The Greatest Generation

[Snowden]

The Greatest Generation
By Walter Williams

The "greatest generation" is a term sometimes used in reference to those Americans who were raised during the Great Depression, fought in World War II, worked in farms and factories and sacrificed for the war effort while maintaining the home front. Following the war, these Americans, many of whom were born between the turn of the century and 1930, went on to produce a level of wealth and prosperity heretofore unknown to mankind.

There's no question that this generation made an important contribution. Let's look at what else that generation contributed that might qualify them for the generation that laid the foundation for the greatest betrayal of our nation's core founding principle: limited federal government exercising only constitutionally enumerated powers.

When the greatest generation was born, federal spending as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) was 2.5 percent. As they are now dying off, federal spending is 20 percent of GDP and that doesn't include government meddling. If the grandparents of the greatest generation were asked to describe their contacts or relationship with the federal government, after a puzzled look, straining their recollection faculties, they might answer, "I used to chat with the mailman once in a while."

Today, there is little any American can do without some form of federal control, whether it's how much water we can use to flush a toilet, what kind of car we drive or how we prepare for retirement. Congress manages our lives in ways unimaginable to our ancestors through agencies created by the greatest generation, such as Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Social Security Administration and a host of alphabet agencies such as EPA, DOL, BLM, CDC and DOT.

There's little question that the greatest generation provided their offspring, the baby boomer generation, with goods and services that their parents could not afford to give them. But tragically, the greatest generation did not instill in their children what their parents instilled in them, the values and customs that make for a civilized society. In previous generations, people were held responsible for their behavior. Today, society at large pays for irresponsible behavior. Years ago, there was little tolerance for the kind of crude behavior and language that's accepted today. To see men sitting while a woman was standing on a public conveyance used to be unthinkable. Children addressing adults by their first name and their use of foul language in the presence of, and often to, teachers and other adults were unacceptable.

A society's first line of defense is not the law but customs, traditions and moral values. These behavioral norms, mostly transmitted by example, word-of-mouth and religious teachings, represent a body of wisdom distilled over the ages through experience and trial and error. They include important thou-shalt-nots such as shalt not murder, shalt not steal, shalt not lie and cheat, but they also include all those courtesies one might call ladylike and gentlemanly conduct. Policemen and laws can never replace these restraints on personal conduct. At best, the police and criminal justice system are the last desperate line of defense for a civilized society. This failure to fully transmit value norms to subsequent generations represents another failing of the greatest generation.
If there's an American generation that can justifiably be called the greatest generation, it's that generation responsible for the founding of our nation — men such as James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, George Washington and millions of their fellow countrymen. This is the generation that threw off one form of oppression and laid the foundations for unprecedented human liberty. That is not a trivial achievement, for most often in mankind's history, one form of oppression has been replaced with another far worse, as we've seen in Russia, China and Africa.

Walter Williams

[Chrisj]

The biggest part of the problem is once the values and morals have been lost by a section of the population their children are then in the position of having no parental role model so they fail to acquire the necessary values and morals. And so it goes on with society steadily declining, every little toe rag is now fully aware of their 'rights' but sadly lacking in any concept of social responsibility. The state is always there to ensure they receive health care, welfare and legal aid but not to ensure they comply with any kind of social contract with the rest of the community.

If people expect to receive the benefits of a civilised society they should be expected to comply with that societies expectations, if they don't they should receive nothing. Unfortunately the bleeding heart liberals who too often are in charge don't appear to think that it is their responsibility to ensure that those in receipt of state assistance meet the rest of society half way and treat the rest of us with the respect they feel they are entitled to. Don't get me wrong I think the welfare state is a great idea in principle, in practice however it is abused by those who feel society owes them a living rather than having that degree of self respect that compels them to try their best to provide for themselves and their families. My brother has gone through some bad times with past employers going bust but he has always managed to find another job. He was however very angry that despite paying his tax and national insurance when it came to the point where he had to fall back onto the state, the state was reluctant to help out. He eventually worked for a couple of years for the DSS (Department of Social Security ) where he came across the abuses of the welfare system first hand, claimants who had only ever lived on benefits, knew how to work the system and were often better off than those in low skilled jobs.

[Snowden]

Don't get me wrong I think the welfare state is a great idea in principle, in practice however it is abused by those who feel society owes them a living rather than having that degree of self respect that compels them to try their best to provide for themselves and their families. My brother has gone through some bad times with past employers going bust but he has always managed to find another job. He was however very angry that despite paying his tax and national insurance when it came to the point where he had to fall back onto the state, the state was reluctant to help out. He eventually worked for a couple of years for the DSS (Department of Social Security ) where he came across the abuses of the welfare system first hand, claimants who had only ever lived on benefits, knew how to work the system and were often better off than those in low skilled jobs.

This is it exactly, I believe, Chris. And I highlighted what I believe is the core reason for this abuse. Their self-respect has either been taken from them or never nurtured or both. A person with any self-respect will accept the kindness of help, whether from family, friends or government. Then, without wasting time about it, he searches for work until he finds it.

With no self-respect, most of those we see living their lives on welfare are content to be prostitutes to the government. They will vote for those who keep them living in poverty because it's easier, after all, than getting and keeping a job.

[Woodmonkey]

Originally Posted by Chrisj

The biggest part of the problem is once the values and morals have been lost by a section of the population their children are then in the position of having no parental role model so they fail to acquire the necessary values and morals.

I agree. Parents who don't take the time to pass on positive values, produce what we see today. Each succeeding generation has had less to pass on. No wonder we have burgeoning welfare roles with the lack of a work ethic (another value that they failed to pass on). Look at the welfare families with generations on welfare, look at the families riddled with drug addiction.

The 60's and 70's generations came out of the generation that went through the depression and WW2 and they produced the 80's and 90's. Thank God that some of them have values and we see that in what is truly our greatest generation - the ones who rose above and are now fighting the WOT.

Originally Posted by Chrisj

He eventually worked for a couple of years for the DSS (Department of Social Security ) where he came across the abuses of the welfare system first hand, claimants who had only ever lived on benefits, knew how to work the system and were often better off than those in low skilled jobs.

We have that here even with welfare reform. Some people don't have the work ethic value and pride in a job well done. They saw their parents on welfare and that's what they know.

[Snowden]

There's no shame in living on welfare generation after generation. At one time it was considered a stop gap until they could get jobs. Now the only job they seem interested in is selling drugs. That only spreads the disease -- that's what it is, a disease. A moral disease. After the third or fouth generation on welfare, it's not likely to change unless they are arbitrarily taken off welfare, and if that's done, some would find jobs and others would turn to crime. A lot are doing the latter now.

[Woodmonkey]

It all goes back to a lack of values. For some reason, that generation failed to teach the needed values which has boomeranged to what we see now.