That philosophy, is for all practical purposes, gone with the times of plenty. It is said we are on the slippery slope of socialism since the Obama administration and the Democrats have come to power. Being on the slippery edge is no longer true either; we are now in a headfirst slide down the mountainside.

The truth of the matter is that the Republicans are just as culpable in creating this mess.

If you followed the old rules and honestly invested and saved for your future, because of unethical financial institutions' actions, your dreams - and the dreams of most of us in this country - have now been shattered.

Some of these same financial instructions are now being propped up by the government with your own tax money. There is now talk about propping up states such as California, whose citizens just voted statewide in a 2-1 margin not to raise any taxes in that state.

Off the coast of California there is natural oil and gas deposits that if tapped would more than balance the massive California budget.

Their elected officials refuse to go after this source of revenue.

If you bought a house the old-fashioned way with a down payment and a long-term secured loan and now wish to downsize or move, forget it. If you find yourself upside down in a house for reasons you did not cause, you will not get a chance for relief unless you force yourself to not pay your mortgage for three months, which then might get you some relief but will ruin your good credit standing.

Your health insurance will soon be taxed with the revenue going to pay for those who don't have insurance.

Our government now holds majority stakes in banks and car companies and is trying to reach its tentacles down into every aspect of your life, both public and private.

At the same time this is going on, a record number of people are lining up to buy guns, fearing the loss of even more liberties.

We don't want to hit the bottom of the slope we are sliding down. You can make a difference; you can get involved again in local government. Read all you can on what your state and federal representatives are doing or not doing for you.

You can call and write them to share your thoughts and ideas; they want to get elected again. If they hear from enough people, they will respond. If they do not, next election day get out of your easy chair and exercise your right to change government.

It is up to you. We can we only be like Paul Revere and sound the alarm.