Today’s column is about PRIORITIES and LEADERSHIP. That you and I don’t need to wait for the pigs at the trough, those “Diet Club Failures” in Washington to help us.  How we can take charge of our own lives and pull ourselves out of the tsunami of doom and gloom that is dominating our airwaves.

What you (quite rightly) ask do PRIORITIES and LEADERHIP have to do with books!? Trust me. Please.

Every time I hear a presidential candidate speak I want to scream, “Don’t you guys get it? It’s not about who has the craziest pastor. It’s not about who is too old. It’s not about whose husband was president a long time ago. It’s about PRIORITIES & LEADERSHIP.

PRIORITIES. Most are self-evident. Stop importing oil. Solve the real estate foreclosure mess. Fix the economy. Control medical costs. Wrap this war up.

LEADERSHIP. Tell us the hard truth. Focus government resources on doing things private citizens and industry can’t do without help.

Tell us: “There is no more cheap gasoline. There won’t be anymore cheap gasoline. We were deluded to think that we could build a strong, secure country with a stable economy when we import a huge amount of our energy.”

Then tell us your plan. “Beginning today we are going to invest billions in solar and nuclear energy. We are starting late, but if we don’t start now it’s just going to get worse. It won’t be easy. It’s going to be like giving up heroin (bad) or cigarettes (worse). But in a few years we are going to be very glad we did it.”

Now what’s all that got to do with books?

Simple. Books give you the ability to practice PRIORITES and LEADERSHIP in your own life.

America has a lot of intersecting problems. Our medical costs are rising faster than the Euro. Childhood obesity is an epidemic. Adult waistlines are growing faster than the national debt. Families are disintegrating. The way things are going, pretty soon gasoline is going to cost more than 20 year old scotch.

But you are an American. Smart. Innovative. Determined. Dealing with these problems yourself will be easy. It’s not like you need to put a man on the moon.

And the first step to solving all these problems can be found in one little book.

“The Calorie King: Calorie Fat & Carbohydrate Counter!”  (Calorie King, $7.99, 302 pages, www.calorieking.com)

Our priorities remain unchanged: get in shape, reduce medical costs, cut gas consumption, keep the family together. The plan: take the family to dinner. But don’t drive. Ride your bike or walk and then use the “King” to order a healthier meal. Instead of the $1 double cheeseburger (King says 440 calories and 23 grams of fat) have the Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken Snack Wrap at 260 calories and 9 fat grams). It might cost more, but you’ve save a bundle on gas.

Be sure to bankroll some of the money you saved on gas because pretty soon you are going to need smaller clothes. And since waist size is directly related to your health, a smaller waist will ultimately lead to lower medical bills.

The “King” lists thousands of foods, including 200 fast-food chains and restaurants. So you can always find something healthy to eat.

But wait, you say, “I’m like a lot of American’s my back hurts too much to exercise!”

“8 Steps to a PAIN-FREE BACK!” by Esther Gokhale, L. Ac. (Pendo Press, $24.95, 244 pages, www.pendopress.com)

According to “8 Steps” Americans are ten times more likely to have back pain than people from traditional societies around the world. 85% of the population will suffer from back pain”  This is a great, picture filled book, extremely well written and full of proven ways to eliminate back pain without surgery, time-consuming exercises or purchasing anything “as seen on TV.”

Once you’ve conquered your back pain you can ride your bike down to your local polling place and vote for a leader who understands priorities.