As a 42-year-old, the first real memories I have of anything political come from the Carter administration. I recall waiting in line with my father during gas rationing. I remember questioning why we could not turn the thermostat past sixty-eight degrees in our house during the energy crisis. But most of all, I remember the sound of frustration and helplessness in the voices of adult family members and television personalities as they discussed the seemingly never-ending Iran hostage crisis.

That was a dark period for our nation. It was a time when many Americans questioned whether our best days were behind us. President Carter, in his famous July, 1979 "malaise" speech suggested, "The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and political fabric of America." However, despite this so-called crisis of confidence, America picked itself up, overtook the Soviet Union and defeated communism.

Many historians point to the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 as the catalyst for the restoration of American self-confidence. While I agree that President Reagan was the right man at the right time, and he that played a singular role in helping rebuild American confidence in the future, I do not believe he was the spark for that rebirth. The foundation of that resurgence was laid in the snowy mountains of upstate New York at Lake Placid.

Who in this country over the age of 40 does not get a chill when listening to the audio of announcer Al Michaels call at the end of the US Olympic Hockey team's upset of the Soviet juggernaut? Michaels fatefully asked, "Do you believe in miracles? YES!" Who does not immediately swell with pride watching Team USA's on-ice celebration after the win against the USSR? Or become emotional watching video of goalie Jim Craig draping himself with the American flag and searching for his father in the crowd so they could share the moment? Who was not certain on that day that our country's best days were still ahead of us?

Thirty years ago, the catalyst for an American resurgence came from an extremely unlikely source. The handful of college amateurs who made up that team had no idea they would make it fashionable for their formerly dejected countrymen to chant, "USA! USA! USA!" and waive the American flag with impunity. Nevertheless, when the final buzzer sounded in the gold medal game, and team captain Mike Eruzione invited his teammates to join him on the podium, the national malaise lifted and America was back on her feet.

Today, we find ourselves in a similar state of apprehension. Many Americans face a crisis of confidence in the future as our president continually apologizes for our country overseas and seeks to highlight what's wrong with America. Many of our fellow citizens view the problems facing our country as insurmountable. They believe the challenges in their own lives are untenable without the help of the federal government.

What will be the catalyst that causes America to regain its mettle this time? Some look to the likely crop of 2012 presidential hopefuls for inspiration. Some prefer the economic competency of Mitt Romney. Others look to the moral clarity of Sarah Palin. I am of the opinion that the catalyst, like at the end of the Carter years, will be someone or something wholly unexpected. As the Iranian opposition was motivated by the tragic martyrdom of Neda, a young girl killed as she protested the contested results of her country's presidential election, Americans will also be inspired, I believe, by an event or person not currently on the horizon.

There is no doubt Washington is failing America. Each day, the current administration and their supporters on the Hill seek to sow the seeds of uncertainty because it makes the electorate compliant with their designs on power. Furthermore, citizens' unease about the future is understandable when those in power repeatedly suggest that America is what's wrong with the world. This is not a position that most Americans support and President Obama's declining approval numbers bear this out.

It will not take much, a small event, a poignant statement, a principled stand against corruption, for Americans by the millions to regain confidence in their country. And when they do, the political class in Washington will be swept aside.

This self-appointed aristocracy has served the nation poorly by putting their own careers and their quest for power before the wishes of the American people. Like many who remember the surge of patriotism that accompanied the games in Lake Placid, I await the catalyst.

Kevin Ritter is a local small business owner and member of the Marietta 9-12 Project. He has lived in the Mid-Ohio Valley for the past ten years.