SAN DIEGO, Dec. 5 -- Some homeowners who make their mortgage payments on time say they are irritated that the U. S. government is helping others who don't.

Helping some homeowners but others may not be fair but is necessary to keep the U. S. economy from sinking further, CNNMoney. com reported Friday. As the number of delinquencies soars, home values decline, adversely affecting the economy.

"There's always the issue (of) 'I'm paying my mortgage even though I'm upside down and my neighbor is not,'" said Mark Goldman, a real estate professor at San Diego State University.

Letting delinquent mortgage borrowers slip into foreclosure harms the entire U. S. financial system, Goldman said.

"The appropriate public rationale (for the bailouts) is to support housing prices," he said. "The reason they're doing this is to stop plummeting prices and everyone benefits from that."

But just because it's appropriate doesn't mean taxpayers like it, CNN Money found.

"All these idiots who bought homes they couldn't really afford are going to be rewarded with loan modifications, but what about those of us who didn't make stupid decisions?" asked Jay Black, a CNNMoney. com reader who rents in New York.

Others wonder why help is available only to borrowers who are at least two or three payments behind.

"Why does a homeowner have to be behind in their mortgage to qualify?" asked Tamila Fiola of Fall River, Mass. "Why can't help be brought to those that are struggling to keep the note current? My sister in law pays over $5,000 a month for her mortgage; she struggles to make it but she does."(UPI)