Over the past few decades, brave men and women have fought difficult and dangerous battles for freedom and equality in America. These include the civil rights movement, women’s liberation, gay rights, and more. Across our nation, average people have picked up the mantle of freedom and through non-violent expression challenged the status quo to advance the cause of human freedom. It is one of the characteristics of our great country that the majority will fight for an oppressed minority both here and abroad.
Unfortunately, as we have striven to become more accepting and tolerant of those with different cultures, religions, lifestyles, points of view, etc. we have established a culture of political correctness which blinds us to many changes in our society that threaten to undermine the foundations upon which our country has flourished.
We have allowed a pernicious culture of drugs and alcohol to completely overwhelm our youth. As early as grade school, boys and girls are being exposed to marijuana on a regular basis and many take up the habit as early as 9-10 years old. We are told that whether someone uses drugs is simply a choice but what choice does a child have when the use of drugs is glorified in popular music, television shows and movies? When the pushers send their gang into a school and they put massive pressure on kids to try the drugs or be labeled as an outcast, what choice do they have?
When society idolizes someone like Paris Hilton, whose major contributions to our culture are a sex tape, being photographed leaving parties wasted and multiple arrests for drug possession, is it any wonder that our youth would try to emulate her behavior? Not only does she objectify herself so she can make money and attain popularity, she creates an image in the mind of impressionable young boys of what an ideal woman should be. She might claim she is just living her life and having fun but she is selling herself and her image for a profit.
When the most popular shows for teens include drivel like The Jersey Shore, what does that tell us about character quality of our young adult population? The characters basically go from one boozed-up, sexed-up, drugged-up encounter to another while displaying a level of narcissism rarely seen outside of television. All this so teens and young adults can learn how to become better predators.
When college-age youth “occupy” parks, sidewalks and bridges in major cities to rail against the very form of government and free-market based capitalism that has provided them with the highest standard of living in the world, what does this say about the priorities of the next generation? When they dare to equate the worthiness of their “cause” to the struggle of previous generations (such as those who fought against Hitler and his goal of global fascism) it reveals how infantile and selfish their cause truly is. How can they possibly lead this country to a brighter future?
When millions cross our borders illegally each year, use our hospitals, schools, public services, infrastructure and more at our expense and face no penalty as a result of doing so, how can we not go bankrupt? When our government refuses to enforce the immigration laws currently in place or for that matter, any law they happen to disagree with, how can we stop from sliding into eventual chaos?
When the CEO’s of public corporations raid the company for ridiculous compensation and bonus packages and then kick tens of thousands of employees to the curb during the next economic downturn, what does that say about the morality of business leaders in our country. When they place themselves above the shareholder, the employee and the customer and are rewarded for doing so, how can capitalism survive?
When the high-frequency traders and hedge fund managers treat our stock market as a casino and profit from volatility that they themselves often create, how can the average investor continue to have faith in our markets? When investors have finally had enough and eventually take their money off the table, how will businesses get access to the capital they need to grow? How will workers prepare for retirement if they only invest in fixed-income assets? Why haven’t the SEC and FINRA lived up to their mandate to protect “fair and orderly markets”?
When our politicians exempt themselves from the same laws that indicted Martha Stewart for insider trading and led to her spending some serious time in jail, what kind of message does it send to society? Many members of the House and Senate go to Washington as struggling lawyers and even semi-successful business owners but they rarely leave without becoming millionaires. They have made it legal (although it could never be moral) to profit from insider knowledge they have as a result of their position. This includes profiting from non-public information that would result in you or I being tossed in the slammer. They pass health-care laws that the rest of the country must accept, but give themselves a Cadillac plan that they get to keep for life at our expense. In 2011, members of Congress get paid $174,000/year plus benefits. While this is a healthy salary, it doesn’t allow one to keep a house back home and a nice apartment in Georgetown and still become a multimillionaire. Is it any wonder that the people have lost faith in our system of government and Congress’ approval rating is at historic lows?
When the President travels around the world apologizing for the United States and its “imperialistic” nature, what kind of message does it send to those who have seen America as the best hope for the continued freedom of mankind. If our own President does not believe in our country’s past and the exceptional nature of our Republic, what kind of message does that send to the enemies of freedom? How many have been emboldened by his lack of character and commitment?
Through the decades, America has made great advances in the name of tolerance. Yet today, we find that “tolerance” has been co-opted by those who advocate an “anything goes” society. All cultures and beliefs are not equal. Living in a post-modern world where the liberal elite promote the value (or lack thereof) of moral relativism has shown what happens to a society when it loses its sense of right and wrong. One has only to look at the riots in France, England and yes, even Oakland, CA to see where it all ends – in chaos. Young people running wild in the streets, tossing Molotov cocktails, burning buildings, destroying private property and assaulting the innocent. If we continue to let liberal progressives undermine our history, our sense of civic duty and our moral values, we will wake up one day and not even recognize the country we live in. We need to fight those who have used our schools as a breeding ground for amoral ignorance and disrespect for our great nation. We need to remove those in public office who have shown the ultimate disrespect for our country and are guilty of gross dereliction of their duty. We have to demand the removal of immoral business leaders who put quick profits over long-term profitability and a concern for employees, customers and shareholders.
What we really need today is a healthy dose of “intolerance.”
© 2011, Angelica Wolf
Website: www.TheAngelicaW.com
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EnoughisEnoughDC@hotmail.com
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