‘If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a merry Christmas.’ - Don Meredith ***

America is on her back, her soft underbelly exposed.

Forget about your party affiliation.  For the last 35 years, our executive and legislative branches have totally ignored America’s energy problem and put our national security at risk.  From the mid 70s until just recently, drunk on artificially cheap imported oil, America enjoyed one of the greatest periods of economic growth in history.  There was no immediate need to develop alternative energy sources, nor was there reason to construct nuclear or coal-fired power plants.  Lacking a visionary leader, America fell asleep at the wheel.

In a period of prosperity, our infrastructure began to crumble.  Elected officials and corporate executives alike were more interested in short-term gains than in the country’s long-term health, and the consequences could prove devastating.  As is the case in most economic booms, governments and businesses made counter-intuitive economic decisions.  Rather than saving for a rainy day, they spent like drunken sailors, and leveraged themselves based on projected revenues and income.  They mortgaged our futures.

During the good times, many individuals became consumed with financial and material excesses.  Not surprisingly, in many cases, personal gratification and narcissistic behavior had negative impacts on family and personal relationships.  Many children, often the innocent victims of divorce or separation, began to withdraw.  Exercise and social interaction were replaced with computers and games.  Feeling as if something were missing, an increasing percentage of the population turned to prescription drugs to somehow fill the ambiguous, anxious void.

Driven by consumer demand skewed by cheap oil, personal vehicles grew to grotesque proportions. The Big 3 auto manufacturers continued to resist the move to smaller vehicles, and successfully convinced Congress not to raise minimum fuel economy standards.  What was the result?  Sitting on massive quantities of cash earned from the sales of high-margin trucks and SUVs, Ford and GM went on buying sprees, and paid handsomely for the likes of Land Rover, Saab, and Volvo.  Driven by the artificially low price of energy and commodities, personal vehicles continued to gain weight, resulting in the need for yet larger engines.

After just a few years of high oil prices, their cash is gone.  America’s auto manufacturers are left producing many vehicles the public no longer wants, and are selling off assets to avoid bankruptcy.

The over-inflated real estate market has collapsed, and industries dependent on new construction are reeling.   Fueled by greed, artificial demand, and undercapitalized risk, our financial markets are on fire.  Televisions continue grow in size, as does the percentage of the population that can be classified as obese.  The middle class shrinks, as the income gap between the poor and rich grows.  Excuses replace personal responsibility, and fundamental liberties are at risk.

There is little wonder why the current presidential election has energized the electorate.  Americans are a practical bunch.  We, the people, realize this country is at the edge of a great abyss.  Now, all we can do is hope and pray we take a step in the right direction.