Isn't there a terminal velocity?

How can it be that it has come to this? The Fall seems to get faster every day. Isn't there a terminal velocity?

Armed looters in New Orleans; Bush gives yet another reason for the war in Iraq; there are few National Guard troops to help out in the disaster area; soon the nation will pay $4+ for a gallon of gasoline; if you are against the war then you are labeled unamerican; if you disapprove of the current presidential administration then you are labeled a hater of America and are told to leave; the Iraq war has cost nearly $2 billion (you can't fathom that much money); Pat Robertson calls for killing people; the value of the dollar seems to be falling daily; the U.S. poverty rate is 12.7% (the fourth year in a row there has been an increase); Americans have accumulated unimaginable personal debt; the housing boom is about to bust; there seem to be an infinite number of "reality shows" on television; there are worse torture pictures from Abu Ghaib that have yet to be released; academic libraries are eliminating books.

The list goes on.

So again I ask, how can it be that it has come to this? When did we take the offramp from civilization and end up on the road to chaos? Don't get me wrong, I am well aware that there has always been some chaos in one form or another, it's just the chaos we are witnessing today is growing exponentially as we speak. I dread reading tomorrow's headlines.

Is there a solution? I do not know. One would like to think that man-made problems could be solved by man. I am beginning to wonder. Humanity seems to thrive on conflict (small or large). So much so, we invent reasons to hate each other and then kill each other.

We have enough problems dealing with Mother Nature. Will New Orleans shine again? It doesn't look good today. One thing is for certain, though, this is just another example that shows the true nature of a good number of the population. Many people are taking advantage of a horrible situation by looting homes and stores. This happens during every natural disaster (and some that are not natural disasters). Is it really human nature? Can these people not control themselves? Would you or I do the same thing if we were in the same situation?

What will you do when a gallon of gas costs $4 and you have to drive 40 miles a day round trip for work? You're looking at spending $6 - $10 a day, which means around $120 - $200 a month, just so you can go to work. And that estimate is a little conservative. Now, count up all your other errands/pleasures that require driving and your monthly gas bill could more than equal another car payment and in some cases approach a mortgage payment. What happens to the economy when this happens?

I will read the headlines tomorrow, it's an addiction, and I will post them like I have been. All the while I'll be looking for something to slow down the Fall. Again, isn't there a terminal velocity?