What's Going On Here?

I've been doing a lot of reading lately. Much of what I've been reading is pretty depressing- Collapse, The Nice and Accurate Phrophecies of Agnes Nutter Witch, Jefferson Project, Atlas Shrugged, Fountainhead. All of these books talk about human and societal frailty. When the earthquake shook our building yesterday and with a hurricane heading our way, I thought again about what is beyond our control and what we can do with the things we can control. History has shown, that when man acts or, for that matter fails to act, in his own self interest that society will suffer. I believe we are at a tipping point now- that unless we begin to take responsibility and do the right thing- promoting learning and innovation, rewarding achievement and work ethic, disincenting unproductivity and incompetence and showing fiscal prudence, our society as we know it will continue to decline.