Hello to all,

I am having a really difficult time and this whole thing is starting to come to head.... so I would appreciate it if SOMEBODY out there could steer me in the right direction, since my own Financial Advisor is looking out for himself only.
I have had a ROTH IRA since 1998. When my FA at the time started it, I had to pay about $16,000 in taxes over four years (the IRS allowed one to pay it over the course of 4 years). Since that time, my ROTH has dwindled down to less than one third of it's base value (the amount on which I paid those high taxes out of my own pocket). I have NEVER made a contribution and doubt I ever will at this point because I have lost so much money in the market in my regular brokerage account and can barely keep up at this point.
I contacted the IRS about this and was told that I could go ahead and close the ROTH account, and take the remaining funds tax free since I have already paid the taxes on the beginning astronomical value. But I don't think I want to do that. Here is what I think I want to do..... but I am not sure if I can:
I want to borrow some money against my ROTH at this time (I want to take advantage of the 60 day rule and put the funds back in 60 days). But I don't know if I can do this, since I haven't made any contributions (I have read articles stating that I can borrow my contributions). Here is the kicker. If I can borrow funds from this account (under my circumstances), should I? Or should I simply nip the ROTH in the bud altogether and take the remaining funds to pay some bills, etc. I don't plan on making contributions to it over the years so I am unsure if it is even a good thing for me.
Does anyone have any knowledgeable input about this? I have googled and researched this situation, and NOTHING is there. Thanks to everyone and a special thanks to anyone who can crack this one.

You can close the account, use the money, and then open a new Roth IRA and deposit it in, as long as you do it in a timely fashion. If you do close the account and have a loss in it, you may be able to take the lose on your tax return. This assumes you have no other IRAs.