I think I cycle through the three states. At times I am optimistic that for all our faults, problems, mistakes and folly – the American experiment, still young, remains resilient and we will make our way through. At other times my cynicism about the havoc wreaked by politicians of both parties in cahoots with greedy corporate overlords and the dire straights we as citizens have allowed them to put us in by not exercising our right to provide oversight means that we deserve every ounce of hurt that is coming our way. Neither view, however, is realistic or terribly helpful so I too try to chart a middle path. This is a wake up call that we must all work harder to be involved, to understand the situation, to push our representatives to act in our interest and to prepare to deal with the real consequences of what's ahead.