Yankee Doodle dates from the Seven Years' War - 1756. If our frontier government rode on one pony's back then, we'd need 10.68 trillion donkeys or 1.068 trillion elephants* to carry today's national responsibilities. And with heaped Chinese debt in every saddle bag and a rapidly aging population at the reins, the upcoming mid-term election question for our economy is not if, but "which straw will break the camel's back?" - please excuse the mixed metaphor(s).

Let's face facts, government and the nature of our society as we know it have to change. Take a look at the global picture. Shrinking workforce. Increasing healthcare cost. Slow growth in GDP. The developed world can't afford our benefits. The French and Greek governments are being taken to the wood shed as they try to increase the retirement age. The Brits are taking a pounding over cutting child benefit for the rich. Ireland is drowning in debt - where are those lucky charms? But, this is not a uniquely European phenomenon. Secretary Gates sounded the alarm about defense healthcare spending. While America's population is younger than Europe's and our spending on healthcare is significantly lower, America does need to restructure benefits - and the retirement age must climb.

The irony is that politicians need the courage to make tough decisions in reforming social policy. But, those decisions will be unpopular - and likely disastrous for the brave at the polling stations.

As we head into the mid-term elections, President Obama is bracing for impact. He needs to point across the water at the lands of our forefathers, present the tough choices ahead clearly and simply, and critically focus America's engines on innovation. And, this notion of open government - trumpeted by policy wonks as vaunted digital democracy - must be repurposed as an operational engine to provide available services at radically reduced cost points.

Join MeriTalk and 500 Federal open government leaders for the 2010 Adobe Government Assembly - Engage America conference on November 3 in D.C. Here's your chance to hear David Plouffe, President Obama's campaign strategist, talk about technology and citizen engagement. Get the latest on progress in transparency, collaboration, and citizen participation. Donkeys and elephants welcome.

*Calculation based on the assumption that an elephant will carry 10 vs. a donkey carrying one. Calculation of the number of donkeys required completely made up.