I am absolutely amazed at the 2010 political agenda and how disconnected Washington politicians are from the rest of their constituents.  My wife and I are just like you.  We are mid to late 40's and are working to help put three kids through college.  It is time that congress wakes up to the realities that the rest of us face everyday.  Washington has to start solving problems and stop creating new ones.  You have to do something to solve problems, but you don't have to be radical about it. Just a few items on our list that can save us billions of dollars:

Bank Fees:  Everyone knows that if you place an assessment/fee/surcharge or tax on any bank, that bank will just raise rates to consumers to cover the cost.  If only some banks are assessed this fee, then some banks will be at a serious disadvantage.  I would bet that some disadvantaged banks will go out of business.  If you really want to solve the banking crisis then Congress will need to legislate.  That means create laws.  Banking laws need to be adjusted as follows:  Separate investment houses from banking.  In other words investment houses don't have FDIC insurance.  Force banks to only work with deposits on account.  They can only make loans if they have depositors cash in the bank.  Banks can't sell off loans.  They must hold and service the loans they make.  Cash reserves are based on the risk assessment of the loans that the bank makes.  These risk assessment rules come from the FDIC.

Borders:  If someone wants in to the United States they will get in no matter what.  So lets make it legal and easy but lets legislate how foreigners have to do it.  First they have to have a job.  So a company will have to offer a position on a public accessible registry where the term, wage rate, and benefits will be published for all to apply.  The guest worker offered that positions will also be published.  The employer will be required to pay for health and long term disability insurance for that worker.  The IRS will issue social security numbers to those guest workers for the employer to withhold taxes.  A guest worker will have to return home at the end of the contract or once every five years for a period of one year before coming back.  Create serious jail time and financial penalties for any party that hires undocumented workers.  Immediately deport any undocumented workers and bar them from any legal form of entry for a period of 10 years.