"Blah-GOY-uh-vitch."

That's how you pronounce it.

He's gutsy, if nothing else.

But you know what?

He's just one of many.

Don't get me wrong, I do not diminish what he has done, I'm just saying that he is representative of a pervasive attitude of "What's in it for me?"

We have become a nation of self-servers.

Its a "Make all the money you can, 'cause when the bottom drops out you might have to be standing in line waiting for a government bail-out" philosophy that seemingly few people realize is deadly.

If you're making all the money you can, you are neglecting some of the most important things in life: family; friends; country; God; health and rest.

Trouble is, money is mesmerizing. It grabs some people and won't let go.

In the end, they will do anything for money.

If it's a little illegal, well, everybody does it, so what's the harm?

So, if everybody jumped off the....oh never mind.

What's at stake is integrity, or wholeness as a human being and member of society.

The idea is that what's mine is mine and I'll keep it; what's yours is mine (or should be) and I'll take it.

If I want it, I should be able to have it, no matter what.

Different people have different "no matter what" levels, but there is very little difference in the end between a little "no matter what" and a lot of "no matter what."

The attitude is killing our society because it is destroying our ability to trust.

If one has to lie to get what one wants, or cheat, or steal, or maim, or kill, well, so be it.

We seem to be unable to do without or to defer gratification.

We aren't really that much different from "Blah-GOY-uh-vitch."