The new president’s words were sobering:

“Values have shrunken to fantastic levels … our ability to pay has fallen … government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income … the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade … the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone.”

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke those words 76 years ago in his first inaugural address, but the same words could have easily come from Washington today.

That was, in case you are wondering, also the speech in which FDR said famously, “… the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Our nation could certainly stand to hear the current president recite that part of Roosevelt’s message about now, instead of the constant doom and gloom coming from the administration.

Generally, people believe whatever comes from the White House has at least some truth to it. The flames of fear can be fanned or doused with a few simple words.

Americans — including the bankers — know how bad the credit crisis is, but what we need is a clear plan for getting out of it and some positive talk and support that the plan will work. What we have is lots of unclear mandates and rhetoric.

In the days following Sept. 11, 2001, a wave of patriotism washed over the country. It was a “don’t mess with Americans” kind of mentality. We need a similar resolve now.

Perhaps, “We’ll survive and eventually thrive because we’re Americans.”

Until such words come out of our collective mouths — first by our leaders — the fear will continue to grind our outlook to a halt.