Seriously I wonder about the depth and conviction of our American citizens. This week the Dow had its worse day in a month, gas prices continued to outstrip my wallet, and sabers are rattling in at least three strategic hot spots around the world.

You would think these major stories would top the news right? Wrong! Imagine my chagrin when the leading stories on one major news website last Friday was, “Woman reels in monster fish after four hour battle, Miley Cyrus wears short shorts in New York City, and ten countries where teens can’t find jobs. Really?

Have we taken our eyes off the ball that far? In the past few weeks I have read the government plans to install global tracking devices in all our vehicles, presumably just to get a sampling of how many miles we travel annually. Insiders tell us otherwise. They say it’s a radical new source of revenue. We will slowly be taxed by how many miles we drive each year. When the story broke, you would have expected a firestorm of anger. Did we get it? Nope, the media slumbered and focused instead on an actress’s hemline.

Two national airlines announced recently that they were going to add more seats to existing jets. The new plan promises to minimize leg room and create logistical inconveniences if you’re taller than Mini-Me (3 ft.). It’s bad enough I presently feel like a sardine in my airline seat, now I can look forward to feeling like a fruit roll-up.

This week two major gossip magazines touted that Armageddon is near and the Mayan calendar is running out of time, thus the end of the world. Americans response…crickets chirping.

So how do we get the attention of Americans to care about timely and pertinent monumental events? I mean if the world is going to end at any moment in a cataclysmic explosion, can’t we discuss the implications?

Oh wait, hold that thought, I’ll be right back, Kim Kardashian is just announcing a new bathing suit line.