It really is worth a read and worth some comments, yay or nay.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...googlenews_wsj
woodsmoke
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...googlenews_wsj
woodsmoke
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Re: A "different" look at why the U.S. is falling apart.
My opinion: The "divide" was started in the mid 1960s when the "Great Society" legislation was passed. Every metric of societal improvement, improving steadily since the US was founded, suddenly turned down. Now we have the "Grate Society".
Literacy? Once steadily improving, is now worse than ever.
Math? Once a leader among nations, our students are below 30th place.
Broken families? Sky rocketing.
Children having babies? Unheard of in the late 50's and early 60's. Now 10 year olds are mothers.
Child molestation? Rare (and don't tell me it is because the news media never reported cases back then.) What we knew as porn in the 60s are now ads for undergarments on TV. Porn has shifted to cameras mounted on body parts.
Child abduction? I used to walk to and from school, to town to see movies and back, to friends houses, at all hours of the day and evening, in BIG CITY Denver, and never worried about some pervert snatching me off the streets. It was rare. Charles Lindsey's kid is the example. Now, we have repeat offenders in jail for the 3rd offense after previously abducting, assaulting and then murdering two kids.
We spent 7 TRILLION dollars to "bridge the divide" between the rich and poor in this country and the net result, besides making a voting block dependent on and voting for government handouts, was to make the country more polarized and divisive than ever before.
"A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
– John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962. -
Interesting article, and the bent he takes, along with GG comments. Certainly can't disagree. At the same time ... Money. Makes the world go 'round, don'tchya know? Along with everything (what's the cause? what's the effect?), people MUST have enough money. Emphasis on "enough." Sure, everyone wants to "be rich," but most folks would be happy with "enough" and "comfortable" with the basics. And that basic, comfortable life is at risk for the lower and middle classes in US.
Two of my fav quips: Money doesn't mean anything unless you don't have any. And, America is the worst place to be without money (as money is everything here).
Elsewhere recently, I cited the struggling case of the American worker stuck making $10 an hour and how she/he has no chance at a decent life at that rate. Fact is, though just a bit dramatic, I believe it to be substantially true, and I post it to make a point: Although lots of people would love to have an extra $500 a month, MOST Americans struggling with $8-$10 an hour only need maybe an extra $200 (maybe $250?) a month to enjoy a much better, even happier, lifestyle (at the survival level). That's not much when you think of this great country's massive wealth and potential. Just that small amount would change people's lives in terms of providing basic necessities and some small bit of peace of mind, the little bit of wiggle room most people are lacking in their monthly budgets working at $10 an hour. The 1% vs 99% comes into play here. What different perspectives the two factions have.An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles BukowskiComment
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What sort of thing did you have in mind on this one, woodsmoke?An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles BukowskiComment
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Hi
This seemed to have some different "angles" to the subject and I just wanted to read other's takes on it.
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