I’m a pretty easy-going guy. It takes an awful lot to really set me off, but when you do, I’m usually off for a while. Few things set me off as quickly – or thoroughly – as people who shirk responsibility for their own circumstances in life … particularly if they’re at the same time busily blaming others for them.

That kind of “responsibility blind spot” is nothing new, of course. It was on full display in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when the residents and anyone else who could come close to a microphone were busy blaming the government for everything from the speed and amount of relief to the presence of the hurricane itself. Never mind the fact their families had been living below sea level for generations – they couldn’t possibly share responsibility for their situation … could they?

Today’s news headlines includes three prime examples of that basic failure to even acknowledge that people in difficult circumstances just might share in the blame for their woes.

Yesterday, Bernie Madoff was sent to jail for what is effectively a well-deserved life sentence. He can’t possibly pay back the money he swindled away, but he at least stood up in court and took responsibility for his actions, such as it is. Meanwhile, a series of his victims tearfully stated their cases to the judge, explaining how their life savings had been lost, they’d been force to liquidate all their assets, or they’d been reduced to using food stamps.

Here’s the question I’d like to ask: sure, you’re a victim of Madoff’s crime, but don’t you feel some sense of responsibility for your position? Did you never question the unusually high rate of return or the wisdom of placing so much of your future in the hands of one man? A quick read of “Investing for Dummies” would have saved you from all this grief – unless just maybe greed got in the way? Don’t you feel at least partially responsible?

Next story – the mortgage meltdown. A lot of unscrupulous folks offered mortgages to people who couldn’t qualify for them and had no possibility of paying them off. The bankers knew this, of course, and factored it into the plan. The financial markets tanked, and they’re largely responsible for it. At the same time, thousands of people are at risk of losing their homes because they can’t pay the mortgage.

No one questions the crimes of the bankers, but why doesn’t anyone hold the homeowners accountable as well? No one forced them to sign the mortgages, or threatened to shoot their dog if they didn’t – they looked at the amount of money they needed to pay back each month and decided to go for it. How can this not be at least partially their own fault? The media is inundated with advertisements for law firms that will sue the banks to get your payments or balance decreased, but why is it not acceptable to suggest these people move into a home they can actually afford?

The last example is the state government here in California. Talk about your dysfunctional family – these guys are terminally screwed up. At midnight tonight, unless a budget is miraculously passed, the state will be out of money – again – and will try to pay its bills with IOUs. It’s not like they didn’t know there was a deadline or that there might be ramifications if they failed to act. But you have a bunch of dogmatic ideologues lining up against each other, perfectly happy to blame everyone else for the situation they – and we – find ourselves in. One side refuses to cut funding, the other to increase taxes. Of course, your average 6th grade civics student would tell you that it’ll take a combination of both to get the job done, but these guys won’t hear of it. Instead, they’ll start lining up in front of the cameras starting at around 11:30 to make sure that everyone understands it’s the other guy who’s to blame.

I’m all for holding people accountable for their actions, whether corporations, governments or individuals. But seldom is responsibility an isolated entity – like a mouthful of fresh peanut butter, it tends to stick to everything. You just can’t fling accusations at everyone else and not expect someone to point out when you’re splattered yourself.