Our next president ...

Its all but decided now. Our country will be bailed out.

There's not much sense denying that some level of government intervention is needed at this point. The voices of opposition of a large-scale bailout form a very short list.

Every time I turn on check the news to get a feel for how our next president is going to lead our country through these difficult times, I'm dissapointed in what I hear. It often seems that neither Obama nor McCain are doing anything other than pointing fingers of blame at the opposition's failures.

To be sure, there is plenty of blame to go around. But am I the only one who wishes a little more blame was being spread my way? Yes, ... OUR WAY. Isn't it us ... we, the people ... that have borrowed and spent and lived so far outside of our budgets? Isn't it us that flushed the equities of our homes down the toilet when we refinanced away all our cares and troubles and brand new cars and credit card debts and fancy clothes? Isn't it us that lived as though we earned twice what we do? Isn't it us who spent as though our homes were neverending sources of free money?

And don't get me wrong here. I'm plenty educated to understand the failings of both our government and our corporations. But how about facing the cold hard facts that the American people have been just as greedy, selfish, and short sighted in our financial affairs as the larger power players? The reality is that we all have created this problem. Through apathy, overspending, and arrogance we've put our country at its highest level of dependence on other nations than ever before. We have historically low levels of savings, and historically high levels of debt. 'They' didn't really force us to spend all that money away ... did they?

Its time for our next leader to step up to the plate and deliver something that rises above the obnoxioius sound of desperate politicians.

Give me something compelling like JFK's "Ask not what your country can do for you...". Something confrontational and clear like Reagan's "A time for choosing...".

Give me something that relates the economic and international failures of the country to the failures of my family's heart and home.

Give me something more than blame.