Who's to blame for this finanical mess?

I recently saw a pole that asked who was most at fault for the financial problems the USA is in today. They had "Wall Street, Lenders, Buyers, Obama or Bush Admin they even went back to Clinton and the Democratic Congress. As I considered how I would answer I thought that I could put blame on each and every group. This revelation brought me to a larger principle that helped me answer the pole for myself.

The principle I worked from is this, "people will most often do what helps themselves most". I know it's not very scientific, but it will help give some insight into this issue we face as a nation today and how other decisions (both public and private) can be made better in the future.

Think about it like this, if the tax code changes, business owners and individuals alike will seek to keep the maximum amount of their money. Some might say, it's a tax-dodge, but it's basic human nature. If I am a leader in America and I know this basic human tendency then I can anticipate how people will respond to a change in the tax code.

It's the same thing in the current financial crisis. While I can place blame in lots of areas, I go back to the beginning ideal of housing for all and those who proposed it (and I thinks it's a great thought). It seems to be the first domino to fall.

Does it matter that I would place more blame on those who originate something like affordable housing...NO! I don't even care, but we must learn to operate with the understanding of human nature. If we can think about how a proposal could be taken advantage of then perhaps some decisions could be avoided that would benefit us all! Leaders must understand that people can and will take advantage of programs and that might start us on the road to disaster.

If you read this and are mad at me about my thoughts, please hear my heart! I am firmly convinced that blame does not benefit any of us at this point. What I want to stress is making good decisions based on how people will respond to that decision. That's the sum of it! Make it better to create jobs in America and people will create jobs. If gas gets expensive, people will drive less! It's not hard to predict outcomes based on decisions!