Sooo, hows all that working out for ya?

[Yvonne's hubby]

When I graduated high school in 1969 there were quite a few problems that needed to be addressed in this country and there were some changes already in the works.

Education: Corporal punishment was still the accepted standard to achieve discipline, that had to be changed for fear of damaging a childs self esteem.
We were taught history, math, grammar, cursive handwriting, science, music theory, and art without the use of calculators or computers. We were graded on our own scores that we earned, not on "the curve". Our teachers figured that being the very best stupid kid was not good enough... and you didnt get an "A" just because your score of 42 out of a possible 100 was the highest in the class.... you got an "F" because you hadnt learned the lesson. Our scoring system went something along the lines of 95 to 100 was an A, 85 to 95 was a B, 75 to 85 got you a C and anything below a 75 earned you a lickin when daddy heard about it.
If you failed, you earned the right to repeat that class next year, and the year after if need be.
I understand that has all been fixed now and a childs self esteem is no longer in danger, just their lives.

Poverty: By the time I graduated high school, LBJ's war on poverty was well underway, Women were getting regular pay checks for sitting at home raising babies. Kennedy's food stamp program was putting food on the table for millions. Medicare was still pretty new, and the old folks could all breath a sigh of relief, knowing the government was going to take care of them, they could now spend their own money on that new boat and a new station wagon to pull it with. That war went about as well for us as the one in Viet Nam, although we did eventually get out of Nam, we are still plagued with poor folks. Wonder if we need to look for a new strategy?

Speaking of wars.... hows that war on drugs coming along in your neighborhoods? I know around here we no longer worry too much about the potheads, its the meth lab explosions that are creating the problems. Maybe we need to look into a different strategy there too.

Economy: In 1969 when I graduated the federal government was head over heals in debt... a bit over 350 billion dollars worth!

Terrorism: In 69 I recall flying from Sunny southern Ca to Boise Idaho. I hitched a rided to to the airport, bought a ticket, checked in my bags, got on the plane, set back in my seat and lit a smoke..... yep, you could still smoke on an airplane then! There were no metal detectors, there were no lines, nobody asked to check my bags, nobody cared much about what I took on board as long as I paid the fare. Couple years ago the buggers confiscated my lighter for fear of me blowing up the plane with it!! (I have no idea what they thought I was going to blow up with that can of shaving cream, but they took it too)

Gun control: In 1969 I used to trade at a local market, today it would be called a convenience store. Back then it was just "Oley's". Oley sold a few groceries, beer, some various tobacco products, guns, and ammo. It was a great setup, alcohol, tobacco and firearms in the form of a convenience store instead of a federal agency.

So there is more to this post than just waxing nostalgic.... as the title asks... hows it working out for yall? we are now many trillions in debt, still have poverty(amplified), our kids are not getting an education, people are shooting people openly in parking lots, millions upon millions out of work and the government continues to tell us that only they can solve the problems with more taxes and restrictive legislation.

Our kiddies do have a great sense of self esteem though, I reckon that has to count for something.

[Shrek]

The U.S. Federal Air Marshal division started in 1968 as the Sky Marshals and most every domestic flight has had at least one plain clothed officer on board ever since.

If I recall correctly the Marshals initiated the air beat in response to various hijacking attempts by Arabs or Egyptians then.

[Tracy Rimmer]

Originally Posted by Shrek

The U.S. Federal Air Marshal division started in 1968 as the Sky Marshals and most every domestic flight has had at least one plain clothed officer on board ever since.

Yeah, but it used to be that you could get on a flight without being probed, and it was a pretty sure bet that the meal would be made of real food.

[Rainy]

By looking at the line i was in on last Thursday at WM, i would say the food stamp program is working well for some, just not me.LOL I am so sick of paying for people to sit on the behind.
I don't think thing's are working really well at all, when you sit and think about it all in one big picture it really is very nerve-wrecking..

[mnn2501]

Originally Posted by Shrek

If I recall correctly the Marshals initiated the air beat in response to various hijacking attempts by Arabs or Egyptians then.

Actually planes were being hijacked to Cuba

[Yvonne's hubby]

Originally Posted by mnn2501

Actually planes were being hijacked to Cuba

Yes they were, and instead of offloading the hijackers at 30,000 ft we gave in to their demands.... and took them where ever they wanted to go, setting a very poor precedent. Instead of strip searching our law abiding citizens in the name of security, we should be dealing with criminals for what they are... criminals! Show them the same compassion and care they grant our decent law abiding citizens when they commit these heinous crimes. A few rounds of that treatment and our good citizens and neighbors will once again be able to buy a ticket, board a plane and go about their business without all the nonsense.

[plowjockey]

Some people did not think 1969 was all that great and I was only 10, so there was not a lot I could do about the world -just like today.

Things are certainly more complicated now, than in 1969, which was considerably more complicated, than things were in 1929.

What's your point?

[Trixie]

I think we can all realize that things are not great now - but by 1969 - the die was already cast.

[Yvonne's hubby]

Originally Posted by plowjockey

Some people did not think 1969 was all that great and I was only 10, so there was not a lot I could do about the world -just like today.

Things are certainly more complicated now, than in 1969, which was considerably more complicated, than things were in 1929.

What's your point?

You make my point quite obvious with your own comments. "Things" are no more complex today than they were in 29. People are still people. The only thing that has changed is how we have opted to deal with their various behaviors. Since 1929 we have opted to reward nonproductive lifestyles, and punish success. We have opted to listen to the "experts" who told us that children did not need discipline, that they needed to feel good about themselves, regardless of their behavior. We have allowed our government to remove God from our schools and replace Him with drug dealers and other dregs of humanity. I have seen the walls of many of our schools, there is plenty of room for the ten commandments to be posted there, side by side with whatever other holy words may be desired by anyone of any faith. We have allowed our government to usurp powers that the founding fathers would never have allowed it to have, and specifically forbid it to possess in the Constitution which is the ONLY law that prevents them from becoming dictators and tyrants. We have traded our libertys for security...... and now we have neither, as was predicted by one of those founding fathers who attempted to set us free.

[Dwayne Barry]

Originally Posted by Trixie

I think we can all realize that things are not great now - but by 1969 - the die was already cast.

Compared to what? Things are great compared to just about any other point in human history, including the vast majority of the history of the U.S. and in comparison to the vast majority of the rest of the world at this time.

Perspective is important.

Let me ask you this? Is there more crime today than there was 5 years ago, a decade ago, 2 decades ago?

[Dwayne Barry]

Originally Posted by Yvonne's hubby

You make my point quite obvious with your own comments. "Things" are no more complex today than they were in 29. People are still people. The only thing that has changed is how we have opted to deal with their various behaviors. Since 1929 we have opted to reward nonproductive lifestyles, and punish success. We have opted to listen to the "experts" who told us that children did not need discipline, that they needed to feel good about themselves, regardless of their behavior. We have allowed our government to remove God from our schools and replace Him with drug dealers and other dregs of humanity. I have seen the walls of many of our schools, there is plenty of room for the ten commandments to be posted there, side by side with whatever other holy words may be desired by anyone of any faith. We have allowed our government to usurp powers that the founding fathers would never have allowed it to have, and specifically forbid it to possess in the Constitution which is the ONLY law that prevents them from becoming dictators and tyrants. We have traded our libertys for security...... and now we have neither, as was predicted by one of those founding fathers who attempted to set us free.

So if the problem started with ill-disciplined kids and taking God out of the schools what is your explanation for the drop in violent crime (actually crime in general, including property crimes) since the early 90s?

[Yvonne's hubby]

Originally Posted by Dwayne Barry

So if the problem started with ill-disciplined kids and taking God out of the schools what is your explanation for the drop in violent crime (actually crime in general, including property crimes) since the early 90s?

I am not sure that it has, and neither is the dept of justice. According to their data, felony crime rates per capita steadily rose from 1990 to 2006. http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/fssc06st.pdf

Note there were 447 felonies per hundred thousand population in 1990. By 2006 that number had climbed to 503 felonies per hundred thousand population.

[Yvonne's hubby]

Originally Posted by Dwayne Barry

Compared to what? Things are great compared to just about any other point in human history, including the vast majority of the history of the U.S. and in comparison to the vast majority of the rest of the world at this time.

Perspective is important.

Let me ask you this? Is there more crime today than there was 5 years ago, a decade ago, 2 decades ago?

yes, see my post above

[suzyhomemaker09]

umm yeah..taking God out of schools is what's ailing America.....

NOT !!!