Maggie's Farm

I am more and more convinced that Obama is a symptom, not the cause of the malaise in which we find ourselves mired. Since at least the 60s, we have been slowly eroding the basic work ethic that built America. The WWII generation saw the depression, went to war, and came home to work hard and create the greatest consumer economy in the world. They became the "establishment" that correctly saw Socialism and Communism as a threat to liberty and prosperity. Sadly, many of their kids dropped out, some doped up, and we had the 60s, a time of fighting the "establishment" and becoming enamored with the misplaced ideal of "sharing the wealth" and outcome based equality. We also somehow decided that competition (like the Cold War) was bad, and that we should fight a war on poverty instead. And the only way to fight poverty was to dismantle the family and grow the government by creating a more and more progressive tax structure (take more from those most able to pay).

Not all of the Boomers were caught up in the anti-establishment counter culture of the time. Many finished school and went to work and raised families. But enough of the counter culture anti-achievement types migrated to the Universities, Media, and Government that they eventually were able to shift the paradigm by institutionalizing Political Correctness and dismantling the concept of Meritocracy. And so, here we are, with third generation welfare, schools that demonize the corporate world, and the entitlement mentality of the OWS crowd.

"Vote for me and I'll make sure you have stuff that other people pay for." I don't think that would have worked in America in the early to mid 20th century. It sure has worked in the early 21st century. Hopefully we are wising up.