Old School

Individual responsibility. Hard work. Can do. Personal sacrifice in the present for a better future for ourselves and our children. Doing the right thing even when others aren't looking. Family. Charity. Personal best. Accepting blame. Spreading credit. Living up to one's word. Politeness, formality and manners. Learning as a personal goal and virtue. And, yes, even religion and values.

These were once the hallmarks of being an American. While some did not have all the opportunites of others, these were still the ideals. One would never ask unless in dire need. One would offer before being asked. Those who were destitute were ashamed of their lot and strived to improve. Those at the top gave back through philanthropy.

Where did all that go? Can America be great again without embracing these values and traits? Can we be great in a land of political correctness, of being nonjudgmental, of expecting the government to bail us out of any predicament our mouth can get us into? Can we be great when the rich buy unneeded luxuries without guilt and the poor grab their entitlements without shame, each looking at the government as justification for their behavior? Are we happier for being less and having a government that is more? It has been said that a weak government produces strong people and vice versa. Is it twilight for America? Could it be that what Islamic extremists could not do, we have done to ourselves?

Big government is an ethical challenge to a nation of individuals. It has poisoned the minds of the poor and has hardened the hearts of the rich. This will be the obituary of Americans: we died by our own hand, having become disillusioned with our own core principles and values. We demanded more and more of our government and less and less of ourselves until we disappeared into meaninglessness and the government became America. There is no New School. School is out. Turn on the TV... image is everything.