I have heard the argument both ways. America is declining due to the rapidly decaying moral and family values that are going on in this country. America is even better than we were due to advances in technology, longer life expectancies, great technology, more freedom, and an ever-growing economy. Oops on that last part. I think the opinion now is that the US has either led the worldwide global economic crisis or at least has been a major part of it. So maybe things aren't as promising for this country as once thought.
The federal government passes stimulus and bailout plans to rescue banks, the auto industry, homes, and various businesses and people through the use of borrowed money. States are running out of cash and looking for more revenues by cutting spending, raising taxes, and borrowing money. People are losing their jobs and homes and unemployment continues to increase as companies go out of business. Many would look at our country and just believe that we have fallen on hard times and are in a downturn of an economic cycle. Granted, these problems are so troubling in that we haven't seen struggles like this in decades. So what is the reason?
Well if you ask political pundits, it is because the previous administration overspent or laxed the rules and regulations which allowed this to happen. It was the cause of the administration before that for not learning from the mistakes and opening the door for this fall to happen. Businesses blame the government for not helping them out enough or blaming the economy for their slide. People blame the greed of the banks for taking advantage of them on their loans or not lending to them in a time when we need it. Or maybe it is the economy that is causing their situation and they are just a victim of the times as well.
However, you can take a closer, deeper look at these things and find something more. The government has been overspending and operating a deficit for years. No amount of regulations on businesses can hold a government accountable for only spending what they actually have. The same goes for the state as they overspent for years and now have to make up for their mistakes by cutting spending and taxing people to fix this. Businesses spend millions to pay executives, go on retreats, upgrade offices, all while not making enough effort to run an efficient and effective business. And people buy houses they can't afford because they can't manage their own money, run up credit card debt, and have spent decades living beyond their means. In this day and age, it's all about blaming someone else for your problems.
This is not a problem that happened when the market, banks, auto industry, etc. collapsed. This has been a disease that has been lying in wait for years. And now it has taken its toll. We are attempting to throw money at a problem by borrowing in order to find a quick fix for our struggles. Isn't that our history over the last few decades? Isn't that the American family's solution to their problems? Where is the accountability and consequences for these decisions?
And here is where we see the decline of America - a lack of consequences and accountability for decisions. This isn't an economic problem we have. It's a cultural one. And now we may face a moral decline and economic crisis. Ironically, the root of both of these problems is the same. A drunk man stumbles into the path of an oncoming subway and gets hit. The subway train driver is at fault and the drunk man is rewarded. A man smokes for years, gets lung cancer and dies. The family receives money in a lawsuit for this. A woman spills hot coffee on her clothes while driving and sues because the coffee was too hot. She wins. Bailout plans, putting blame on others, and using up our credit to fix our problems now - all are a result of living a life without consequences or accountability. It's the cancer in our culture that has led to our economic, and moral, decline. It illustrates the ever growing theme in this country - irresponsibility and lack of accountability for one's own actions not only doesn't lead to consequences but is often rewarded.
So we have seen the lack of consequences and accountability in the governments, culture, and the American families. However, worst of all, this extends to many kids today. We are often too worried about whether our kid is happy and how he feels than we are teaching him accountability and consequences for his actions. Kids aren't using technology, they are raised by it. And there is little parenting today. Kids see the government, the culture around them, and their parents and learn to model that behavior. They live life without consequences, thinking someone will eventually help them out, and they become lazy and catered to in this life. They don't gain respect for authority, lash out at any attemps to make them obey, and lose out in learning from the pain of their mistakes.
This isn't just a moral or economis issue. It's a cultural issue that has gone on for years. We have become a country without consequences or accountability. And unless something changes, this cancer will eat away at the moral and economic fabric in which this country was built on.
