-- by Rudy Ruiz, Special to CNN.com:

Despite all the talk about a tide of pessimism surging in our country, optimism isn't dead. It's just in hiding.

The economy is struggling. The deficit is looming. Unemployment is hovering at about 10 percent. China is nipping at our heels for global economic dominance. Our housing, automotive and banking industries are on life support. The health care system is falling apart.

And the government charged with getting us out of the doldrums is "broken," according to 86 percent of Americans who responded to a recent CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll.

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