Ahh, the children and grandchildren. Politicians love to describe how big-bad Washington is robbing them blind. “Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren,” then Sen. Barack Obama declared in 2006, when he voted against raising the debt ceiling. “Passing on ever-increasing debt to our children is not just bad policy, it is morally wrong,” wrote Mitt Romney in his latest book.

But the fault lies less in Washington than you would like to believe. Chances are, you are the one directly to blame. Each and every one of you, as regular dues-paying members of the American social contract. At current tax rates, you are likely to reap far more in Medicare and Social Security benefits over your lifetime than you will pay into the system. The balance gets handed off to your children and grandchildren. Do you think that’s fair? Is there a politician in America willing to put the blame where it belongs?