While I have been struggling in my usual caveman way to express my frustrations with our national governance, whom should I stumble into but Andrew J. Bacevich, Boston Univ professor of history and international relations, who has been working on this matter for some time. Bacevich has written a book called The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism. This exceptionally articulate fellow was recently interviewed by Bill Moyers on public television.
His thesis comes down to the notion that American demand for consumer goods and credit has resulted in a kind of consumer imperialism. To facilitate this “domestic disfunction” or “crisis of profligacy”, the executive branch has acquired an excessive reach that exists only by the wither and atrophy of congress. By fiat of the executive, and the mumbling consent of a passive congress, our military adventures have distracted Americans from an examination of our continuous and undisclipined consumerism and indebtedness.
Lamentations on Chemistry 
Yeah, I watched that. But I really don’t think for a second that Bush or Clinton were the catalysts for the current crisis. Democrats and Republicans are just two corporate states which differ insubstantially. They are lapdogs on short chains by different despotic masters.
Congress, the Senate and the President do not exist. Your vote or opinion does not count (I recall the democrats won both houses to stop the Iraq war?).
Directives are telephoned in from IBM, Exxon and Haliburton and actions are carried out by the peoples representatives. Obama will do EXACTLY what he is told. He looks like a pussy.
There is no plan or vision beyond immediate profit. Our time is running out.
The savings rate here in Canada is 0% (I believe in the USA it’s a negative number) and 80% of consumer assets are in real estate, which is on the brink of a US-style crash. At least here, people are going to wake up to the dangers of indebtedness real fast.