If we don’t fix our fiscal disaster quickly, we’re looking at a depression. It’s not likely we will experience a Depression, thanks to our recognition of several warning signs and a shift in government. The difference between today’s collapse and the Great Depression is that the last 8 years was spent, not only creating the conditions for this economic collapse, but also in a seemingly deliberate effort to erode our international relations. While we’re working on getting our country back on track in an economic environment that will require our full attention to heal, we risk sitting-duck status in a world whose varied sentiments for America run a widely negative gamut.

If we do nothing about our economy/infrastructure whilst losing our heretofore failed attempts at international diplomacy, these two problems threaten a more dangerous sum of their parts. I hope we manage a sense of humility in the face of a global schadenfreude that could arise out of the ashes of our collapse.

We've needed a popular voice about the dead and dying in Gaza. Jon Stewart, it turns out, is it. But he was on vacation until last night. Obama followed Stewart's lead, decrying the violence in a more centrist fashion, today.

These Americans think vacation is a constant. Unfortunately, statistics alone cannot convey just how unrealistic a concept Vacation, with a capital “V”, is for the average worker: with it's boat drinks, golf games, and beach blankets.

While average people do their damnedest just to survive, and seem to be the only ones who actually WORK for a living, when they're able to, a separate class in charge of how many of us get laid off, whether we'll be tricked into loans we can't afford, and whether we'll hear about all that corruption on the evening news, goes on vacation. Nothing against vacationing: hard working people deserve a break. But the people who are left to keep this country afloat don't have that luxury. And in my opinion, our caretakers don't deserve one until measurable steps to see that the less fortunate can enjoy the same have been taken.

Monkey-see, monkey-do. We're following the leader, and so on. Our current “leader”, W, speaking of vacation, is neither. Obama, not wanting to “confuse” the world about U.S. Israel policy, has stayed out of it. Unfortunately, people have died and are dying as a consequence.

I'm just a layperson, but when Katrina hit the day before my Manhattan vacation, I could barely leave my hotel room, let alone go shop for shoes with Condi (she was in Manhattan when we were, apparently oblivious to the genocide in New Orleans).

Obama, you need to recognize the gravity of your own election. We've been telling you, overwhelmingly, to disregard the “man” currently in power. We need you and we need you now. Your vacation is over, now do your damned job.

Take a moment in your day to read and parse the words in the following:

Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today…

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one

-John The Lennon