Umble pie

Little distortions we make have a way of adding up | Joel Belz

Illustration by Krieg Barrie

Remember the old saw about being careful when you point a finger at someone else—because you've still got at least three fingers pointing back at yourself?

It's not bad advice these days when we're all inclined to be pointing out those we think are responsible for the fiscal foul-up that is so changing our lives. It's easy to blame the Wall Street smart-alecks, the Capitol Hill know-it-alls, the oil company tycoons. It's a good bit harder to face up to our own role in the mess.

I am compelled, for example, to go back 40 years to the time when I bought my first house. It was a modest 1100-sq. ft. rancher, for which I had to squirm to qualify for a $9,000 mortgage on an $11,000 purchase price.

"I think I can make this work," the bank officer told me a wee bit worriedly, "if I can just confirm for them that you are a military veteran."