In the last month – two homeowners facing eviction in Spain have committed suicide prompting the Spanish banking association to freeze all eviction orders in cases of “extreme hardship” for the next two months. As one judge said, “This cannot be allowed to go on. It’s a problem which has been talked about for some time. The time for talk is over and steps must be taken for something to happen.” Protesters reacted to the suicide by taking to the streets and placing stickers on ATM machines that read “murderers.” The police union has promised to stand by its members to who refuse to carry out an eviction.

This same compassion is lacking in the United States where numerous Americans have turned to suicide instead of foreclosure. According to a recent study from the Center for Disease Control – there’s a direct correlation between rising suicide rates and economic crises. And another study out of Princeton University found that for every increase of 100 foreclosures in states like Arizona, California, New Jersey, and Florida, attempted suicides increased 39%.

This is a moral crisis, which deserves a moral response from our government. Yet the Republican Party and elements of the Democratic Party are committed to more austerity for working people rather than relief for working people. It’s time to stop the insanity and violence of austerity. It’s time to bailout the homeowners.