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twitterLetter to the editor:
Nation’s moral decay must be reversed
Friday, July 10, 2009 | 2:02 a.m.
America is on a precipice of great economic and moral disaster; we are producing a phenomenal debt that future generations may not be able to pay off. We are witnessing a great national moral collapse in our society such that sports figures, entertainers and political leaders are no longer held up as role models.
So many in the public eye have been consumed by drugs and personal greed that they have lost any sense of moral balance and responsibility. They are no longer models of behavior, lacking the standards of our heroes of the past.
It is now common to read about notable sports figures or entertainers arrested for drug use or violent or other questionable moral behavior. In sports, the use of performance-enhancing drugs has become common enough that records of sports achievement are no longer believable. Who can really judge the true athletic ability of those who use such drugs to achieve amazing records as track stars, ballplayers or Olympians?
Moral or ethical misconduct by some politicians and other leaders is demoralizing this country and its once proud heritage of great leadership. The quality of our national leadership has been questionable and damaging to our national interests and security ever since Watergate.
Revitalization of our economy is necessary, but America needs a behavioral, moral and ethical revival to return us to our former greatness. Unless we correct the current decay in our own society, this nation will rapidly decline, like the Roman Empire.
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The old adage is that what is moral wrong for you is not necessarily what's morally wrong for everyone else. We need to find a balance and common ground. First, and foremost, it starts within the family unit.
Morals are only worth something if you keep them when they are inconvenient....
" we are producing a phenomenal debt that future generations may not be able to pay off"
For the most part morality is personal; whereas, unchecked debt completely effects all of us.
The private sector is laying people off in droves while government jobs are growing at an alarming rate.
Something has to give.....it looks like it is going to be the backs of the middle class.
Mr. Ensign, step down, not because of the affair but because you continue to disclose stupid details of how you manipulated everything around you.
Mr. Obama, stop writing checks than our country cannot cash. You have aggressively tried to curtail the economic collapse by infusing money into everything that doesn't matter.
I can only hope all the campaigning is over and we will get a President who acts Presidential and not a President who is still running for the job.
I know people will say he inherited a mess, and that would be correct, but he wanted to be President, this wasn't foisted on him like a bad paternity test. He wanted this.
BTW, stop blaming your poor decisions on "didn't have enough information". If you are going to be a leader, LEAD. If you want to be a follower keep blaming everything on everybody else.
Check this site for information about the USA debt.
www.usdebtclock.org
"The old adage is that what is moral wrong for you is not necessarily what's morally wrong for everyone else. We need to find a balance and common ground. First, and foremost, it starts within the family unit."
Old adage? This is moral relativity that is not that old. The founding fathers understood that morality comes from God and a democratic nation can not function without God and social morals. But God is out of favor now and morals are what you want them to be. If you want to help the family unit stop pushing gay marriage. In countries with gay marriage, the family unit is failing where illegimency rates are raising and heterosexual marriage rates declining.
Excellent piece. As a current example here is the media and the fools trying to make a hero out of Michael Jackson who in reality is a dysfunctional individual. Around the same time a man that helped save this country during WWII by the name of Omar Bradly died The media did little to nothing for this hero but give notice that he died. AS far as recovering from this, we are far beyond the point of no return. Drugs, preversion, immorality, lack of respect and loss of disciple will continue to grow.
Give me a break. There is no increase in immorality or ethics. The increase is in the 24/7 media scrutiny that now exposes every little tidbit of sensational activity by the rich and famous. Humans make mistakes; deal with it.
Keep your social-engineering out of my life. Go burn a book in your backyard. It might make you feel better.
Good letter. Thanks for a thoughtful piece.
I suspect that there is no more immorality today than in prior times before there was 24/7 blanket coverage. But is the truth of that a justification for not seeking a higher standard. If there is in fact more and more pervasive coverage, doesn't that place a higher burden on our leaders/icons/politicians? Don't we have the right to expect more accountability and responsible conduct?
"The founding fathers understood that morality comes from God and a democratic nation can not function without God and social morals."
gnelson651 -- that so? Then quote one with a bona fide link.
Your morality and Mr. Sestini's are not mine, nor should they be. Yet you wave them around as the standard the rest of us should live by. And the way both of you put it you are the antethesis of the freedom, liberty and justice our country's founders envisioned. Just read the Declaration of Independence -- it's called "the pursuit of happiness." So far as I'm concerned your "God and social morals" are irrelevant here.
annienonymouse, OpenRange -- I'm with you guys on this.
"The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the hijacking of morality by religion." -- Arthur C. Clarke
Why is it a big deal when a big name liberal dies but not a big deal when a big name conservative dies. It's because the news media favors the liberal point of view! Some day when President Obama and President Clinton die the news media will have 24/7 coverage for a whole month about what a great President he was, he will be shown in a postive light. And some day when President Bush (43) dies the news media will talk sh#t about him for about 3 days and then drop the whole story.
The question is not of expectation,but of the people,demanding it.When a public official commits a trangresion in the political office he holds he has forfeited that office by the simple betrayal of the public trust.We must force them to a higher standard,only then can we get the kind of leadership needed.
I'm tired of listening to our parties as they both blame each other for the problems we as American citizens are now facing. They have both been a party to the never ending greed which has been taking place for quite some time now.
This back and forth blaming gets so confusing that we seem to forget that both parties have been apart in the destruction of OUR America.
When will we as citizens hold our Politicians accountable for the damage they have caused not only to the foundation of our country, but to the people who have voted for them and have intrusted our lives and futures in the decisions they have made when they have known that their votes have done nothing but torn apart the future of our country.
"The founding fathers understood that morality comes from God and a democratic nation can not function without God and social morals."
Really now? I just watched a piece on the History channel that showed the so-called founding fathers were a wild bunch of hemp smoking, alcohol drinking and womanizing bunch of guys. Maybe it was totally fiction, and then again, maybe not.
I'm not big on the God thing. Morality, however, sounds like a good idea. Not certain what it is exactly, so can one of you God guys define it for me? Some examples would be nice. I have heard of "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you", but I don't think it was God who said it. I have read the sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:38-42)where an important spiritual leader said:
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the
other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the
one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." But that doesn't seem to fit with what I hear espoused daily by our religious leaders who demand retribution from "sinners". Nor from the many Americans who feel no obligation toward their less fortunate fellow countrymen.
In that same "sacred" book, I've seen this: (Matthew 5:27-30)"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to
lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."
And yet, our Clergy and our secular leaders, whose sins of commission have become public, still have vision in both eyes.
Does morality have anything to do with compassion? Is "love thy neighbor as thyself" part of the code?
Perhaps I'm searching the wrong book?
"I'm tired of listening to our parties as they both blame each other for the problems we as American citizens are now facing. They have both been a party to the never ending greed which has been taking place for quite some time now.
This back and forth blaming gets so confusing that we seem to forget that both parties have been apart in the destruction of OUR America.
When will we as citizens hold our Politicians accountable for the damage they have caused not only to the foundation of our country, but to the people who have voted for them and have entrusted our lives and futures in the decisions they have made when they have known that their votes have done nothing but torn apart the future of our country".
I like the way you talk and think!!!
It's all about attitude. Years ago the prevailing attitude was people helping people. Neighbors watched out for each other. Now it's I'm going to get mine even if I have to steal it from you. In the last few years many people caught using a stolen credit card, or number, felt they did nothing wrong and that the card holder should be grateful because the thief, by getting caught, alerted the cardowner that the card had been compromised. If it feels good do it. No matter if someone else gets hurt in the process. Just doing my thing.
It also doesn't help that today anyone who toes the line and has no vices is looked upon as some kind of freak and should be treated as such. Yet we glorify those who act out and make life miserable for others.
StanG -- no wonder you're confused about morality. considering what you're using for sources.
To me morality has always been my own sense of right and wrong. Some of that came from upbringing, some from life experience.
It all became much more clear once sin was removed from the formula after the realization of what sin really is -- one way the herd to controls itself.
Some Nietzsche clarifies that (from "The Gay Science"): "With morality the individual is led into being a function of the herd and to ascribing value to himself only as a function ... Morality is the herd instinct in the individual."