Outraged at the continuing financial meltdown and flailing government fixes, the American public has once again formed a circular firing squad and started shooting. We can't help ourselves. In our heavily partisan political climate, we're conditioned to fight our neighbors, whom we refer to as "rivals" and "enemies."   

Over the past month my wife and I have spent a lot of time analyzing our household budget. We've started collecting every receipt and allotting certain amounts for groceries, restaurants and entertainment. We've always lived frugally, but we've never counted pennies the way we are now.