Posted on 08/28/2019 9:29:39 AM PDT by Kaslin
The late historian and political philosopher Harry V. Jaffa noted the significance that the preamble to our Constitution concludes with the words "secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity." This is how the drafters of our Constitution saw its purpose.
Jaffa continues, saying, "a blessing is what is good in the eyes of God. It is a good whose possession ... belongs properly only to those who deserve it."
In light of this, let's consider a just-released Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll that appeared under the headline "Americans Have Shifted Dramatically on What Values Matter Most."
"Patriotism, religion and having children rate lower among younger generations than they did two decades ago," the headline continues.
Of all surveyed, 61 percent "cited patriotism as very important to them, down 9 percentage points from 1998, while 50% citied religion, down 12 points. Some 43% placed a high value on having children, down 16 points from 1998."
Among those ages 18-38, 42 percent cited patriotism as "very important"; less than one-third cited having children; and 30% cited "religion, belief in God." The founders of the country saw the nation's existence, its faith and its posterity as a package deal. It all went together.
Now we have a young generation, our future, that dismisses the importance of all the elements of that package. What might this tell us about where we're headed?
The operative questions are: Does the country have a future, a posterity, without children? And will there be children if there is no marriage and family? And will there be marriage and family if there is no religion and God?
Recent statistics provide pretty gloomy answers to these questions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the lowest birth rate in 32 years last year. It was the fourth consecutive year with a decline in the U.S. birth rate.
And the fertility rate, the number of births per 1,000 adult women, has been dropping every year and is well below the replacement rate -- the fertility rate needed to keep the population from shrinking.
Regarding marriage, over the last half-century, the percentage of U.S. adults who are married has dropped 31 percent.
According to the Pew Research Center, in 1960, 72 percent of adults in the U.S. were married. By 2016, this was down to 50 percent.
The decline in the percentage of Americans saying religion is "very important" in their life is identical to the decline in the percentage of married Americans. In 1960, 70 percent said religion was "very important," and by 2018, this was down to 50 percent, a 20 percent decline.
Although Americans continue to feel free -- 87 percent, according to Gallup, are satisfied that they can freely live as they choose -- a minority now sees this liberty as a blessing, in the sense that Harry Jaffa explains the word in our Constitution. That is, "what is good in the eyes of God."
As the sense of the importance of faith and religion diminishes, the values and behaviors that go with them -- marriage and children -- also diminish. There are important practical implications on our posterity.
Fewer children means an aging population. More retirees per everyone working means more pressure on the payroll tax, each dollar of which must be distributed to more and more retirees.
The population over the age of 55 accounts for more than half our health care expenditures. As the percentage of the population over 55 increases, our health care expenditure burden will increase proportionately. And, with the collapse of family, more elderly American will be living alone.
If you think this picture is gloomy, the good news is nothing is inevitable. We're still free, and we can change course.
Different discourse in the public square, policies consistent with seeing liberty as a "blessing," can be advanced. But the starting point must be seeing something wrong with the status quo.
The world has always been going to Hell. That it’s doing it at a faster rate now is nothing unexpected.
Among those ages 18-38...less than one-third cited having children; and 30% cited “religion, belief in God.”
It’s over.
Not today or next week or even next year.
Maybe not for 2 decades.
But it’s over.
I’d love to be wrong.
.
What is seen in society now is a catastrophic failure of primary Virtues,
Gratitude, Humility, Prudence, Fortitude, Courage, Justice, Honor
Temperance, Chastity, Charity, Patience, Kindness...
Replaced by the false gods of “Values” and “Money”
I want what I want when I want it...
That WSJ poll is THE story we all need to be paying attention to.
Frankly it should scare the hell out of you. Confirms my horrible pessimism that young people are going to make this a socialist country as soon as they attain an electoral majority.
Sadly, you're not.
Oh, it has a future, all right... just a very dark, apocalyptic one.
“We’re still free, and we can change course.”
“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. “ - Declaration
List of grievances:
1) Debt - 22+ trillion
2) Spygate
3) Aiding & abetting invaders
This posting by FR’s says it best and when printed up makes a good bumper sticker or poster;
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3749188/posts/#40 it reads CELEBRATE PERVERSITY each word is against a rainbow background. I suggest adding VOTE PERVOCRAT when you print it up and place that below the two words.celebrate, perversity.
'The Fate of Empires' - Sir John Glubb
Man is going to have to stare into the abyss before things change.
And that time is coming quickly.
‘Way ahead of you, Star.
It’s over right now. The country is falling, it just hasn’t hit yet. Ironically it was the DOJ and FBI that dealt the final blow.
It ain’t even salvageable. We could try to “root out the corruption” but the sad fact is that were we to succeed the corruption is so widespread there would be nothing left.
Probably not that ironic.
I never trusted those two outfits and their power grew way too much over the years and decades
It occurred to me several weeks ago the events we have seen unfold are one hell of a boon to criminal defense lawyers. No prosecutor in this country can win a case again. I’m no lawyer but I’m smart enough to realize this. All a criminal defense attorney has to do to win a case is suggest to the jury the FBI was involved. No prosecutor will be able to prove they were not.
The problem is just how long can the country last when no criminal can be prosecuted, not just the wealthy and powerful?
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