“There was a time in this country when success was tolerated, if not celebrated to a large degree. What went wrong?”
I blame it primarily on the schools. More teachers provided a negative message than a positive message. Negative messages come from Marxism and Marxist inspired arguments. Marx and Engels argued (falsely) that capitalism was exploitive. As a presumably “capitalist” society, we were exploitive. Then the left piled on. We were racist, sexist, homophobic, destroying the environment, and any other self-directed criticism you can imagine.
What would be a positive message? We could emphasize God. Our equality in the eyes of God. The use of our God given talents in satisfying the needs of customers. The prosperity that comes from free enterprise. The good we can do others in spreading freedom and prosperity.
Too few positive messages, too many negative messages, year after year, decade after decade, more young people turned left, a younger more left leaning generation entering academia, news reporting, politics. So now we have a populace who elect Pelosi, Reid, and Obama and think nothing of it. Many don't know what they are doing. Some do. Either way, why should we be surprised at the result?
I agree schools played a large part in the deterioration of critical thought in at least the last couple of generations. You would probably agree it's unlikely "dumbing down" was an accident, at least not the primary cause. I've read many accounts from various sources that our would-be masters realized America could NOT be successfully brought down with a frontal assault. Our would-be masters knew they would have to begin their evil work at an early age for it to have a chance of working. Gramsci may be the originator of that notion but, no matter, the plan has worked to near perfection - so far.
This knowledge of our enemy, while of course interesting, doesn't actually gain us any ground. How can our knowledge of their MO be used to work against them? What are the weak points where we can begin to drive a stake into the heart of the beast? Like Glenn Beck says, "We have them surrounded", but you'd never know it by the direction things have gone over the last 50 - 60 years. Question is, short of taking up arms, what can the conservative MAJORITY in the country do about it?