Anxiety Attack

But how about an idea that already has some bipartisan support? In 2005, members of both parties sponsored the Aspire Act. The bill would give all newborns from families in the middle class and below government-funded starter investment accounts of $500 to $1,000. Further contributions from any source could be deposited into the account and grow tax free. Poorer children would have their savings matched. Once children reached 18, they would be able to use the account to buy a home, save until retirement, or fund their college education.

Carol Ross, a personal coach near Boulder, Colo., talks daily with angst-ridden professionals suffering future shock. "You have to live in the real world and understand the reality of technology and globalization. If you hold on to some sense of entitlement, you're doomed," Ross says. She preaches grabbing control of your own situation. "I will listen to your victim story for a while and then call you on it," she says. "You can complain about your job, or you can leave."

Ross was an employee retention leader at Avaya before getting laid off in 2002. (Yes, she realizes the irony.) She had wanted to leave the company earlier and try something new, "but I was making too much money. It was a relief when I got laid off." When Ross decided to start her own business, the economy was down, and she sensed that the timing was terrible. But Ross believes she is creating her own economic security. "Now I feel like I'm making my own luck," she says, "and creating my own destiny."

Like it or not, more middle-class Americans may have to embrace that kind of can-do attitude to shed the sour mood that's ailing them.