What Happened to America

I wrote this a couple of years ago but feel that it is still relevant today.

I am 33 years old and already asking “What Happened to America?” So much has changed in the last 20 years that it is hard to believe I am still living in a country that was founded on the great principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. What would the Founding Fathers say about what has happened to their vision. They fought against tyranny, taxation without representation, and a crazed monarch who felt that the Americans should pay for all wars, and debts that England had incurred. I believe the Founding Fathers are looking down upon the new America with disgust, and sadness but hope that a new generation can look beyond the nonsense in politics and take the country back to the days of true patriotism. When it was alright to love your country, support your leaders and criticize without vicious personal attacks. And most of all to be dependent on oneself and family, not the government, in order to live, survive, prosper and grow not only as individuals but as a country.

When I was in 2nd grade I develop a love for United States history because of one teacher, Mrs. Eckert. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in all of my seven years of life. She was tall and elegant, perfectly dressed and a wonderful teacher. But that is not why I remember her. I remember her because she gave us our first dose of patriotism. How did she do that? By teaching us songs of Patriotism. I learned to sing God Bless America, America the Beautiful, It’s a Grand Old Flag, Yankee Doodle Dandy ( the one for kids and the George M. Cohan one), The Battle Hymn of the Republic and The Star Spangled Banner. My own daughter was not taught these songs in school. She only knows them from myself and country radio. Why? Are the songs so offensive because they are patriotic and use the term God? Someone please tell me why!

I never experienced prayer in school until I went to Catholic school. At Catholic school we said the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer before starting our day. What is the big deal? Now let me make it very clear, I am not an overly religious person. I believe in God and I believe Jesus was sent here for a purpose. However I don’t see how prayer hurts anyone. My husband was born in 1957 and remembers praying in school. He stated, “It was not a big deal.” There were mostly Catholics in his school but there were other denominations as well. He told me they would say a prayer and at recess the Catholics would tease the Baptists, the Baptists would tease the Catholics and someone would yell “Let’s play ball” and all was forgotten. As far as he and his friends were concerned, it was no big deal. Why is it a big deal now - can someone tell me why?

I see that Wal-Mart is going to encourage the use of “Merry Christmas”. Why was it banned in the first place? Christians don’t have a right to celebrate the holiday? But every other religion has the right to celebrate their specials days. Beyond Christians many people celebrate Christmas because they enjoy being around friends and family. They enjoy the spirit of the holiday. Some non-religious people even say Merry Christmas to each other. When did putting up a Christmas tree infer the government was promoting a specific religion? Isn’t the Christmas tree really a pagan symbol, therefore has nothing to do with the Christian religion? Where is the ACLU when the National Christmas Tree is lit every year. By their definition the National Christmas Tree is promoting a specific religion. I don’t think so, but the question still remains: Why is being Christian and celebrating specific holidays so wrong? Especially in a country that has no national religion and was founded on the basis of religious freedom.

Which leads me to my next question. Why is saying “One Nation under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance so bad? I mean the majority of people in this country don’t have a problem with it. So why should a minority of people be allowed to tell us what can and can’t be done? Doesn’t Allah, translated to English mean God. I thought I was being crazy. But I asked a co-worker who was Muslim what Allah translated to English meant and she said God. My husband who studied the Koran and Muslim religion, prior to going to Iraq in 1990-91 said the same thing. I even asked a man from Jordan. You know he said an amazing thing to me: “ It meant God.”

Why did we turn from a republic to a quasi-socialist government. Did the Great Depression suddenly make people realize that self sufficiency was not the answer and only government could take care of us. Why is there a Great Society and why do Democrats feel government intrusion is the only answer? Why do welfare recipients get money but don’t have to do anything for it? Why is there an Earned Income Credit for those who barely earn any income but not for those who earn a solid middle class income.

Why do the Democrats say the Bush tax cuts only help the rich? I guess my family must be among the rich, even though our income is well below $100,000 per year. I received a tax cut. Even though it was not thousands of dollars, it still was enough for me to say “wow” and go spend it. Why is it that Democrats will let the current tax cuts like the Child Tax Credit expire, but say they want to cut taxes on the middle class. Isn’t that raising taxes? In 2010 if those tax reduction are not made permanent, my taxes will go up by $1,000.00. Doesn’t sound like they want to cut taxes. Silly me, I thought the Democrats were for the middle class.

Why does there have to be a show called “Made in America”? What happened to cause America to stop making things? I know I would pay more for items that were made in this country. I have met countless other people who say the same thing. So why aren’t more things made in this country? Is it because corporations are so greedy, they would ship jobs overseas to avoid paying higher wages. (The Democrats and Unions would say this) I really don’t think that is the case - I believe higher taxes and out of control wages are the cause of the demise of the American product.

I also believe that the culture of “You have to have a College Education” has contributed to the decline of the American product. Since when does everyone one need to go to college to succeed. Wasn’t our country built on tradesman, artisans, carpenters and other types of labor? How can Americans still be artisans, tradesman, carpenters and other laborers when the use of hands and thinking without a computer is not encouraged? What happened to education in this country? Since when is alright to teach to the slowest child instead of to the average child? Why has the high school diploma been devalued? Why is it that every idiot can get in to college instead of making it a true haven for our best and brightest? Countless times, I would sit in a college class and the whole class would be slowed down because one person just didn’t get it. I met many people who would have better benefited from on the job training or going to a trade school rather than traditional college. Now a Bachelor’s degree is really no good and you have to have a Masters Degree or Doctorate to advance in your chosen career with any speed. Since when did having a degree mean you had any common sense. In the Insurance industry, to be a claims adjuster, you have to have a college degree because it shows you can think analytically. Please! What you need is common sense and the ability to ask questions. There are many jobs listed in the Help Wanted Ads that require a college degree, but in reality a little on the job training would go a long way. I am not saying college is not important. On the contrary I believe that the more you know the better off you will be. However, there are many other avenues of learning.

This brings me to the serious problem of partisan politics. For example, the newly elected Democratic majority in the Congress say they want bipartisanship; that they will reach out and work with the Republicans. They know what the American people want and it is change. No more polarization in politics. Come on - lets get real. They will try to suppress any type of Republican legislation, they really don’t care what the American people want (less taxes, tough illegal immigration laws, etc.) and they are not going to work with this President. What happened to “No Taxation without Representation” Wait! This isn’t a politically correct thing to say, because it goes against the current wave of socialism sweeping our country. Without excessive taxation, how could the government run our lives as well as give us everything we need. Wait a minute, doesn’t this go against the principles our country was founded on?

What happened to serving in the military? Why did it become, for so long, disgraceful to be in the military. Why did the baby boomers - the product of one of the greatest generations in American history - decide that being in the military was so disgraceful? Why did they spit on the troops returning from Vietnam? Why did the great John Kerry disgrace himself, and the rest of the military, by calling his fellow servicemen murderers and rapists. Then throwing his medals over the fence of the White House? Why does he, and others like him, pretend to care about veterans? When in fact, had they truly cared, they would have stood up and said “Those men and women should be treated with respect even if we disagree with the mission in Vietnam. They were only doing their job.” Why is it, even today, the thought of a draft brings on great fear? In the past, one of the greatest things a man could do was serve his country. Why did it take the Gulf War for the military to be appreciated again? Was it because they won and drove Saddam out of Kuwait? Even though we lost in Vietnam, because politicians stuck their noses where they didn’t belong, didn’t the military still protect and defend us in the years between Vietnam and the Gulf War?

What happened to the family? Why is it so important for both parents to work outside of the home? Why is it disgraceful to be a stay at home mother? I ask myself that question every day because truthfully I feel like less of a woman because I stay at home. Why do I feel this way and why was my generation conditioned to believe this? Why is it that kids cannot come home from school and play outside, instead having to be involved in a plethora of extra curricular activities? Where did the sandbox go? Where did imagination go?

Speaking of kids. Who said they had to have everything the parents didn’t? Believe me, I am as guilty of this anyone else. Why is it kids have the ability to control a house, but parents are looked down upon if they use corporal punishment. Not every parent is a child abuser. I was spanked as a child and put into a corner when I was bad. I didn’t turn out to be a psychopathic killer. I’m not a degenerate and I don’t beat my kids. Social Services and the media have created this environment to a certain extent. They run stories that involve child abusers and killers making it seem as though every child is potentially a victim. When did we become a society of victims?

Which brings me to political correctness. Why is being called an American offensive. Why are we divided into white Americans, African-Americans, Latin Americans and so on. I am proud of the different ethnic backgrounds that make up my family because of immigration. But the fact is, I was born in the good old USA. Not Greece, Ireland or England, therefore I am an American not a Greek American, Irish American or English American.

Another problem with political correctness is that it ultimately causes discrimination, called Affirmative Action. We have to check a box about our gender and ethnic background. Companies are required to hire so many from each race or gender regardless of their qualifications. No wonder we have angry white, middle aged males. They are being denied jobs based on their race and gender in favor of someone else’s. But these rules are on the books because judges and lawyers state that, without them, certain groups would be disenfranchised. I understand that prior to the civil rights movement and the civil rights laws of the 1960's there was discrimination based on race and gender, however the United States Code has been amended to prevent racial and sexual discrimination. So I ask again why do we need Affirmative Action? Isn’t Affirmative Action a politically correct way of saying we don’t think you are qualified but we will put that aside because of your race and gender?

What happened to personal responsibility? If you stick a cigarette in your mouth and breath in the smoke it is not hard to figure out that what you’re doing may not be smart. Likewise eating fast food everyday or stuffing your face like your some kind of pig, going to slaughter, is equally stupid. So, why do we sue tobacco companies and fast food restaurants? Are average Americans so stupid they can’t figure out smoking and overeating is unhealthy? People make the choice to stick a cigarette or food in their mouths, so why do tobacco companies have to pay for their stupidity? Notice, I only mentioned tobacco companies as they do produce a lot of the food products on grocery store shelves. Hey, they are peddling a product and we are buying it. So, if we are making the choice to purchase it, doesn’t that mean we have to take personal responsibility for that choice?

Where did all the heroes go? Heroes like Thomas Jefferson, Audie Murphy, George Patton, John Kennedy, Douglas MacArthur, Jackie Robinson, Harriet Tubman, Dolly Madison and so on. People who did what they thought was right and just. Why is it that overpaid actors and athletes are the new heroes. Who said they did anything special? Why did it take over two years for a Marine Corporal to receive recognition, in the media, for valor above and beyond the call of duty? As far as the media is concerned, in the coming weeks it will be yesterdays news. What Paris Hilton or Britney Spears is doing will be far more important than the young men and women actually doing something for the greater good of society.

Which brings me back to my original question: “What happened to America?”