What is fundamentally wrong with America and with our government isn't that we have bad politicians or that the wrong politicians are currently in office. Bad politicians are a problem, but they are not the fundamental problem with government. Similarly, the fundamental problem with the business and corporate world that caused the Wall Street scandals; the Enron, WorldCom, Global Crossing debacles and the legal theft of billions of dollars by investment bankers and stock analysts is not the people on Wall Street or in the business world.

What is fundamentally wrong is that the American people, as a group, as a "critical mass" are utterly failing in our duty to be effective citizens and to be overseers and watchdogs over government and all other institutions -- as we are supposed to be.

Without adequate and effective citizen oversight, no government will ever work very well.

"Democracy" and the right to vote alone do not make a nation great. It takes a lot more. It takes effective citizens - not just every once in awhile, but routinely, as what we do and enjoy as part of our lives.

Authentic self-government which means effective citizenship is the missing ingredient in our country today. We are utterly failing to govern ourselves. Voting is not governing! It takes a lot more. Authentic self-government happens when people behave as effective citizens all the time, not just on election day, during the campaign season or even by lobbying politicians.

With self-government, the good news is we are in charge. And with self-government the bad news is because we are in charge, we are all responsible; we are to blame if the country has any systemic or chronic problems.

People should stop the whining and complaining about government and instead start doing something effective as citizens to transform government and all other institutions.

Being an effective citizen is rewarding and satisfying. Being a whiner is not satisfying, although millions of people are addicted to the pastime.

For over two hundred years we have been regularly replacing politicians. And for over two hundred years government - politicians and bureau_rats have been "regulating" business and industry. Yet corruption and abuse within government and the private sector persist and often get worse. If we are paying attention, it should be obvious that government alone or new and different politicians alone are never going to be the solution to our problems.

A good definition of insanity is to do over and over and over the same identical action, but expect the results of that action to be different and better. - Albert Einstein ? and others

Most people think that voting and citizenship are synonyms. THEY ARE NOT! Voting on Election Day is only an insignificant fraction of what real citizenship is. Voting only barely deflects the needle on the "meter of citizenship".

You are not a true citizen unless you are in action effectively working to solve some serious societal problem - week in and week out, for the rest of your life.

What is fundamentally wrong with America is a shortage of good citizens - committed and effective citizens.

All problems have causes. The problems in America were caused by somebody. They didn't just happen. Somebody is at fault and (politically incorrect and unfashionable as this statement is) somebody is to blame. And ultimately the people to blame aren't "them"; it is "us". It is you and me.  It isn't anyone else "out there." Ultimately, the people who are most fundamentally responsible for our present problems is us.

"No alibi will save you from accepting the responsibility." -- Napoleon Hill

"Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will - his personal responsibility".
-- Albert Einstein

"It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible, but also for what we do not do".
-- John Baptiste Moliére

"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."
- George Bernard Shaw, Maxims for Revolutions, 1903

"We have found the enemy and he is us" -- Pogo

The government and all other institutions, public and private are merely a reflection of the people, or more accurately stated, a reflection of the consciousness, morals, values, behavior, etc. of a critical mass of the people. The people created the government originally at the founding of our nation, and the people today create our nation anew each year and even each day, whether we realize it or not and whether we want to take responsibility for that fact, or not.