Who’s to blame?

Anyone who blames Obama for the current economic mess simply does not understand when and how that mess developed.

Actually, every president since Kennedy and every Congress since WWII has contributed to the changes in economic laws and policies that led to the mess.

Some of the worst governance occurred during the 12 years the Republicans controlled the Congress (1994 to 2006) and during the eight years of the George W. Bush administration.

However, the ultimate “culprits” are the American people.

They are to blame for “allowing” generations of politicians to put in place laws, bureaucracies, policies and programs that violate the “best interests” of the majority, that go against common economic sense and that have undermined the strength and, perhaps even the viability, of our Federal Republic.

In addition, by initiating and maintaining enormous debt at all levels, personal, governmental and business, the basic strength of our capitalistic system was weakened mightily before the collapse began.

President Obama assumed an economy in “freefall.”

While he has made mistakes, no person could have done more to try to pull the country out of the freefall and collapse.

Instead of blaming President Obama, all citizens should lobby the Congress to act in responsible ways, ways that will be in the long-term “best interest” of the majority of Americans and at the next election, the voters should replace at least 66 percent of those currently serving in the Congress.

Hal Mansfield, Green Valley