This Time We Need to Make It Stick

"Change" was the most used word by American media last year. Unfortunately, it slips off the tongue much more easily than its message is heard or honored.

America has been down the long "Road of Economic Woe" before. Each time, prognosticators warned that "this time was different; this time we won't bounce back so fast," except we did. As is our habit, however, we don't seem to learn anything afterwards. As soon as the light at the end of that tunnel becomes visible, caution is thrown to the wind and our over-indulgent behavior begins anew.

Though it sickens me that our financial well-being can be so deeply affected by a relative handful of greedy crooks and incompetent policy makers, all of us, as Americans, must accept some blame. We've been a country out of accountability control for a long, long time.

Do you think, perhaps, that this recession is the last of a series of dark clouds that will mushroom into a perfect storm for our small community?...