Manifest Lunacy

As I look at the United States in the year 2010,  I can't help but to feel fearful. Among the facts that give me pause are the following:

• In 2009, nearly half of all Americans will pay no income taxes (Yahoo Finance April 2010), meaning only 53% of American households pay 100% of all taxes.
• The unelected, unaccountable Federal Reserve just printed $600 Billion, and devalued our currency (Quantitative easing ) trying to dig our way out of a hole.
• Our country is becoming risk adverse in the extreme
• The TSA is now patting down grannies and kids (among others) to make sure "every plane is safe" (ABC News)
• We pay much more attention to the Presidential elections than local and state elections, even though we, as citizens, have much more impact at a local level than the Federal.
• Our government routinely ignores its constitution, and we ignore their ignoring.
• Our Federal debt is at an insane level
• We pay far more attention on who is on American Idol or Dancing with the Stars than to the body politic.

In 1845, John O'Sullivan coined the phrase "Manifest Destiny" to give a name to the idea that the American civilization would spread from "sea to shining sea."

I am afraid that our nation has gone crazy.  Will history record us as the nation who stuck its fingers in its ears and said "lalalalala" while everything fell apart?