Where do we go?

It just cost me $52.00 to fill my truck with gasolinge. A barrell of oil topped out this AM at $102.00 - I want to be responsible and buy a hybrid - but I cannot afford to purchase one. When I was looking I wanted to buy an American made hybrid...only problem is they can't compete with the Japanese cars in quality and price. We are going into these presidential elections limping on broken promises and weak knees. Many American workers are checking their time cards for pink slips - teachers across the country are bracing for larger class sizes as education funds are cut and cut. Our healthcare system is broken but there are no doctors who can fix it. So, where do we go? Do we grab the tail of the kite of hope that Barack Obama is sailing or do we cling to an established player like Hillary Clinton - and are there really people in this USA who would vote for a man who said, "We may need to be in Iraq for 100 years."? Please tell me that is not possible. I don't know what to do. Just don't know where to turn or who to support or how to begin moving this large pile of rocks that stands in front of me. Our country, which for my whole life, was strong and independent and a leader among leaders has become a sississified, whimpering, bully. When we don't get our way we cry and then we bully. I won't travel outside the US because I don't want to be ridiculed for the sins of my family. We were attacked on September 11, we have men and women on the front lines in a war, yet as a whole we seem oblivious to these facts and we seem to have forgotten what made this country strong. Personal freedom is being snatched from us inch by inch - we give up nothing and ask for everything and as long as we make enough money who cares about the guy behind us. We criticize other countries for occupation yet we occupy, we criticize other countries for human rights violations yet we violate human rights, we criticize other countries for restricting personal freedoms, yet we viloate personal freedoms. If this is going to stop we need to get the heck out of Iraq. We need to fix our own house before we try to help others - I often refer to the instructions given to you on a airplane, you know the ones no one really pays attention to, but maybe we should...in the event of an emergency oxygen masks will automatically fall from the ceiling, please place the oxygen mask over your own nose and mouth before attempting to help others - as a country we need to adopt this plan...we need to put that oxygen mask on first, to get some oxygen to our brains - then we might make democratic decisions and then we might once again become a leader among leaders and a nation of proud, independent and self sufficient citizens.