Suggestions, Mr. President?

Obama's inaugural speech was magnificent. Perhaps he will not usher in an era of socialism resplendent with the trappings of additional debt, perpetual and purposeful unemployment, and burgeoning social services. He asked us, instead, to get up, take personal responsibility, and work. What a concept. Is this the path to fulfill his promise of hope? If America will rise up and follow, there is hope. If the American government models fiscal responsibility, there is hope. If Americans take personal responsibility, there is hope.

What is this hope? A desire to be debt free, economically stable, militarily secure, with liberty and justice for all... of course. What a relief our new president has crowned his presidential debut with the enforcement of the freedom of information act, thereby opening his actions to scrutiny. Responsibility is easier to avoid in a culture of secrecy. Looks like he plans to walk the talk. But how will he get the rest of us to go along?

My kids haven't signed on. During their "rest time" today (Annie refuses to close her eyes to sleep and Jack is too old to nap if we expect to go to bed before the cock crows in the early morning), a car flew from the bunk bed they share out the door and into the hallway, where it struck the wall, exposing the white beneath the yellowish brown paint. I stomped in. I suppose that's not the stance to take if I expect to hear the truth, but stomp I did, complete with a scowl, "Who threw that?"

"Annie threw it," my quick talking son cuts in.

I glared at Annie.

She defended herself with the traditional, "Jack did it."

"You better not be lying to me, Jack," I glared at him.

"No, no! I'm NOT LYING. Annie did it."

Both regarded me with angelic innocence. Not a crack of the facade to reveal the true perpetrator. "Well, don't do it again or I'll take away your toys... and spank you," The first threat was truth. I added the second for the fear factor. You know, like God said, "Don't eat the fruit or I'll toss you out of the garden... and you'll die." Only, they really did die.

I never did figure out whose hand threw that car, but it didn't happen again. Not sure which threat was the obedience motivating factor.

So, how do I teach personal responsibility to my two angels? The comment section is open, Mr. President. Feel free to let me know. I'm sure whatever method you use for the country will work for my kids.

It's All My Fault

Responsibility has fled the country. In this culture of self-absorption and blame, the typical American, across gender and racial lines, sings a song of "Gi'me, gi'me, gi'me. It's not my fault. I have a right to have it all for free." The black blames the white, the woman blames the man, the worker blames the boss, the manager blames the staff, "It's not my fault! Somebody take care of me. Somebody make it right." And now we've hired the right socialist democrat to get us there. Higher taxes promised for those who work to provide services for those who won't. "Down with capitilism," is the general cry. Give us food and medicine, but don't make us work. Bail out the bankrupt, recycle the irrisponsible managers, print more money to pay the debt.

Can you imagine a country in which every person took responsibility for his or her fast food bag rather than throwing it out the window while driving down the freeway? We'd probably save billions of tax dollars in cleanup. Or what if the man who didn't want to support a child prevented the undesirable by wearing a condom. Maybe if our country can't afford some necessary social services without destroying the value of the dollar by printing more money, the government should cut back on some aid going to other countries who have displayed their own lack of responsibility. Rather than promoting accountability, this country careens down the path of destruction, placing the mirage of fiscal bandages on gaping wounds to stop the hemorrhage.

Can we expect anything else? In order to be elected, politicians don the gown of blamelessness. Anything undesirable in their past is buried and if not, attributed to another. When have we seen a politician, without an arm painfully twisted, accepting responsibility for his or her mistakes? Without the strength and wisdom to be forthright about their own humanity, how can they govern the rest of us?

Perhaps it is a plague of human nature in which we all run madly after Adam and Eve droning the same mantra. You know, Sin. I hear it from my kids, starting almost as soon as they can speak, "he did it," "she did it." The other night my husband blamed Annie when he, himself, broke a light bulb. Even I, with my self-righteous ramblings, succumb to the blaming game.

The incredible thing is, responsibility is empowering. The more blunders I can accept accountability for, the more power I have to change not only my own behavior but also situations in which I place myself. Discovering mistakes in my past allows me to improve my future. Thus, programs such as affirmative action dis empower the individual because they encourage blame rather then responsibility.

So, here we are, skidding down the slope into the greatest depression the United States has ever had, by all accounts. In the spirit of the moment, let me take the opportunity to let you know, it's all my fault.