The current issues have been long coming.
It didn't start with Obama, or Bush, or Clinton, or H Bush, or Reagan...
It started with the American lower middle class/lower classes sense of entitlement. They felt they deserved better just because they are American. The politicians all agreed, and gave it away to stay or get elected.
Next thing you know, we have illegal immigrants that now also live the American dream without supporting it/earning it. But, it still gets both parties elected. And that's all that is important to our lawmakers. (Not sure why we need "lawmakers", seems we have plenty of laws, and the only ones that are heavily enforced are the ones that bring revenue to the political and justice system, and, you have to remember, the more people we incarcerate, the more prisons we build, and the more prison guards we need. This creates jobs in both construction and law enforcement...)
This has been coming since before I was even born. I guess I'm just "lucky" enough to be part of one of the generations going through this.
It's going to take a big reality check (not as in a "payout", or government stimulus) for this country to realize what's actually important.
I lived in the cash game all of my early years, and then things started falling apart in a business, I had to play the credit game to stay afloat.
Credit was only a bilge pump on my sinking ship.
I learned that lesson.
I'm just thinking aloud now, but, are the politicians really to blame? All they did was give the people what they wanted - they were doing the "will of the people", which after all, "we" (I say that collectively as a nation) elected them to do the will of the people.
This isn't a thought bashing on anyone, or any party - I leave this open for debate, and if my thoughts are off, correct me and I will graciously agree or refute.
But, back on topic.
Obama and Nobel Peace Prize nomination within 11 days of taking office?
And then to actually win.
Must've been because of how he averted a race riot by inviting two guys to the Whitehouse for a beer. Now, that was a very peaceful move on his part.