Each day I review the news in amazement at the poisonous politics and lack of leadership by both political parties. Politicians do not have the majority of Americans’ best interests at heart. Local governments and the federal government are spending at an unsustainable rate. None of this makes any sense since we know our personal budgets don’t operate this way.

Despite this, probably 90 percent of incumbents will be returned to office this November. Sure, there will be some changes but even if the other party is successful, it will be business as usual, because the political system is broken. Politicians have no answers, even if they say they do.

The answer is personal responsibility. Our lives are the result of decisions we make from early on in life. Our attitude in school, family, careers shape us for our part in society: do we want to be givers or takers? We need the government for some things — national defense, national weather service, border protection — but we don’t need the government to be our mom and dad. The entitlement programs this government is putting together conflict with the personal responsibility we all should be taking.

It’s time for this nation to turn back to God, but our leaders push us in the opposite direction. Look at the change in attitude since John Kennedy said in 1961, “The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.”

How do we get Congress to pay attention to us? I don’t think we can, with the existing team in place. We must become Congress. How do we do this? The non-partisan, grassroots initiative of GOOOH (GOOOH.com) has the answer.

Jerry Francis

Marco Island