Whose fault is it ??

[kentuck]

Poll question: Whose fault is it ??

The bankruptcy of public pensions. The huge state deficits. The massive unemployment. The Great Recession. The threats upon Social Security. The general demise of our economy and our way of life. Who do you think is at fault?

[CanSocDem]

1. The culture of consumerism, ergo....

[ThatsMyBarack]

2. Tuttle!

;)

[ewagner]

3. Wow Kentuck...too many choices

I'm tempted to resort ot the "Pogo" explanation ("We have met the enemy and he is US!") but I'm afraid it's far more complicated than that.

To the extent that BOTH parties pander to the lowest common denominator of voters, I blame both parties.
To the extent that George W. Bush fomented fear and a "wild west" approach to all problems (foreign and domestic) I blame him.
To the extent that Republicans unabashedly support corporate profits over people, I blame them
To the extent that he has failed (in my opinion) to exercise the leadership we were lead to believe he would provide, I blame Obama.
To the extent that they compromised with the shear evil of the Republican Party, I blame the Democratic Party.

WOW!

I guess I'm pretty pissed off at everybody!!!!

[LiberalEsto]

4. C-O-R-P-O-R=A-T-I-O-N-S

The unbridled power of corporations to do pretty much whatever they want, including getting a Supreme Court that enabled them to pour countless dollars into right-wing political campaigns, is ultimately responsible for the ruination of our country and our middle class. The failure of our elected representatives to tax them and curb their power is what allowed corporations to gain this much power.

[ewagner]

11. Left off my list

but I'm not sure if the Corporations themselves are to blame or the politicians who enabled them...make that politicians and judges...

[Laelth]

5. Both parties.

They are both servants of the http://laelth.blogspot.com">American political caste, and our political caste is neo-liberal these days. Chicago School economics are in. Classical Keynesianism and liberalism are out. Both parties share responsibility for this mess.

Clinton enacted NAFTA, destroyed AFDC, signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and repealed Glass-Steagall. Obama, in many ways, is just following in Clinton's playbook, as shown by his advocacy for a NAFTA-style free trade agreement with South Korea. I will not give the Democratic Party a pass on this one.

-Laelth

[nyc 4 Biden]

6. You could add the MSM to the list. n/t

[Angry Dragon]

7. Everyone

[HughBeaumont]

8. Republican ideology (particularly Trickle Down) in both parties.

Both parties are very different socially. On everything else, they're pretty much in line with each other. That's because the wealthy have a gun to this nation's head.

[Historic NY]

9. The I want it now syndrome....spent the rainy day money & then some.

Was a time government didn't spend all their surplus's. Its now a race to zero and then minus zero in many budgets. The use it or lose it mentality overtook common sense fiscal responsibility. Were on a roll so lets spend, spend, spend. No one was prepared for the big slump in the markets etc. bad investments and the thinking things will get better....well it didn't work. My town did the same thing spent the surplus because they were supposed to carry a large one (according to the state)on keeping taxes low. That didn't work out so good this year we are up 17% + . The pension system was rolling in dough with Wall St. for years so they cut the amounts local government had to contribute, it was flushed with cash. That should have been a warning but most places spent that money instead of banking it....who would have thought. Now it appears having some forethought might have prevented many major problems. Oh well we live and sometimes just don't learn. Were in the hole we dug.

[handmade34]

10. tempted to say American people

because we bought into, acquiesced, became apathetic, didn't stick together, were tempted, etc, etc... but...

it is so much bigger than that

[JVS]

12. Rich people

[OhioChick]

13. Corporations with the help of the US government and Supreme Court n/t

[obxhead]

14. The corporate masters that control both parties.

Take corporate money completely out of politics and you might find a lot of Dems start acting like Dems.

[kgnu_fan]

15. Even a very progressive person in US often thinks America is an exception

I am often speechless when some of my favorite and intelligent friends spew such ignorant and uncaring ideas about on-going wars fought by our own military against the rest of the world....I imagine that this deeply ingrained arrogance come from our materialistic culture that shields our thoughts from understanding how the world really works.

[Llewlladdwr]

20. How does the world "really" work? nt

[kgnu_fan]

25. People are getting by without hording and wasting so much resources, not killing, invading too often

[Erose999]

16. All of the above, along with those dildos from Goldman, the corporations, hate radio, Faux News,

Fauxbama and the rest of the neolibs in congress are just as much to blame as anyone. Obama himself has appointed money men from Corporate America to pretty much every regulatory position he can. This "recovery" is really just another bubble built of the same failed principles of Reaganomics and deregulation as the last.

[emilyg]

17. Both parties. Drunken sailors on a spree.

[jtown1123]

18. Alan Greenspan.

Reading Griftopia. Good stuff.

[county worker]

19. I vote the American people because we are so easily manipulated.

We allow this to happen by not being critical thinkers. The fact that we cannot see the ultimate result of what we are doing to ourselves is really pathetic.

[blindpig]

21. The Ruling Class

it is all done for them.

[Fire1]

22. The corporate culture. n/t

[Fearless]

23. Other, corporations. n/t

[Luciferous]

24. The American people, because we keep putting up with it.

[maryf]

26. Other, the oligarchs...

[Raine]

27. Both parties ... they are both bought off by corporate America nt

[snot]

28. The rich.

[upi402]

29. 'Corporatism' missing - Nader is on there however

no text

[old mark]

30. Both parties. Democrats tended to go along with all the Bush era nonsense

Congress passed that enebled much of the current depression, and the job loss started after WWII, so there is planty of blame to go around.

I really hate the idea that American workers/people ask for too much-we get so much less than citizens elsewhere in the world and spend so much more for it.
Our government is too corrupt and politicians in general are responsible.

mark