In search of my handbasket...

I've looked and looked but I can't seem to find my handbasket anywhere. This is especially concerning to me because it appears that I might be needing it soon on my upcoming trip. To Hell. Courtesy of the US Government and many, many of my fellow Americans.

The state of our country's economic despair is not news to our household. Drew spends every day tracking what is going on and he has a lot of access to a lot of information thanks to his job. I hear about Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac. I hear about plummeting stocks. Layoffs. A lack of credit. Government takeovers. And I am scared. And not just for our family, but for everyone. Because apparently, we are living in a time when personal decisions have global implications.

And after last night's Presidential speech, I am now scared that the few dollars that I have in my pocket might not be worth any more than the lint. And you can't buy anything with lint. I've tried.

I don't think there's been a time in my life when I've ever felt like we might not get through this. And by we, I mean all Americans. I think that this is such a pivotal point in our country's history. We have to realize that we are all in this together. The decisions that we make as individuals will eventually affect ALL OF US! Right now, my family is okay. Drew and I are relatively smart people and we have a pretty good understanding of how the world works. We have always made what I feel are practical decisions for our family. We try to live within our means and that has always been important to us. But that is not enough anymore. The fact that your family might be in trouble is going to start to affect me.

The entire economic structure of our country is failing because of poor decisions made by many people at many levels. From way up high at the governmental level and corporate level to way down low at the individual American level. Part of me is angry because I didn't personally screw up and I shouldn't have to be paying the price for other people's mistakes. But the bigger part of me is saying that we are all human, and we all make mistakes. And whether I like it or not, we all need to start taking care of each other by being more responsible for ourselves and each other.

We live in this country with blinders on. We are Americans and by God we are going to do what we want to do when we want to do it and to hell with anyone that tells us differently. It's a free country, right??

Yeah, it doesn't seem like this "American" attitude is working anymore. About anything. About the economy, the environment, healthcare, education, etc. You can not just do whatever it is that you want to do without thinking about how it's going to affect the millions of other Americans that are going to have to eventually live with your decision. We are all in this together. We are all connected. We all have to collectively THINK before we make our decisions from now on. We are living now with what happens when we don't. I can only pray that we come out of this wiser and more aware of how connected we really are.

And please let me know if you see my handbasket... I'll be happy to share it with you. It might be a rocky ride.