Regular readers will recall that, early on, I opined that, led by CNN and Fox News, we were talking ourselves into economic difficulties. I’ve now decided there was, in fact, more to it than just that, though I still believe that was – and is – more than just a small factor.

The reality is that, at least temporarily, the good times are over and it is time to get our house in order economically.

Though we should have known better by now, we looked to our leaders in congress to straighten things out and get us back on the right path. As this is written, they are busy reminding us that this is akin to letting the fox guard the hen house or the inmates run the asylum. We should have known better.

It is difficult for me to understand how in the world we got so many crooks, idiots, egotists, clowns and fools into the leadership positions of our beloved nation.

When we looked to them to deal with the current situation, they told us they could run the country using the money we give them to keep the nation’s economy balanced. They failed because the nation (that’s you and me) was not as important to them as their political party and their own re-elections. They hid money in freezers, failed to watch what Wall Street was doing and hired watchdogs who didn’t watch. They created the financial fiasco. Our congress has been asleep at the wheel for years. They do not lead. They follow the money.

But to fix all that, these wizards made a plan. It is the mother of all plans.

To save the country from total collapse, they borrowed money to prop up failing banks, investment companies and auto manufacturers. The bankers used the money for exotic vacations. The Wall Street executives gave themselves big bonuses for allowing their excesses to bring down their companies. The carmakers could not sell any cars because the banks took their money and hid, refusing to make loans.

That plan did not work so that money is gone, so our leaders in Washington made a new plan.

The new plan is a real doozie. It is touted to restore jobs, but would give several millions to the National Endowment for the Arts. You remember those guys, the ones who displayed a figure of Jesus Christ immersed in urine. They’re the same folks who offered an exhibit that was reached by treading on the American flag. They need a few million or so to continue this level of art.

Another tricky little clause in the plan is several million for community development. That is ACORN’s field and many suspect those funds will go to that organization, funding voter registration for Democratic candidates. Remember, they registered hundreds, maybe thousands of voters, some with names like Mickey Mouse, paying registrants a dollar for each registered voter. Obviously they will need money when election time rolls around again.

The congressional brain trust came up with the notion of resodding the national mall in D. C. to the tune of four or five million.

Oh, and by the way, we are told Nancy Pelosi wants taxpayers to buy her a plane to commute to California. That should create some jobs – at least three: A pilot, a copilot and a stewardess to mix Ms. Pelosi’s drinks or brew her coffee on the long flight home to the left coast.

The plan included more millions to be spent on sexually transmitted diseases. It remains a little unclear whether our leaders would discourage these afflictions or promote them. And some ridiculous amount of millions is to go to research on bees. Do they get STDs too?

Much of Plan II involved money for research on global warming. This is apparently to appease Al Gore, since many scientists are not in agreement with his theories that the world is getting too warm.

We have a very intelligent, charismatic new president and we should all hope for his success. Frankly, though I did not vote for him, I have been much impressed by him during his brief time in office.

But he needs to rein in his followers in both the House and the Senate. How many years can they get by with blaming everything from global warming to the peanut butter scandal on George W.? And when history looks back, who will fare worse? Bush, who went to war on bad information? Or Obama, who was at the helm when a liberal-controlled Congress spent our great-great-great-grandchildren – and everybody between then and now, including us – into the poor house?

David Sullens is president of Roanoke-Chowan Publications and publisher of the Roanoke-Chowan News Herald and the Gates County Index.