Our institutions are failing us

When it comes to Americans and our government, it seems we share a great deal with Catholics and their hierarchy and leadership. That is, it seems the people are good and well-meaning and well-intentioned and hard-working but the leadership and so, the respective institution is failing the people, the followers, if you will, they are supposed to be leading and working for. In far too many states and in Washington, D.C. with our national Congress, there is divisiveness, demagoguery and stalemate instead of progress. In the Catholic Church, unfortunately, far too much time and energy and assets--money--have gone to first, sadly and shockingly, physically and/or sexually abusing children in their schools and then, to make matters worse, covering up those activities and defending the abusers. It's so tragic and unnecessary, unproductive and even ugly. What has happened? Why are both of these two institutions failing us, failing the people they are supposed to be serving? It seems one possibility is that both are victims of their own success. Maybe another is that we, the people, have become lazy and don't expect and demand enough of our leaders though I am always loathe to "blame the victim", as that 2nd possibility seems to bring. We need to take our institutions back, in each case. We need to be in charge. We need to speak up and make clear what should happen--and what must not. Links: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/us/catholic-church-pressures-victims-network-with-subpoenas.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all; http://kileyrae.tumblr.com/post/7961222388/ny-times-op-ed-a-deadlocked-congress-has-become