Blame game

What seems to be playing out on the national stage is some odd blame game with virtually everyone anxious to point an accusing finger of blame at someone -- anyone -- for the faltering economy.

Blame union pension funds. Blame corporate sweet deals and tax greed. Blame the baby boomers for the looming economic burden on Social Security and Medicare. Blame the cost of the wars and prescription drug plan approved by the Bush administration. While we're at it, blame the costly stimulus with highly questionable benefits rammed through by the Obama administration.

I'm just getting warmed up!

Blame the well-recognized fraud and waste long associated with the Defense Department. And never forget the ever-popular, blame the welfare queens who pop out children and rake up another taxpayer check.

Blame the dependence on the oil producers or blame it on the lack of American-made merchandise available in our own backyards.

Blame the growing tide of illegal immigrants who take jobs, fail to assimilate and ship money back home to bring more illegal immigrants to this once-proud nation.

Blame junk food while you're at it because junk food creates fat people who require more health services paid with more tax dollars that we obviously don't have.

Blame the Republicans for talking the talk without ever walking the walk. Blame the Democrats for never seeing a tax they didn't like or a spending program that didn't need more funds.

Blame the city folk who accept crime and dependency as a way of life. Or go ahead and blame the country folk who still famously cling to their guns and religion.

Blame the entertainment industry for smearing smut in our collective faces and calling it art. Blame the universities for allowing professors to teach their special brand of business without ever having made a payroll.

Blame the Democrats for telling us the health care industry is broken and then approving a plan that would break it even more. Blame the Republicans for complaining while providing limited direction or leadership.

And let's quietly blame George Soros for using his billions to fund the left-wing agenda while blaming the mysterious Koch Brothers for using their billions to fund the right-wing agenda.

Lest we forget, we need to blame the media for fanning the flames with biased reporting on both sides of the spectrum and trying to promote their opinions under the guise of news coverage.

Most certainly blame Wall Street for something. I'm still a tad bit puzzled when we talk about Wall Street. Is it bankers or brokers or hedge fund managers or loan portfolio managers or speculators? I wish someone would identify exactly what part of Wall Street I should blame. I get confused.

Let's blame the tea party. Or the Congressional Black Caucus. Or the Trilateral Commission. Or the Birthers. Or the New World Order advocates.

Let's blame falling graduation rates in inner cities. Or out-of-wedlock births. Or pants on the ground. Or Lady Gaga!

The truth is there's ample blame to go around apparently. Because when times are tough -- and they are -- we need -- desperately need -- someone to blame.

It appears to me that we have at long last finally found something that Americans do far better than anyone else.