We are in our well deserved predicament because we have deregulated our financial system, pursued trade policies that have gutted our manufacturing base and with it good, middle class jobs in favor of cheaper consumer products that have had the inevitable consequence of lower paying jobs throughout the economy, tax cuts going disproportionately to the top 5%, naively trying to dominate the world with a military whose budget is larger than the rest of the world combined and all of this made possible by a corrupt, selfserving politcal class which is nothing but treasonous. The individual American has collectively contributed their share by taking out home equity loans on houses they thought were guaranteed to increase never endingly in value, making their foolishness that much worse by purchasing their trinkets without care as to where they were made, thus contributing to a gigantic trade deficit, weakening dollar and the inevitable loss of jobs in the country they claim to love. It must be remembered that Al-Qaeda's stated goal after 9-11 was to destroy our economy; from the actions of all concerned in this country, I'd say they could of left us alone to finish the job. As a father, it pains me to see what is going on, but it can't be denied that if any people deserve their fate, it's got to be us.