Responsibility and Expectations

"The economy is going to get worse before it gets better,”


According to David Espo, AP Special Correspondent, this is a direct quote from President-Elect Obama. Maybe it’s a sign he will take the responsibility and tell the American public what they don’t want to hear. The public wants to hear that everything will go back to what it was like before the recession. Americans want their “house-of-cards” back.

I truly believe our economy was a house-of-cards. It stopped being a market driven economy when market manipulation became commonplace. An extreme example of market manipulation is the recent rapid rise and nearly instant collapse of the price of oil. I defy anyone to explain it in terms of supply and demand. Real estate “bubble”? Give me a break. Bubble is too cute a word for the government-encouraged manipulation of market demand.

The biggest line of bullshit handed the American public is that we don’t need to take responsibility for anything anymore.

You tripped on the sidewalk in front of Wal-Mart? Sue them. Not your fault you don’t know how to walk in those outrageous shoes.

The storeowner hit you over the head with a baseball bat when you were trying to hold-up her store and now you’re permanently disabled? Sue her ass for using unreasonable force.

Can’t afford to fill the tank of your Hummer, Escalade, or Denali with $4 a gallon gas? Not your fault you didn’t think of that when you bought the behemoth. Demand that the government do something! Drill more oil wells, force the Saudis to pump more, drop the gas tax…

Can’t pay the mortgage on your half-million dollar house ‘cause you only make $20 thousand a year? No one else is taking responsibility so why would you even consider it?

Drove your company to the brink of bankruptcy because you need to fake solvency in order to justify your king’s-ransom-size salary? You know better than to take responsibility for the mess someone else created.

Bailout! Bailout!... Bush? Paulson? Obama? Congress? Somebody? Do something, a bailout, or anything, but fix it now; just prop up that house-of-cards.

Responsibility time; I want to see bloated corporations file for bankruptcy. I want to see some egomaniacal CEO’s get what they deserve. I want to see some perp-walks. I want to see a real market driven economy functioning without bailouts and without manipulation.

Most of all I want our government to start telling the truth. I know it’s a tall order but that is where responsibility must start if we are to avoid something worse than the current depression.

What are the chances of that?