You're right. You're helpless. Is that what you want to hear? Is that what you say at work? Is that what you tell your kids when they have a problem? Take step back - this response is beneath us; it's making ourselves victims.

I could spell it out concretely, but the problem is the approach, the attitude, that talking like helpless victims is somehow ok. It's completely irresponsible - an abdication of our responsibilities to ourselves, our communities, our country, and future and past generations. Change that, and you won't need me to tell you what to do, you'll be busting at the seams with ideas and drive.

Imagine where we'd be if past generations adopted this helplessness. Imagine Washington, Jefferson, and the rest, facing the British empire. Imagine FDR, Churchill, MLK, and so many more. That's who we need to live up to. I've never heard them talk like Americans today.