Where has the Grain and Grit of America gone?

Personally, here's what I think: Things have gotten too easy. I remember having to write out essays in Jr High and if there was any evidence of erasing, the teacher would require the whole thing to be re-written. I remember doing freshman year high school papers on my mom's typewriter - the coolest thing ever because it had correction tape! But I still had to keep a dictionary and thesaurus nearby. I remember having to plan ahead and get my homework done quick and done right if I wanted to watch my favorite TV shows. I remember having to write down in an address book, or memorize my friends' phone numbers if I wanted to call them. AND my parents taught me that you never ever call around dinner time, nor do you call after 9pm.

All this and I am only 30! Today I see kids using 3 different gadgets at once, having no clue how to spell, vocabulary limited to what they hear on i-tunes, and procrastination is a daily event. The kids aren't the only problem. I see the parents giving the kids these items, threatening to sue schools for suspending their child, as well as putting full entertainment systems in their child's room so they won't "bother" the parents!

Basically, the Lassez Faire attitude we learned of in history classes is taking us over and we are becoming too dependent on our gadgetry. I have a cell phone, I have a top-o-the-line laptop, I have an entertainment center filled with nice things and pretty speakers, as well as a nice ride with cool rims. The difference is I have nothing that I didn't work my butt off for and had to save and save for. My first radio I bought myself from mowing lawns and babysitting.

A coworker says he's giving his old TV and DVD player to his 4 year old daughter! Sell them, anything, but don't give them to her, I said. But his explanation was that I didn't understand. When he wants to watch his shows he can't because she wants to watch hers. My solution: tell her to go play with her toys! I have a daughter. She's not getting a cell phone, not getting her own entertainment center, and she's going to have to write at least a rough draft of each paper before I allow her to type it up. Friends call me mean for all this, but does that mean how WE grew up was mean? NO! That was LEARNING and I see a gross lack of it in today's schools and homes. Yes I said homes. Teachers are in all of us and we are getting into a bad habit of thinking kids learn only in school. Parents get blamed for a lot about how kids today act, but the truth is parents are the first teachers.

That's pretty simple to answer. We have been mind numbed with American Idols, Survivors, IPod Cell Phones, BMW's, etc. We need the best, the biggest or in some cases the more expensive smallest. We have been comfortably hypnotized into thinking that as long as we have a tank full of gas in our SUV's and enough food to keep us fat and television to keep us lazy everything is just fine and who cares about somebody less fortunate. We are raping and destroying other countries all over the world especially if it has oil. It all trickles down to the individual eventually. It's a product of Capitalism and we are now slaves to Corporate America.

The administration and the Democrats have assured a 40 p.c. scarcity of nutrition right here in u . s . a . via slicing off the water to the imperative Valley farmers in Ca. desirous approximately a minnow that may not even indigenous to Ca. they pick wellbeing look after all and on the comparable time ought to make nutrition extra high priced or out of attain for the undesirable and center classification. we can be importing meals that we used to export

I think this national unity crap is a myth and has been for most of our existence. We are an individualistic people who care about ourselves and our family first, which is the way it should be from my perspective.

I have to say I concur with the personal responsibility issue, but that has its origins in the nanny state. We need less social welfare and more recognition for those who do the best.

We lost alot of it when the mothers of our children had to go to work to make ends meet. We live in a society that forces children

to raise themselves. Or raise themselves based on what they see on television. Things went down hill when we decided that divorce and having children out of wedlock was OK. We as a society have allowed our future leaders to be lazy, rude, violent and totally unaware of how their actions affect others. We can't even discipline our children because they have been taught that this is abuse.

Did you see the kid on CNN that had 138 felony's? The mothers response was "I just don't believe he did all this." My first thought was where is the father in all this garbage? And my second thought was 138 felonies, I'd be getting 138 years for choking the life out of him.......

Be responsible for you children and what they are doing and learning. Teach them the right values. Let's see America raise children to have capital character. Raise them to work hard for what they want.

Let's see parents teach their children REAL American values.

They are our future leaders and I'm afraid of where we'll end up.

It is walking out with Globalization, political correctness and the American People have lost the will to fight back, since there has been two generations lost to brain washing and no loyalty to country in the Educational systems from K through College!

It is still there if you look hard enough. Just not in any majority of the population since the WWII days. I guess we won't see it again until there is true hardship in this country. People feel entitled to America, and don't feel a real responsibility to their fellow citizens.

I think most people are just too self involved and busy to be worried about anything that doesn't directly affect their own bottom line. as long as they can afford the gasoline they still drive everywhere, as long as they can afford the utility bills they run the air conditioner, as long as they can buy cheap grocery store food or fast food, they dont bother to go to local farmers or to grow their own gardens.

i think that most people today feel that everything that is wrong, is up to someone else to resolve. they just can't be bothered, their own lives are just to complicated to worry about others.

we are definitely losing our moral base, the rest of the world hates us, and congress is unresponsive to any of our needs.

we are facing a bleak future unless some common sense will prevail.

Here's a good example:

Its 4th of July , Philadelphia. People are upset because the fireworks WERN'T canceled because of the rain. Did GW go home because of the rain?? Sorry the war's been postponed for better weather!

It was killed by PC. We are all to worried about being sued for being a good samaritian to actually think about helping someone.