I am concerned.

[Vertnut]

Could it be as simple as the loss of morality and ethics?

It has a helluva lot to do with it. Look at certain communities right here in the metroplex that excel at everything from education to athletics. Colleyville, Highland Park, Frisco, Allen, etc (I know I left some out). Everyone thinks it's money. Bullshit. It runs in their genes...from the people that raise them. I live in the sticks and have this conversation all the time about why our football program sucks. I'm usually talking to a 300lb mom with a Kool hanging from her lips or a 10th grade drop-out with a mullet. It starts at home, boys and girls, and that home could be in the ghetto and you can still be a success. Instead, as a society, we count on our teachers raising our kids. Some of this is governments fault, but only because we allow it.

[momo]

what happened? 235 years of change and new laws.

how do you fix it? take away the power to vote from everyone that isnt any of the following:
1. a tax payer.
2. land owner.
3. veteran.
4. a retired citizen that has paid their dues. (you would have to establish criteria of taxes, %, years paid)
*** if you dont have a vested interest in the government's long term success, then you have no reason to vote.

and #5 which is bold but i would implement it (...if i was superman)
5. must pass a test to prove government education competency.
***if you dont know who you are voting for or why, you have no right to vote.

lastly, i would detroy the electoral college and the option of straight party voting.

[helosailor]

what happened? 235 years of change and new laws.

how do you fix it? take away the power to vote from everyone that isnt any of the following:
1. a tax payer.
2. land owner.
3. veteran.
4. a retired citizen that has paid their dues. (you would have to establish criteria of taxes, %, years paid)
*** if you dont have a vested interest in the government's long term success, then you have no reason to vote.

and #5 which is bold but i would implement it (...if i was superman)
5. must pass a test to prove government education competency.
***if you dont know who you are voting for or why, you have no right to vote.

lastly, i would detroy the electoral college and the option of straight party voting.

I like all of this.

[bcoop]

what happened? 235 years of change and new laws.

how do you fix it? take away the power to vote from everyone that isnt any of the following:
1. a tax payer.
2. land owner.
3. veteran.
4. a retired citizen that has paid their dues. (you would have to establish criteria of taxes, %, years paid)
*** if you dont have a vested interest in the government's long term success, then you have no reason to vote.

and #5 which is bold but i would implement it (...if i was superman)
5. must pass a test to prove government education competency.
***if you dont know who you are voting for or why, you have no right to vote.

lastly, i would detroy the electoral college and the option of straight party voting.

You're my boy blue!

[matts5.0]

im down with the above!

[The King]

what happened? 235 years of change and new laws.

how do you fix it? take away the power to vote from everyone that isnt any of the following:
1. a tax payer.
2. land owner.
3. veteran.
4. a retired citizen that has paid their dues. (you would have to establish criteria of taxes, %, years paid)
*** if you dont have a vested interest in the government's long term success, then you have no reason to vote.

and #5 which is bold but i would implement it (...if i was superman)
5. must pass a test to prove government education competency.
***if you dont know who you are voting for or why, you have no right to vote.

lastly, i would detroy the electoral college and the option of straight party voting.

Also, take away the power to vote from anyone who is member of a labor union.

[momo]

Also, take away the power to vote from anyone who is member of a labor union.

While I typically don't agree with unions, they have their place, or had their place I should say. I wouldn't associate the right to vote as a function of membership in a private union. It is up to the company to conduct it's own restructuring with a union that might be bleeding it dry.

BUT, what could be addressed is to revisit existing ICC / Federal regulations which may offer too much protection of union powers.

The scope of the federal government needs to be the federal government, NOT banks, baseball, and iraq.

[The King]

While I typically don't agree with unions, they have their place, or had their place I should say. I wouldn't associate the right to vote as a function of membership in a private union. It is up to the company to conduct it's own restructuring with a union that might be bleeding it dry.

BUT, what could be addressed is to revisit existing ICC / Federal regulations which may offer too much protection of union powers.

The scope of the federal government needs to be the federal government, NOT banks, baseball, and iraq.

I agree with you that they had their place.

[momo]

and #5 which is bold but i would implement it (...if i was superman)
5. must pass a test to prove government education competency.
***if you dont know who you are voting for or why, you have no right to vote.

frankly, it's simple. if you are educated, you would never have voted for Nancy Pelosi (national clown) or Eddie Bernice Johnson (local theif)... and you would have NEVER re-elected them.

Hell, if you gave the assessment to current members, Hank 'Tip' Johnson wouldn't keep his seat.

[Baba Ganoush]

Lots of truth in this thread, and some intelligent mutherfuckers in here. I hope more people like you guys have boundless offspring plans because it seem only stupid people are breeding.

No scoring in kids games? Are you fucking serious? We are already on the downward side of the slope and are sliding ever faster into a world of shit. I never thought I would agree that we need to revert back a few centuries, weed out the week, burn it all down and start over. I have lost hope in this countries future and decided in my mid twenties that I wouldn't be raising a child in this environment. If the shit hit the fan and we started over, I'd plant acres and acres of my crotchfruit, and everyone in this thread would have access to my harem.

[line-em-up]

...

Could it be as simple as the loss of morality and ethics?

Yep + all about the benjamins.

[01vnms4v]

It will only get worse and never will get better.

As far as the media is concerned they only tell us what we want to hear. Do you really think they want to tell everyone the real truth how fucked up it is everywhere? That is why the have the lead off stories like Michael Jackson and Lohan among others in the news. This is what people (NOT ME) want to hear.

The way this world is going I honestly don't think we will be here in the next 150-200yrs.
Everyone wants to start a war and most of the world does hate the USA. We are starting more and more to police and tell everyone what to do.

I could go on and on. But I'll just leave it at that.

[line-em-up]

....

It has a helluva lot to do with it. Look at certain communities right here in the metroplex that excel at everything from education to athletics. Colleyville, Highland Park, Frisco, Allen, etc (I know I left some out). Everyone thinks it's money. Bullshit. It runs in their genes...from the people that raise them. I live in the sticks and have this conversation all the time about why our football program sucks. I'm usually talking to a 300lb mom with a Kool hanging from her lips or a 10th grade drop-out with a mullet. It starts at home, boys and girls, and that home could be in the ghetto and you can still be a success. Instead, as a society, we count on our teachers raising our kids. Some of this is governments fault, but only because we allow it.

true. People who have been raised for success generally know how to do the same for their kids. There was a book out that I wanted to read, but haven't yet. I think the title is "Rich Dad, Poor Dad". It talks about the differences in the way people raise their children for success.

[Denny]

true. People who have been raised for success generally know how to do the same for their kids. There was a book out that I wanted to read, but haven't yet. I think the title is "Rich Dad, Poor Dad". It talks about the differences in the way people raise their children for success.

Ya, Robert Kiosaki(sp) shows an awesome difference between his real father and step father. Completely nuts. I've actually used some of those tips for my children and they took off with it. I've got to go revisit the book and take notes along the way.

There was another about something called "Tiger Mom" or something like it that shows an overly strict Chinese mother raising her kids in America with a white father. Just take the good and bad and weigh them out. Those kids are freaking geniuses, though.

[95DRGT]

We, as a country, are settling for mediocrity.

and Idiocracy- the dumbing down of America is ridiculous.