Once Upon A Time In America
Chuck Baldwin | January 18 2006
The America that our children are growing up in today in no way resembles the America our Founding Fathers bequeathed to their posterity. The America of our ancestors had no IRS, no ACLU, no NEA, and no BATFE. In our fathers' America, children could pray aloud and read the Bible in school. Divorce rates were practically unknown as was child abuse.
In America of yesteryear, it didn't cost billions of dollars to educate our children, and when they graduated from grammar school, they had a better education than most high school graduates (and even some college graduates) today. Then again, that was during a time when teachers enjoyed parents' support in maintaining discipline in the classroom. Imagine that.
In our once great America, virginity and chastity were popular virtues, and one could live to old age and never be exposed to the abominations of homosexuality and adultery.
There was a time in this great country when, except for a few certain morally corrupt large cities, the most egregious gamblers hung out in bingo parlors, and anyone who even whispered his or her support for state-sponsored gambling would be run out of town on a rail.
Once upon a time in this great land, it only took a father's paycheck to comfortably support his family. This was primarily due to the fact that local, state, and federal taxes were not stealing nearly half of his income. Beyond that, when he bought a piece of property, no one could take it away-not even the government. After all, he was not then required to pay squatter's rent (property taxes) in order to keep something he had already paid for.
There was also a time in the once noble America when physicians actually made personal visits to the homes of their patients. You see, doctors then truly went into their profession for the purpose of helping people and not to get rich.
Furthermore, at one time in our once wonderful country, Sunday was universally regarded as "The Lord's Day," and one would look long and hard to find even a dime store (remember those?) open.
I even remember when Americans were free to order firearms from the Sears and Roebuck or J.C. Penny catalog. Then again, I well recall that as a boy I could leave home on my bicycle (with instructions to be back at a certain time) and never entertain the first thought that I was in any danger.
I also remember going to the Saturday matinee unsupervised (it was unnecessary) and never hearing God's name taken in vain or any other profane speech, for that matter. There was no rating system then, of course, because virtually every movie was suitable for the entire family.
Furthermore, some of us can even remember when farmers were free to plant whatever crops they chose and in whatever quantities they chose. And they did not have to "give the farm away" in order to purchase the needed equipment, either.
However, the America our children are growing up in today is much different. Today's children are daily exposed to all manner of moral deviancy, risk becoming a victim of sexual predators, and attend schools that more resemble detention centers than institutions of education.
Today's children are growing up in a world where their federal government has become a ubiquitous snoop, where freedoms are only granted piece-meal, and where most of their life's activity is controlled and regulated by the great Nanny State. Americans need to face it: freedom, as envisioned by America's Founding Fathers, is dead! Today's America is some kind of hybrid collection of fascism, socialism, and international capitalism, and where the difference between Democrats and Republicans isn't worth a plug nickel! Neither do the terms "liberal" nor "conservative" hold any meaning today. On the whole, neither group has the slightest understanding of America's founding principles.
No, today's America holds no resemblance to the once great nation for which our forebears fought and died. And given the rapidity with which America has forsaken its heritage, can you imagine what it will look like 50 years from now?
The America that our children are growing up in today in no way resembles the America our Founding Fathers bequeathed to their posterity. The America of our ancestors had no IRS, no ACLU, no NEA, and no BATFE. In our fathers' America, children could pray aloud and read the Bible in school. Divorce rates were practically unknown as was child abuse.
In America of yesteryear, it didn't cost billions of dollars to educate our children, and when they graduated from grammar school, they had a better education than most high school graduates (and even some college graduates) today. Then again, that was during a time when teachers enjoyed parents' support in maintaining discipline in the classroom. Imagine that.
In our once great America, virginity and chastity were popular virtues, and one could live to old age and never be exposed to the abominations of homosexuality and adultery.
There was a time in this great country when, except for a few certain morally corrupt large cities, the most egregious gamblers hung out in bingo parlors, and anyone who even whispered his or her support for state-sponsored gambling would be run out of town on a rail.
Once upon a time in this great land, it only took a father's paycheck to comfortably support his family. This was primarily due to the fact that local, state, and federal taxes were not stealing nearly half of his income. Beyond that, when he bought a piece of property, no one could take it away-not even the government. After all, he was not then required to pay squatter's rent (property taxes) in order to keep something he had already paid for.
There was also a time in the once noble America when physicians actually made personal visits to the homes of their patients. You see, doctors then truly went into their profession for the purpose of helping people and not to get rich.
Furthermore, at one time in our once wonderful country, Sunday was universally regarded as "The Lord's Day," and one would look long and hard to find even a dime store (remember those?) open.
I even remember when Americans were free to order firearms from the Sears and Roebuck or J.C. Penny catalog. Then again, I well recall that as a boy I could leave home on my bicycle (with instructions to be back at a certain time) and never entertain the first thought that I was in any danger.
I also remember going to the Saturday matinee unsupervised (it was unnecessary) and never hearing God's name taken in vain or any other profane speech, for that matter. There was no rating system then, of course, because virtually every movie was suitable for the entire family.
Furthermore, some of us can even remember when farmers were free to plant whatever crops they chose and in whatever quantities they chose. And they did not have to "give the farm away" in order to purchase the needed equipment, either.
However, the America our children are growing up in today is much different. Today's children are daily exposed to all manner of moral deviancy, risk becoming a victim of sexual predators, and attend schools that more resemble detention centers than institutions of education.
Today's children are growing up in a world where their federal government has become a ubiquitous snoop, where freedoms are only granted piece-meal, and where most of their life's activity is controlled and regulated by the great Nanny State. Americans need to face it: freedom, as envisioned by America's Founding Fathers, is dead! Today's America is some kind of hybrid collection of fascism, socialism, and international capitalism, and where the difference between Democrats and Republicans isn't worth a plug nickel! Neither do the terms "liberal" nor "conservative" hold any meaning today. On the whole, neither group has the slightest understanding of America's founding principles.
No, today's America holds no resemblance to the once great nation for which our forebears fought and died. And given the rapidity with which America has forsaken its heritage, can you imagine what it will look like 50 years from now?
posted by transduction at 6:03 PM
2 Comments:
WOW you are dating both yourseld and me. I remember everythign you mentioned and then some. Families were much closer, we knew all of our neighbors and everyone looked out for everyone else. We had neighborhood block parties and there was never any trouble. We never heard of drugs in school and there was no need for metal detectors. The worst thing that usually happened between 2 boys fighting was a bloody nose or black eye.
And when I was a boy I could walk the streets in the neighborhood and not have to worry about being abducted, raped or murdered. Most of our neighbors left their car and house doors unlocked.
A good movie was a good movie because of the stroy and production value, not what the total net box office take was.
Money was not the almighty and only god, we gave thanks for what we had to get by on. Homelessness was something we rarely saw.
People all assimilated and spoke the same language, there was more of a cohesive culture in America.
There are a lot of things I remember, that "alas" are totally lost to our young.
Thanks for the memories, May God have mercy on us all
Wow! I want to link to you. I don't even know how I got to your post! It's great! Please link to divaslife (the one by Constance). The one by Amber is boring. How she started with AOL.journal and now has the same name as mine (I chose my name months before she did), is amazing. "Conspiracy" maybe?
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