The American economy was already trouble, but the current financial crisis has made things worse. So many people are losing their jobs and their retirement money as result of this situation. Being the most powerful economy in the world, the American financial crisis affects the world economy as well. I am troubled by the McCain/Palin campaign, which wants to shift the focus to other matters other than the economy. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan matter, as does health care — but when the economy is down, America is down. What makes America powerful is its economy. As the pygmies of the equatorial forest of Congo/Gabon say, “The strength of the Baobab tree is in its roots.”