Posted on 09/30/2020 9:34:43 AM PDT by Kaslin
If America returned to 1950s family values with obvious improvements (constitutional civil rights and reasonable environmental regulations), would we be turning the clock back or forward? There is substantial evidence that this would turn the clock forward, given society’s backward trend over the last sixty years –family breakdown, retreat from religion, and educational and moral malaise. When Attorney General William Barr spoke at the Notre Dame Law School, he attributed this decline primarily to the progressive movement.
Amy Wax and Larry Alexander argued for a return to 1950s values (the bourgeois culture that reigned from the 1940s to the mid-1960s) to mend America’s torn social fabric and disparate class gap:
That culture laid out the script we all were supposed to follow: Get married before you have children and strive to stay married for their sake. Get the education you need for gainful employment, work hard, and avoid idleness. Go the extra mile for your employer or client. Be a patriot, ready to serve the country. Be neighborly, civic-minded, and charitable. Avoid coarse language in public. Be respectful of authority. Eschew substance abuse and crime.
Wax and Alexander do not offer a path back to the script. Congress has no will to act, and the President cannot legislate. However, a revitalized federal court system, starting with the Supreme Court (“SCOTUS”), can lead the way. President Trump has moved the Court in the direction that would allow it to reverse past activism. Putting a strict constructionist in Justice Ginsburg’s seat is the precursor to another four years of Trump that would move the federal courts in this direction for decades to come.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Very good article...thanks for posting
Who thinks that environmental regulations have anything to do with family values?
I think of it as a late model Dodge Challenger or Ford Mustang. The originals were actually very crappy cars. The new ones are, though not perfect, engineering marvels. They only vaguely look like the originals and have the same name.
An early question might be how the K-12 system and the entertainment industry could be steered to facilitate a '50's culture.
A likely prerequisite, of course, would be an anti-MAGA community that is indifferent; we may be hopelessly beyond that.
Sacrilege. What’s not to like about inadequate fading drum brakes, cars that put out more pollution when not even running and solid rear axles??!! And engines that need rebuilding every 60K miles? It was the Golden Age, baby! You haven’t lived until you had an emergency brake lever break off in your hand. Nostalgia!
:)
I remember something about a company that offered a completely new design suspension for the early 70’s challenger for $30,000. Fully independent, fully high tech, etc. It drastically improved handling, but it still handles like a pig compared to the latest cars being built.
I drive an FR-S and it is considered gutless at 200 horsepower for a 2,800 lb car. But how does that compare to the factory “muscle” cars of the 70’s. ;)
Note: I admit that the torque of only ~150 may be an issue. :)
My brother-in-law left us a 1971 Olds Cutlass convertible with a Rocket350 when he passed away. We kept it a few months, but really it was a hunk of junk. Yeah it was cool and got lots of thumbs up and sounded great with the dual Thrush mufflers. The handling and brakes were terrible and it wasn’t worth hanging on to because of the constant maintenance. It reminded me of just how terrible the old American cars were and why I bought a Datsun510 when I got out of the Navy in the same year the Olds was sold.
I’ve recently remarked to my wife how our 2018 F150 corners compared to our very first pickup, a 1968 C10. This newer Ford really holds the road at higher speeds going around curves. I recall the old Chevy leaning (or rolling) that would make it more difficult to control and actually making the rear end want to start sliding.
Where I live we have many gravel roads. The old Chevy would wonder. We had a 1952 Chevy for a while, and it had to be kept down to 35 - 40 on gravel roads or it would head for the ditch. The Ford is good for 65 MPH or better on well maintained road.
But to get our culture back to the 50’s - 60’s era, I’d gladly sacrifice road speed.
Speaking of brakes, I know exactly what you are talking about.
My driving habits today are the same as when I was a kid, which tends to PO drivers behind us. My habit is to slow way down to a near crawl long before we get to an intersection or stop sign. I learned this as a kid when I drove numerous vehicles that had undependable brakes.
One such story, I worked for a guy that had a 62 Ford pickup we used on the job. It had no rear brakes because the owner blocked the brake line with a nail in order to stop brake fluid from leaking past the cylinders. One day I took it out to look at a job, stepped on the brakes and it spun around in a circle. The owner plugged the right brake line because it leaked.
I also hauled oil rig parts grossing over 100,000 lbs with truck that had no brakes. I hauled oversized equipment at night with trucks that had no lights.
Looking back, I’d never do this again, but I wanted to earn a living and they all paid good.
bump
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