Five Things That Are Negatively Affecting America

This article addresses the question of things that are negatively affecting America from three viewpoints, Conservative, Liberal, and the center. It is the collaboration of three writers with a desire to give a fair and complete review of the subject.

FROM THE RIGHT

by Gerald Hand

To even begin writing such an article requires a terrible truth- the realization the United States is in, and has been in, serious trouble for some time now. There is no one person we can point to and say He did it, just like our founding documents were not written by one person but as a result of a communal effort. That is not to say the destruction has been a communal effort but rather that of creeping incrementalism- the process by which values are slowly chipped away seemingly harmlessly until one day we no longer recognize our nation.

I stipulate the basis of our destruction is really predicated on just a few basic issues which have opened the floodgates for subsequent issues to mount. To make this argument, there have to be some basic assumptions:

The Constitution is the single-greatest article of government design ever written.
Its greatness is grounded in its simplicity and limitation of powers and the establishment of checks and balances between the 3 arms of the Federal government.
They were written with a Judeo-Christian value to respect the individual.
The country was founded on and defended by the blood of many Americans throughout the ages and have similarly freed tens of millions of oppressed people the world round.
Problem #1: Education
The department of education was founded in its current state in 1979 during an arguably unconstitutional expansion of the government. To this day the DOE does little to further the education of our children. Rather, according to the principal at our local grade school, they provide approximately 3% of the funding and require 90% of the paperwork. Since DOEs inception, the U.S. student has steadily lost their position in world ranking for math and sciences as third-world countries like India have surpassed us. Coupled with the chronicled short-comings of inner city schools where children are forgotten, principals are encumbered with bureaucracy and lack of power & discipline, drop-out rates have sky-rocketed. During this time, what little time they are exposed to any history, they are taught increasingly America is an imperialist power-seeking country. They are not taught how to be successful- as a parent, a spouse or even financially. They dont keep score in primary school sports so there are no losers. Their papers are not graded in red in because that would hurt their feelings. The DOE and teachers Union fight to keep the monopoly on education locking out competition. The children get a defeatist attitude and drop out. No longer a sense of achievability and exceptionalism which has made America strong, but one of cowering shoulders and looking for hand-outs. Is it any wonder if you ask someone who our V.P. is or if our President is a Keynseian they dont know what you are talking about?

This has set the stage for the dumbing down of our students. We have readily accepted the fallacy and misinterpretation of separation of church and state, the Constitution is a living breathing document and other slights of the Constitution which brings us to

Problem #2: Taking God out of everything.
We are an overwhelmingly Christian nation, yet we constantly bow to a minority under the auspices of offending their delicate senses of not worshipping a god. Without God, we can remove accountability from our lives. Teenage pregnancy has exploded. Abortion is now a form of birth control. Divorce is commonly accepted as is living together and pre-marital sex.

In Hollywood many actors/actresses who live lives of debauchery which we celebrate and many almost worship with all the reality tv shows today. These lifestyles would not easy if they had to answer to God for what they say and what they do. They make efforts and get involved in activities to show they care, but are constantly seeking something to fulfill their lives.

Likewise, in school, in politics, sporting events and much more, we remove God from our lives and create an atmosphere of no responsibility. As a result, we as parents are not responsible for the shortcomings of our children. No one is responsible any more. Lawyers are litigating for everything which has caused a panic in the education system and work world. We are suing anyone for anything.

Our politicians continually pass legislation to restrict us from our rights as Christians and further isolate us from accountability. Lawyers parse words to win their arguments crying their clients should not be held responsible for burning themselves with hot coffee from McDonalds- how could the client have known it was hot? Its not their fault they trip over their own children in a furniture store breaking their ankle and then suing the store. After 40-50 years of obesity, smoking, and drinking if I should die on the operating table as my surgeon performs open-heart surgery its HIS fault I died not mine.

Have you not noticed after we learned how badspanking was for our children and basically outlawed corporal punishment of any kind, the kids have grown more unruly. And once again, with no accountability from God in school, the kids behave in any manner they see fit.

What the hell is wrong with us? If we would only read the Bible or even just go to church, we would become keenly aware of OUR shortcomings and can make improvements. Furthermore, the Bible is our owners manual. It tells us how to be good children, good parents, good spouses, how to eat, how to save money, how to treat neighbors and much more. Remove God, and that awareness is gone.

Problem #3: Media
As I just said, we worship some of these people out there with terrible lifestyles and model roles. We are fascinated with what they do, say and think. We hang on their every word. Lady Gaga running around telling us how we should vote. Matt Damon- college drop-out. Brad Pitt- college drop-out. Many more did not even bother attending college yet they pass themselves off as knowing something.

But its worse- much worse. The mainstream news has been liberal for years. Since the days of Walter Cronkite, who earned his reputation as a solid reporter, cashed in on it near retirement and became a commentator and not a reporter. Sadly, many follow in his footsteps without earning the distinction he enjoyed. And who can forget Dan Rathers spectacular implosion as a reporter as he so zealously chased a contrived story in the hopes of derailing President George W Bushs election? Several years ago a study of Brown University journalism students revealed the number one reason they wanted to be a journalist is they wanted to make a difference.
Let me repeat that- they wanted to make a difference. Not to report the news no matter how bad- but to MAKE A DIFFERENCE. How can one trust what is being espoused then, knowing the majority of reporters are liberal and have their own agenda and sense of justice. Christiane Amanpour for example. Keith Olberman. There are countless examples. There is little wonder Fox News has risen so dramatically in its ratings over the years.

But the frightening thing is how much the news has affected recent elections: Clintons popularity. Bush 41s quip No more new taxes. The debacle in Florida in 2000, and most recently, the election of our current President. The liberal media painted Sarah Palin as inexperienced but hailed Obama, a community organizer, as the solution to the problems we face. Really? Where was the reporting on how accomplished he was as a community organizer and unaccomplished he was a Senator?

The media has become what I call the 4th arm of the Federal government. The cover-up of the Fannie-Mae/Freddie Mac fiasco. The governments emasculation of the CIA and legalist viewpoint which prevented FBI & CIA to share information which might have prevented 9-11. The constant coverage of illegal immigrants causing many politicians to fear acting tough to secure our borders. An encyclopedia could be written on the many infractions of yellow journalism which is not so subtlely affecting our government. But this is only possible given Problem #1- our kids are dumbed down to not ask questions and cherish our Constitutional rights.

Problem #4- Activist judges
Politically appointed judges have for a long time been a hotbed for debate, but even the most staunch liberal must admit the Constitution GUARANTEES me the right to own firearms, even in Chicago, even if the liberal dislikes that right. The Constitution further stipulates no rights guaranteed by the Constitution shall be infringed upon by the states. How in the world could the Illinois Supreme Court not rule 9-0 in support of the 2nd Amendment in McDonald v the City of Chicago? How could any number of the recent Supreme Court rulings not be more clear-cut than they have been with the liberal judges who are imposing their beliefs?

Remember Sonia Sotomayors quip she would be a great judge because of her ethnic heritage? That is exactly why she would NOT be a good judge. To be able to make a statement like that illustrates her being unhinged from the basis of law. Lady Liberty is blindfolded while holding the scales, but apparently Sonia feels it is okay to lift that blindfold occasionally and see WHO is arguing, not WHAT is being argued.
These judges have permitted, upheld and in many instances legislated from the bench downright contrived and anti-Constitutional laws, and again, because of our dumbed-down society and a biased media news source, they are permitted to do so.

Problem #5- Professional Politicians
While I am a strong believer in the Constitution, it seems it may be needed to make an Amendment- term limitations. While in the loosest sense of the word we do have limits with the election process, once we have someone in office we accept their status quo. During Clintons first term a lady was on a local talk show and said she would vote for Clinton again. When asked why she answered

Well, he hasnt done anything THAT bad.

I almost drove into a ditch. We vote for a President based on how little bad they have done?

This is only to illustrate my point because I know there are term limits on Presidents. However, going back to the founding fathers, politics was not a profession. It was a calling. Thomas Jefferson wrote politicians should rule and legislate as though they were the ruled for they will return to be a constituent.
Not any more. The recent health-care legislation was passed so we can then read it and see whats inside. So we pass legislation without reading it? Why do you even have a job then if you just absent-mindedly vote on a bill to reform 1/6 of the global economy our health care system? If I did something like that at work I would be fired- ANY of us would be, yet we seem to accept these actions and explanations from these politicians. And this is on both sides of the fence. Senator McCain the Maverick is known for reaching across the aisles. Wait a minute: a maverick is someone who doesnt need others, who works alone. If he is reaching across the aisle he is not a maverick but a watered down conservative and with his campaign reform bill he crossed firmly over into liberal territory. But his state continues to elect the turn-coat. The point being these politicians take on a sense of entitlement and lose sight of why they are there- THEY WORK FOR ME! They report to me. It is frightening we as voters and tax payers seem to forget that and do not hold these people accountable for their acts. Perhaps the recent elections are indicative of a new trend.

I have painted some wide strokes here and unfortunately we dont have the venue to fully develop and explore the premises I have put forth.

FROM THE CENTER

by Noel Proulx

I have to admit this was a tougher piece to write than I thought it was going to be. At first I started to think only 5, and then whittling them down to the ones I feel are most important, minus education I think that is a full article in itself, was rather difficult. There are so many great things about America and at the same time we have a slew of problems that need correcting. I am going to try my best do justice to this article.

Entitlements

One of the biggest drains on our coffers are entitlements. Our current budget allocates 56.74% of all federal spending on Social Security 19.63%, Unemployment/Welfare -16.13%, Medicare 12.79%, and Medicaid and the State Childrens Health Insurance Plan -8.19%. These are all important programs, needed safety nets for all Americans, the way that they are managed and abused is what turns something positive into a black hole that sucks the life right out of the whole country.

Until we fix these programs they will continue to devour our taxes and constantly require more and more funding. Social Security is the biggest problem of all of them, one that politicians are unlikely to tackle since doing so is political suicide. Part of Social Securitys slide into the abyss comes from people living longer, but another major problem is we just dont have enough kids anymore. According to the 2000 census, as we dont have the full 2010 data yet, the average family has .90 children. I think we all know how a pyramid scheme works, one person at the top has 2 beneath him and they each have 2 beneath them and so on with all the lower levels supporting the level above them. What we have happening in America is the exact opposite where we are coming to a point where each person will have 2 people above them to support and a half person supporting them. This reverse pyramid is doomed to collapse. We are going to be forced to make drastic cuts, raise the age to collect substantially, or massively increase the taxes on those supporting the upper tier to continue with the current model. The big problem is that people in the upper tier certainly dont want to make a sacrifice and the lower tiers are already taxed heavily. Unless we as a country get behind an initiative to fix this problem Social Security alone will ruin us.

Abuse/ fraud for these systems is something else we have to address and the sooner the better. Medicare fraud alone comes in at an estimated $70 billion per year, cleaning up just half of that would almost pay for the entire stimulus package in 20 years.

Individuality

I am not talking about the things that make each person different but that we have become a nation of individuals and are no longer a real community. Long gone are the Leave it to Beaver days when people knew their neighbors and watched out for one another. As a nation we have become unwilling to sacrifice for one another and care more about the rims we have on our car then about the people around us.

Take a look at the Amish, if someones barn burns down the whole community shows up and uses their time and skills to the rebuildi it. Knowing others and watching out for one another in your community means that when you need help you know someone will be there. How many of you reading this really know your neighbors? Do you talk to them about anything other than keeping their dog of your lawn? You dont have to go out raising barns but simple things make all the difference.

We are a nation of hyphenated Americans rather than just Americans, distant cousins instead of brothers, and weaker in our individual space then we would be as a whole. We take immediate offense to anything we do not directly agree with even when in no way does it affect us as individuals or as a whole, we disagree to disagree.

Politics

I think people on any side of an argument can come to an agreement that there is a deep problem in our current political theater. Theater may well be the perfect word for what is happening in Washington. Our politicians recite prewritten lines and sound bites, they pit us against one another in a Team Edward vs. Team Jacob argument so that we are so busy fighting amongst ourselves that we miss the fact that they are just not doing their jobs.

Imagine if your own family was run the way we run our country. Your water heater breaks so you have to get a new one. Instead of going out and buying one you first need to gather the household maintenance committee of yourself, your spouse and two of your children to write up the proposal. You sit down to work out the details but before you can get this simple request brought forth for a vote your spouse attaches a caveat that in order to buy the water heater you must also purchase a new radio for their car. Your children are split on buying the heater because each has a different friend whose father sells water heaters and each could get a commission depending on where you buy it from. These give and take debates go on for weeks, all the time you have no hot water for showers, dishes, or laundry, and finally emerge with a seventy-four page document that can be voted upon for the purchase of your water heater. With even more debate and concessions you finally pass your bill to buy a new heater and it now costs thirty-four times as much as the heater does. This does not even take into account that your in-laws were drafting up a bill of their own for you to get a new heater and now a new committee must sit down and take the elements they like from the two bills and come up with a final bill for your approval.

This is the sort of shenanigans and grief that floats about Washington every day. If you ever wonder just why our government spends so much money it is in the wasted man hours, earmarks, graft, and pork.

Prison System

On a whole our prison system is drastically flawed if its true goal is rehabilitation. Unless you are a celebrity that gets special treatment inmates leave prison worse than when they went in, they are often more violent, have more emotional trauma, and if unable to find employment after their release have a very high rate of re-offending. We need to completely overhaul this entire system and work to return these inmates to society in a productive useful way. I am not talking about the murderers and serial rapists we have in prison but the kid who stole a car, the guy who got in one bar fight to many, in short the people who usually get out in just a few years. Separate these people from the violent offenders who will be in prison for most or all of their life, teach them a trade and put them to work. We need to start passing out more fines for lesser offenses and stop letting the private prison lobbyists help write the penal codes. The government spends a lot of money to incarcerate each person, much of it paid to private prisons, is there any wonder they work so hard to get mandatory sentences written in.

Over Regulatin