There is a lot of thought and good points made in this thread but everyone is making it too complicated... it is not obama/bush/clinton or specific policies to blame. If anyone is to blame it is ourselves.
Our country needs more accountability (consequences for actions in all realms), practical education (actually have the skills or knowledge to be able to create or produce something tangible/marketable/ or of some intrinsic value), and less media focus (we have empowered them to their absurd levels of control)
let us not watch/talk/complain/point fingers but do and accept that there will be consequences for our actions (positive and negative), once again we will have to get our hands dirty literally and figuratively, and the media and our country will be brought back under control.