damn these two!

Probably the greatest cause of unrest and violence in our society today is the lack of parenting skills in our once great nation.

Yes. I said it. From teenage pregnancies, to women entering into prostitution as a way to pay the rent for one more month, to addictions to drugs pushed on the masses by both the dealer on the corner and the big pharmaceutical companies. Lots of folks having kids. But no one is raising the children of America anymore.

Oh sure, there are the few and far between parents who take an active role in raising their children. Of course, you don't hear about them, because their not part of the problem.

Personally, I blame two people for the downfall of the American Family Unit. Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford. These two inventors ruined the family dynamic.

'Back in the day' kids were raised in a limited geographical area. People knew who lived down the street, and because they knew the parents, they kept an eye on the kids. But between the availability of anyone 16 and up of a vehicle, that area has expanded exponentially. And telephones enabled a wider circle of influence on our young'uns. Not to mention the internet nowadays, but that's an entire post of its own,...

Rather than a 'village' raising our kids, its a 'hood. There is no longer time enjoyed as a family (for the most part) because the availability of easy communication and transportation to other entertainment venues preclude the necessity of filling up free time with family value based activity. Damn you Ford and Edison!

And once, back in the annals of time, college was a revered institution where young Americans, wishing to live the dream, would go to acquire higher learning and go on to become great inventors, thinkers, even, dare I say it? Politicians....
And it was usually enough of a hardship to go to an academy of higher learning, that students took it with a certain degree of solemnity, and put some effort into achieving a goal. Now? Girls gone wild. Spring break. Frat parties. Sorority discrimination. Easy loans most of them accept with no real idea of the ramifications of responsibility and having to WHAT?, pay it BACK???!!
And why? Because there is no parental supervision of our progeny while growing up. These days, we let our children roam and do as they will, because they are only 'a phone call away'. Or, "I'm gonna run over to So-and-so's house" means going to a whole new 'hood, where no one knows who you are, and doing whatever you want, because you can do so with total anonymity.

Technology is a wonderful thing. And I absolutely love having a car and a '4G' phone. And thank you, Obama, for making even those too lazy to actually work for it able to have a phone, too!

Its been said that with great authority comes great responsibility. Our children are learning that with great technology, comes great non-accountability. Thank you Ford and Edison. For starting the great American Collapse.

Any thoughts?