Hello World!
American society is not what it used to be, and the change has not been for the better in my opinion. Now and then we see snippets of integrity, hard work, and compassion, but the society as a whole is lacking greatly. How is it that the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of America’s Greatest Generation can be so much the opposite of their ancestors? Where have we gone wrong?
Obviously, there is no simple answer to my last question, and opinions are going to vary greatly. This post is my opinion.
The HH and I have discussed often how something that was well-intentioned during a time of great economic turmoil set a precedent for what has become a wide-spread sense of entitlement in this country and fiscal irresponsibility. “During Roosevelt’s presidency; the gold standard was abandoned and the Social Security Act introduced. The Social Security Act provided unemployment compensation, retirement funds, and disability insurance on a national scale. The dollar was devalued to stimulate foreign trade and to support more competitive business practices Many critics called the programs socialistic and said they were creating a welfare state funded by the government. Roosevelt’s social welfare platform created federal deficits never seen before in this country” (“Franklin D. Roosevelt“). These statutes, no matter how well intended, once put in place, have continued to rot the core of our society as the “welfare state” of our United States has continued to grow.
Over the years, entitlements have expanded; under the Obama presidency, the number of people living on public subsidies has reached record highs. According to Fox Nation:, “The federal government will spend more than $668 billion on anti-poverty programs this year [2012], an increase of 41 percent or more than $193 billion since President Barack Obama took office. State and local government expenditures will amount to another $284 billion, bringing the total to nearly $1 trillion.” This “let the government take care of me” mentality is in many families a multigenerational mentality – a tradition; this mindset and the ability to sponge off of taxpayers must be eradicated. Government spending that has put us into the greatest debt our country has ever seen must not only be stopped but reversed.
Our morality has been damaged by individuals and groups who have taken advantage of separation of church and state and so called religious freedom to remove prayer from schools and other public places; Christianity is under attack. Teaching morals has been replaced with teaching hatred. An overabundance of frivolous law suits and unethical behavior in government officials and other public figures has made integrity a thing to be abhorred.
In an attempt to be politically correct, truth is not spoken. In an attempt to protect children’s self-esteem, true competition to be the best and to do something special has been watered down. Family values have been eroded with not only the acceptance of alternate lifestyles but by pushing these lifestyles on the public. Violent video games and movies entertain and educate our children rather than nature and personal interaction. Our young people do not know what it is to actually work for something; they think that anything desired should be given to them just because they exist and want.
I could go on and on, but the fact of the matter is that if we as a society, including our government, do not make some major changes soon, I fear we are doomed. Instead of continuing down this path, let’s look back to the behaviors and actions that made our country and our people once great, and let’s go back those habits and attitudes. Let’s remember who we were so that we can be that nation again.
Have a blessed and happy day!
Angela
livingandlovinglifeafter50 