The good old days

The younger generations of today have heard their parents, grandparents and maybe even their great-grandparents say “I miss the good old days." Of course, most of our younger people have no idea or don’t care what the phrase means
when they say, “Ah Pop, times change, you need to get into the 21th century”. Well, we all know that time waits on no one but people’s faith, patriotism, morals, behavior, respect and consideration for one another should never change. It’s very sad when traditions are changed, dismissed, disrespected or forgotten.

The good old days was the period in America’s history when a person could leave their home and automobile unlocked. The only buildings that had alarm systems were banks. I think that we will agree, today’s crimes in our country have gotten out of control. Now in the good old days, we had a burglary once in a rare time but today the thieves have got bold with home invasions including murder and stealing deliveries right off of someone’s porch. In the cyber world, there is 4 billion dollars of theft each year.

This was a time when you knew your neighbor’s name and could borrow a cup of sugar or flour from them. This was a time when a family would eat, laugh and talk about their day while enjoying their meals together. A phone did not control their lives. This was a time when most children had chores or had a little job to earn an allowance or to earn a little ‘pocket money’.

This was the time when our society had respect for GOD, family, country, teachers, the police, the military and each other. This was the time when a young person would help an elderly person cross the street rather than scream at them. The younger people of that time were taught to offer their seat to the elderly or to a lady on a crowded bus or in an office. It was the time to show respect for ladies as in opening the car door for their mother or their girlfriend.

This was the time in school when the beginning class would start with a prayer and the pledge of allegiance to the American flag. Today, our children are afraid to go to school in fear of their lives because of deranged individuals carrying an automatic weapon or a bomb intending to do bodily harm to anyone and everyone.

This was the time when a citizen could sing the National anthem when he/she chose. An example of today – a major United States airline company polices forbids the anthem to be sung own their airplanes because it may offend one non-citizen. This happened recently when a full plane of passengers wanted to sing the anthem for a fallen American soldier. This was the time when we respected the men and women in uniform. This was the time when our government would take care of our brave veterans. This was the time when everyone would stand when the National anthem was being played or sung. The citizens would put their hands over their hearts and the active military and veterans would salute. The audience or attendees surely would not kneel. Kneeling is for praying to our Creator while standing is showing respect for the great country of the United States of America!

This was a time when the majority of the citizenship ruled the nation, not small groups of minorities. This was the time when America was a one language country and when most immigrants would learn to read, write and speak English. The new visitors or citizens would adjust to the American way of life and not try to force the citizens’ government to adapt to their cultures.

This was the time when flying on commercial airlines; we looked forward to a pleasant experience and trip. There were no armed guards, x-ray machines, scanners or full body search at the airports, in most transportation means terminals, commercial and government buildings, and now, even schools and churches. We older citizens never dreamed we would every see anything like this in America. A very small minority group of radical Muslim terrorists have disrupted the American way of life. Not only do we have foreign cowardly murderers coming into our wonderful country, we have foreign gangsters coming in and controlling neighborhoods through fear. How and why is this happening?

This was a time when elected officials would work together to represent the interests of the people rather than own interests – getting rich and planning to get elected for their next term. They didn’t spend their working time investigating the other party’s candidates and working for their party’s interest rather than the peoples’ concerns that elected them. They didn’t set their selves above the law with “golden benefit packages” and giving their selves raises when
they felt like it. Somehow the peoples’ elected officials have created a complete “double standard” government for their own benefit. This includes all government employees because the citizens do not have the same benefits and privileges as the PEOPLES’ representatives... Not only do the elected officials receive their special privileges but they have outrageous expense accounts (some live in Ritz-Carlton suites while in Washington), as well as receiving numerous perks from the lobbyists. Let’s not forget the millions of dollars the candidates raise for their re-elections. What happens to the balance of the funds after the election? How many favors are owed when they are in office, would you think?

Let’s look at past President Harry S. Truman, as an example of how the peoples’ elected officials should conduct their selves today. President Truman and Bess, his wife, drove back in their own used automobile to the same house in
Independence, Missouri where they lived for 30 years, without any Secret Service. He retired with an Army pension of $112.56 per month. He turned down several high-paying corporate offers because he said, “You don’t want me, you want the office of the Presidency and it’s not for sale”. He also had to make the hardest decision of any President in history. Even though Congress was receiving a good retirement pension, former Presidents did not. A few years later Congress passed
a law for former Presidents to receive a $25,000 a year pension. It was a good thing since the Trumans were about to go on relief. Where are you Harry?

The contrast between today’s politicians and ones like President Truman is astonishing. As an example, we recently had a Senator retire. When he was first elected to office, he was an average citizen living from month to month. When he left office he was worth over $11 million. It looks like the good old days are here for our elected officials of today.

Today’s elected people in Washington continue to operate like their predecessors have done for the past sixty years plus they have been the worst managers ever recorded in history. Our National debt is close to $22 Trillion! How did we get ourselves so far in debt to ourselves? One reason is simple; we give foreign aid to over 100 countries, including terrorist supporting nations such as Iran and Pakistan! Are we ‘nuts’? Charity begins at home. Let’s have a laugh, with
giving away a few trillion dollars to other countries and Congress giving their selves large raises, the retired seniors did not receive their minute cost of living increase four years in a row. Since we all pay into social security for our retirement, the government has forgotten that is our money, not theirs. And, what about our homeless, the hungry and the neglect of our brave veterans?

This was the time when America produced enough food and clothing to handle the United States’ needs as well as half the worlds. Can we not produce enough crops that are grown in our own country to feed us or make shirts or blouses anymore? Does American not have any fishermen? Can Americans not manufacture electronic products and parts, which were invented in America? Can America not manufacture America’s favorite leisure time’s product, television?

How did we get to point where China is controlling our economy?”

The liberalism that has crept into the government has truly changed the good old days too basically, anything goes. With the liberal thinking politicians changing American traditions with removing prayer from schools and all government agencies, removing the Ten Commandments from government buildings, trying to amend the right to bear arms, removing historical statues which is part of the American history, legalizing drugs for recreational use, approving same sex marriages, unjustifiable abortions, doing away with the draft, creating loopholes for the rich, becoming lax on habitual criminals and illegals, including themselves concerning the abuse of women. The overused term ‘political correctness’ is used instead of honesty and truth.

At least today, one good tradition remains in sports, most of the time, with organized youth and amateur organizations such as Little League, high school sports for boys and girls. We still have BOY scouts (almost) and GIRL scouts. In our society today, we have some very bright and fine young people. Today, the National median age is 37.8 years old with people under 21 years old making up almost a quarter of the population while people of age 65 and older makes up 14.5% (one-seventh) of the population.

We older generations ask and pray that each young person will take an interest in their wonderful country since it will be their responsibility to run this great nation in the future. We ask each young person to study the history of the United States because they will appreciate the difficulties that our founding fathers went through in fighting and creating a new nation. After winning their independence from England, the people’s representatives disagreed among themselves but they all agreed upon the basic principles of government. By working together as they organized the United States of America into a God-believing free country where its citizens could have freedom of speech, religion and the pursuit of happiness. They were from different walks of life such as farmers, merchants, lawyers, ministers, and other professions and trades. Some
developed into professional politicians as in Washington today. You will see that they all agreed upon the belief in GOD and set up Christian principles to live by then, now and in the future. Of course, some of today’s leaders of the country and states are opposing these foundations. We older citizens ask the future leaders of America to hold true and faithful to these principles.

By studying, working hard and believing in God, the younger generations will create their own “Good old days”. God bless America!