Brilliant column by Peggy Noonan!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703363704574503631430926354.html

The new economic statistics put growth at a healthy 3.5% for the third quarter. We should be dancing in the streets. No one is, because no one has any faith in these numbers. Waves of money are sloshing through the system, creating a false rising tide that lifts all boats for the moment. The tide will recede. The boats aren't rising, they're bobbing, and will settle. No one believes the bad time is over. No one thinks we're entering a new age of abundance. No one thinks it will ever be the same as before 2008. Economists, statisticians, forecasters and market specialists will argue about what the new numbers mean, but no one believes them, either. Among the things swept away in 2008 was public confidence in the experts. The experts missed the crash. They'll miss the meaning of this moment, too.

The biggest threat to America right now is not government spending, huge deficits, foreign ownership of our debt, world terrorism, two wars, potential epidemics or nuts with nukes. The biggest long-term threat is that people are becoming and have become disheartened, that this condition is reaching critical mass, and that it afflicts most broadly and deeply those members of the American leadership class who are not in Washington, most especially those in business.

This is a brilliant article which delves into a large problem we face today.

I understand Peggy Noonan's outlook on this, but I have something additional to offer. I don't think people are entirely disheartened because of the current financial situation. It goes deeper than that.

As Noonan mentions, in the 80s “Everyone thought they could figure a way through. We knew we could find a path through the mess. In 1982 there were people saying, "If only we get rid of this guy Reagan, we can make it better!" Others said, "If we follow Reagan, he'll squeeze out inflation and lower taxes and we'll be America again, we'll be acting like Americans again." Everyone had a path through.” I believe that the problem now involves a gross lack of understanding on behalf of the average American citizen.

During the 80s most people had as least some idea of what would they thought would make things better. Now you have people who are simply following political leaders blindly --the election of Obama proves this. Change. People are so far disconnected, ignorant and misguided with regards to the functioning of the economy, they actually believe that government is the answer to our problems. Saying that government is the answer to our problems is a very Un-American thing to say. To vote for more government is a gleaming example of ignorance.

I believe that people are disheartened because no one will admit why this happened in the first place. As Noonan points out, "Among the things swept away in 2008 was public confidence in the experts." Everyone knows that there were members of congress who knew what was coming. Not only does no one trust the "experts," no one trusts the government. The problem is that the American people put a Big Government Liberal in office (Obama) right before the S--t hit the fan.

When people will vote for a political leader based on "Change" alone (with no substance) it becomes clear why no one sees a way out of this mess. The Obama vote makes light of the fact that the United States is at an all time high when it comes to the number "followers" in the electorate. There are a shortage of people willing to think for themselves.

It's going to be a long up-hill battle to get out of the mess we are in. I believe we are doing a "complete 180," and are heading straight for the ditch. This country was founded on freedom, not government control.

On a side note: I wonder why are there so many economic "experts" who believe that the answers lie with government, and not freedom? Where did these people come from? I'll give you a hint, they're not experts, they are propagandists. Nothing was "missed" it was spun, to keep people thinking that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. When in reality they are working on rigging the tunnel exit to collapse.

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