[mad_as_he$$]

I am not sure either. I have been to literally hundreds of hours of training by shrinks etc on recognizing drug use and other destructive behavior in the work place. I have asked every instructor "Why?" They have had very different answers. Seems to me that there is a lack of will power in many and some sort of guilt or feeling of inadequacy in many others. It certainly is not a new problem and goes back to the first time someone chewed a coca leaf or stumbled on wine of beer production.

All of that said I do think the last 20 or so years has been driven partly by the break down of the old fashioned family and the movement to not punish and make behavior have real consequences. I see it almost every day where little Johnny gets away with murder, manipulating his single mother who has some kind of guilt complex because Johnny does not have a live in Dad. A guy that works for me married a woman with a child. They just got divorced and the woman has let the boy become the ward of his(the boy's) girlfriend's parents because - "he is just to hard to deal with" - kid is 14. Blows my mind.

[nicmarlo]

I do think the last 20 or so years has been driven partly by the break down of the old fashioned family and the movement to not punish and make behavior have real consequences.

I agree with your assessments; I especially think you're very close the mark right above. I would say, additionally, the removal of God as THE underpinning of our society (and with that, the values), and of course, from our homes, has and is destroying this country, as well.