Do you ever wonder what happened that sent our Country 180 degrees in the wrong direction? This is just one perspective, but I believe it is a very important one!

When I was a kid growing up in East Texas we didn't have a TV until I was 12 or 13, our land-lord had a black and white TV that was mostly snow and they would let me watch the Cisco Kid for 30 minutes once or twice a week. Those of you old enough to remember those days know what I am referring to when I say snow, the reception was so bad and it always seemed to get worse at just the wrong time.

Most of my early years were spent playing with friends after school and on week-ends, if you were lucky your Mom would let you stay out until supper time, then you had to eat, take a bath and do your home-work. We played Baseball, Football, Basketball, Army and of course Cowboys and Indians. We didn't set in front of the TV, we played, we got dirty, bruised and bloodied, but we were having the time of our lives.

As parents you always want your children to have it better than you did so you buy them all the fancy gadgets you never had. Your kids grow up and have kids and they do the same! Our grandchildren do not know what it is to get dirty while playing outside, in fact you have difficulty making them go outside, it is either too hot or too cold or, oh yea, did I tell you my favorite shows are coming on. Quite frankly the TV, computer and cell phones have become our baby sitters.

Children were taught Manners and to respect their elders, we were brought up going to Church and taught the Golden Rule, (Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You) I wonder how many of our grandchildren and young adults even know about that. To this day, (I am 66 years old), I still try to live by that simple rule. I know this is a touchy subject with some of the younger generation of parents, but time out was only called during a sporting event, when I misbehaved I got my buttocks spanked. Most kids know you aren't going to do anything but yell, so to them, there are no consequences for their actions.

Today we let kids walk around with their underwear showing, holding their crotch while their pants are so low they are almost falling off. They are disrespectful to everyone because they know no one will do anything about it. In my opinion this type of attitude in America is the down fall of our great nation, it is a disgrace, these kids are our future and that should scare the heck out of you.

Yes, there are those youngsters who have been taught to be responsible, honest, respectful and compassionate and I applaud those parents. Unfortunately we live in a fast paced society where both parents have to work just to make ends meet and our children are suffering,therefore, our Country is suffering as well. The people are what makes America such a great Nation so it is important to raise our children by a set of standards that we all can be proud of. We must stop settling for whatever we get and become a Nation of achievers once again, let's make Integrity and Character words to live by.