Hi Dig!
Can't much disagree with what you said.
The ME generation, of which I am an ill-fitting member, definitely has a lot, a LOT of blame.
One of 'em - GWB - is possibly my most despised politician of all times. Although many Dems are and have been distinctly worse, at least I knew what to expect. "The enemy". GWB, on the other hand, I consider a complete betrayal. The "friend" that betrays can be worse than the enemy you know in many ways.
And now, the GOP in general, I now despise as much as I do the Dems. But that's a whole 'nuther story.
I am not much of an optimist. I'm not sure we can fix the mess sufficiently. We've let it go SO far it might not be fixable.
Grouchy D&O
PS - been about four decades since I last walked out of that beef packing plant. But it was, no doubt, one of those valuable life experiences.