threw away their keys...found the keys to a better life.

Good for them. But did it occur remotely to the New York Times, maybe not good for us?

And maybe not good examples for us?

Don't get me wrong. Each guy was up against the wall.

But then again, so many are.

And each bought a home when the getting was good, and then it wasn't. Like so many others did.

So they got in deep, and tried to dig out.

Like so many others are.

One even recounting how he was seduced by a no doubt unscrupulous bank that offered a tempting credit line to go with his mortgage, like so many others were.

Here's where these guys parted company.

Thanks to a website that made it easy, they happily parted with those homes.

Each hooked up with a company called youwalkaway.com -- a firm that helps homeowners through the foreclosure process, by first advising clients to stop making mortgage payments altogether to force the bank into foreclosure.

The Times quotes You Walk Away's CEO, who says it's all about starting over.

But I couldn't help thinking, 'and leaving someone else stuck holding the bag.'

That didn't come up in the story, of course.

Here's what did: both of these guys are doing ok.

Sure, each saw their credit rating socked.

But one just got a credit card, so life is good. Or at least, better.

For him, maybe. But what's the message here?

That it's ok to walk away?

That a contract means nothing?

That if you can't stand the heat, literally leave the keys in the kitchen?

What if everybody did that?

There used to be a stigma to walking out on an obligation.

The New York Times, all but gives you a badge of honor for it.

In deep on your college loans? A bailout for your college debt.

Can't buy a car, some cash for your clunker so you will buy a car.

You name it, you got it.

In deep, someone will dig you out.

The Times fails to mention that someone is us.

But then again, that kind of ruins the happy ending.