Is "My" America gone?

Yes Paul. It's gone. Not yet forgotten by the BabyBoomers and older, but gone nonetheless. Anyone who was born after 1970 was likely innundated by commercial TV broadcasts, shuffled from place to place during the sell your house to make money and buy a bigger one era, and spoiled by long-term economic growth and job opportunities propped up by unlimited deficit spending by government and parents alike, and has developed an "everything is in abundance and therefore disposable" attitude, come to believe that the world owes them everything the former generations had earned for them, and wouldn't sacrifice so much as one of their high-calorie junk food meals to feed a neighbor who is less fortunate and hungry today.

Granted, on the surface "progress" has been wonderful... but, in which direction has America been progressing? Into debt? Selling off the future so as to have luxury today? Abandoning the ideals which once guided us? Taking pride, not in the simple pleasure of just being a good person, but rather in acquiring money and power for the purpose of having the ability to manipulate or destroy others living in one's own country, and then chortling at one's victims?

Where is the Pledge of Allegiance we used to say every morning in the classroom?

Where is the God that used to guide our conscience?

Where is the desire to do "random acts of kindness"?

Where is the trust that once allowed children to walk anywhere alone, full of joy and free of cares?

Where is the integrity that used to be associated with a handshake on a deal, with "My word is my bond"?

These thing which were once a part of this great country have each been quietly and steadily driven away from us by lawyers, loopholes, and outright greed.

I shall take another moment today (and again tomorrow, and even all the days following) to grieve at the loss...

It's become a tragedy beyond my comprehension.

EDIT: Perhaps, it's time to take your grandchildren aside and gently explain the true heart of America. Pass it on to them with the hope that they will never forget. I learned the "my word is my bond" and "a handshake is enough between honest men" from my own grandfather (who, incidently, kept his humble family fed throughout the "Great Depression" without once turning to crime). My elder sister (God rest her soul) passed on to me the words of "Desiderata". May I suggest: Make copies of Desiderata, write a personal note on the back of them to each of your grandchildren, place each inside a Bible, and ask them to protect and cherish it always, and refer to it often as their most precious rememberance of you.

Remind them that true respect from others which allows one to sleep soundly at night is EARNED through one's actions, and not "bought and paid for on the presumption of good credit".

Wow great question. I completely agree, what is wrong with these "birthers?" How can they really believe our President is not there legitimately? It's preposterous, but in your day there was no Fox News, no MSNBC. Walter Cronkite read the news and he didn't spin it either way. He just told you what happened, factually, and that was it.

Maybe all the biased media is to blame. I don't know. But to give in to lame conspiracy theories, to not believe that the powers-that-be have made sure that no man could run for President if not a thoroughly checked and documented American is just sad.

Come on liberal or conservative. We can do better than this.

You can disagree with a man's politics, but to deny his American heritage? Pathetic. Hatred and racism at it's best. Don't forget, he is our first black President and no matter how people want to deny it, that is part of the problem.

i think you can trace the change directly to the rising influence of social conservatives. it seems the change you are talking about is a direct result of the republican party pandering to those people. they pushed all of the moderates out, the presidents you listed never would've passed the purity test the republican party has today. then again, if we had the internet in the middle of civil rights the online discourse would have probably been the same.

Although I'm Canadian, I can relate to what your saying. I do disagree that Johnson and Nixon were seen as reasonable men giving weight to both sides of an argument. I recall there being NO respect for either.

People like George W. Bush have proven to us that just because you're president, doesn't mean you deserve my respect. In my world, you have to earn it. Also, I believe that most (if not all) of the worlds most powerful leaders are puppets of a bigger, scarier reality that most of us are blissfully unaware of. They give us a semblance of freedom, but it's really just that... a semblance...

Still, even with all of it's shortcomings, I'm not sure there is anywhere else in the world I'd prefer to call home.

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog...

The difference between the past and today is:

In your time (1970) the people fight for progress(e.g.civil rights). Today the conservatives (tea party) fight against progress.

In the past the protesters said "Make Love Not War". Today they want more wars.

one extra time human beings 'awaken!!!!!' Geithner is FEDERAL RESERVE - connect the dots a million. The Federal Reserve isn't a central authority business enterprise 2. It replaced into based in 1913 throughout the time of a Christmas trip era the place it replaced into pushed by Congress via wealthy industrialists, Rockefeller, Rothschild, and so on. 3. It creates fiat money - money without backing 4. It collects pastime from the money it loans to the federal government 5. present day contributors of the Federal Reserve and the Council on distant places kin (CFR) contain human beings from the two events - Bush, the Clintons, Bernanke, Obama, Kissinger, Geithner, Pelosi, Reid 6. the main important purpose of the 1913 team replaced into international government controlled via extremely-wealthy elite bankers 7. the only factor status of their way replaced into the prosperity of the yank human beings 8. Their present day plan: destroy the earning means of the yank human beings bankrupt the government borrow from distant places powers destroy American credibility interior the international destroy American protection features reason financial fall down ensuing in panic deploy globalist puppets to sign away sovereignty (Bush at No. 08 G-20) Obama in upcoming months combine suffering US into international government If human beings nevertheless can no longer settle for this, then i individually sense sorry for them. it is going to get very gruesome, distinctly for human beings in super cities. PLEASE awaken and unite to resign this, or prepare your self the terrific you could.

Yeah I'm sure that this is the first time a president has been vilified. How convenient that you fail to mention the accusations against Bush, that he plotted to destroy the twin towers and kill 5000 americans. Maybe you aren't capable of an objective observation, maybe it only bothers you NOW that you have gushed and poured over this president, for some reason, more than the others?

Gee, I sure hope so. I have different views of that time period than you, but if I had yours I would never trust my government again. I cannot relate to your thinking at all. How do you understand protest and dissent when it suits you and now try to censor it when it doesn't?

It's not dead, but it is in critical condition and on life support.