Yes, I believe this is THE pivotal issue for our country, our very way of life.

It’s time to look at the root cause of the crisis. I’m as far away from Wall Street as anyone can be but I’m tired of people yelling that the crisis is due to Wall Street greed. Wall Street has always been greedy, it always will be. That’s why people go to Wall Street. That’s why people take risks, that’s why people strive for success.

We must understand the underlying cause of the problem. The root cause of the problem is entitlement spending. Affirmative action lending has brought our country to this financial brink.

I do not advocate politicizing the crisis, nor to point fingers during the crisis just to win elections. I do advocate an unvarnished realism in assessing the problem. It may be providential that the crisis has happened at this time. The financial crisis is clearly a watershed event to the way that America governs. A decision whether America dies from thousands of small insults or, through the courage of staying true to America’s founding principles, does the life saving amputation that allows our country to recover and flourish.

Yes, it’s the socialist nature of legislation such as the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) that has given the lowly mortgage the power to topple the greatest republic ever known to man. The credit crisis demonstrates that big government cannot supply cradle to grave coverage of every want and desire of the governed. Not even the United States of American has enough money to fulfill every desire of every person. Entitlement spending is crushing the American way of life, slowly and insidiously as a boa constrictor squeezing the life out of this great nation.

I do not oppose taking action to solve the problem. That would be suicide. A solution should restore liquidity to the markets, provide incentives for growth and restoration of prosperity. It is not a solution if the answer is dumping bad debt onto the backs of the American taxpayer. The solution must recognize the problem, must turn away from the socialist policies that have created the problem.

Yes, there must be an amputation. There will be pain. This is the only way for America to remain a land of opportunity. The opportunity to work, to earn, to prosper. If Congress attempts a bailout so that America further degrades into a land of unearned entitlement, then America has begun the slide into despair, failure and collapse.

Just as our founding fathers resolutely declared, ‘live free or die’, all must draw upon that courage to stop the socialist creep of congressional legislation. America must draw upon that same courage to support the legislators who are willing to live to founding principles. Americans must be willing to amputate those in Congress who hide behind indecision and attempt to curry favor through entitlement spending. America cannot accept as leaders those who say, ‘call me if you need me’. America needs leaders willing to exercise the courage to lead. Leaders who have the courage to say it’s time to amputate. America must decrease entitlements.

I believe that America can and will rise to the challenge, if our leaders will simply lead. Explain in simple terms the choice of stagflation and economic decline or restoration of America’s founding principles. Lead. Forget political correctness, lay the blame squarely at the feet of entitlement spending.

America needs a solution to restore liquidity, confidence, opportunity and integrity to the markets.

A $700 billion is not the solution.