Why don't you do something?

For the past few days I have been a bit perplexed with the wall street protestors. Now I understand protesting, I even support it to a degree. But it left me with the question of when are we all going to begin to take responsibility for ourselves and our own actions and stop blaming others? How long will we spend too much on homes we cant afford, max out our credit cards, buy SUVs and then complain about how much it costs to put gas in them, before we take a moment to realize that doing all of these things has nothing to do with anyone else.
I guess my point is that yes, there are people on wall street that are not doing the right thing. Yes, the mortgage industry has qualified people for home loans that are not within their means. Yes, credit card companies charge extremely high interest rates. But, none of this is a secret.
We have the power to refuse to sign up for credit cards. We have the power to buy smaller homes at prices we can afford. We have the power to invest our money in safer securities. Gasp, we even have the power to buy smaller and more efficient cars that may not fit all of our luggage for our trip to Vermont but chances are if I cant afford to put gas in my Suburban I have no business taking a drive to Vermont in the first place. The point is change is ours and it is no ones fault when we refuse to make smart choices.

There comes a time when we must stand up not against others but for ourselves. I was often told throughout my time in law school that you are not fit to stand up for the rights of another if you can not stand up for yourself.