I agree. There are plenty who don't want to kill the goose that's eating all their grain as long as it's laying them another egg. In addition, everyone kicks the can down the road because the solution is unpalatable with the majority of society. It's an unfortunate situation where a politician's main goal is to get re-elected. To do that, they must tell the public what they want to hear.
Nevertheless, most can understand on a personal level, that there is a difference between what you want and what you can afford. If it's not in the budget, then you settle for what is. Not using that mindset when it comes to governing a country has led us to this mess. There was an adage from years ago that said: "When the government takes responsibility for the people, the people stop taking responsibility for themselves". I think it was a spinoff from Thomas Jefferson's philosophy that too much government interferes with autonomy. It's always a delicate balance.
Whatever the case, once a problem gets to enormous proportions, finding a solution is almost impossible (Climate change comes to mind). Is it too late to deflect this financial killer asteroid without blowing up our economy in the process. I think most in power don't want to risk being the ones to blame for that. It's easier to just point fingers at someone else. I think it's time to realize that identifying a problem isn't the same as finding a solution. Maybe it's a Hail Mary pass.