If I were to ask you what has made America great, your reply would partially be based from the type of glasses you viewed the nation under when growing up in an America home. To a conservative business family, it is the free enterprise system. To the average socially liberal American, our greatness is our tolerance. To people of faith who love the scriptures, America is great because the original foundation of our culture and society is rooted deep in the faith of our founders, which is the Christian faith brought by both Protestants and Catholics in the seventeenth century. However, an older wise man has said that the true greatness of America has been, at least in years gone by our discipline.
Years past it was required to serve in the military where young men learned discipline, honor and the words, "Yes Sir and No Sir." When a child in the family went wild there was always a set line of discipline, including switches and belts, which are now banned from any form of discipline and today is considered "child abuse." Growing up, when a senior entered a room the youth gave up their seat to honor the older among us.
For at least the past three years there is a troubling trend emerging from coast to coast in North America. In the Northeast there are roving gangs of unemployed youth, called "flash mobs," invading a store at once, grabbing everything they can and running out without paying, often costing the shop keeper $8,000 to $30,000 per "mob attack." Prior to Christmas, there was a "limited" release of a new Michael Jordan tennis shoe that cost $180.00 a pair. In several cities, parents lined up for hours before store openings, and as the doors opened, fights broke out, police were called to guard malls and store doors were pulled off their hinges. In one store 20 people were pepper sprayed as fists were swinging to be sure to get their shoes. Imagine what would happen with a food shortage or if food transportation is disrupted. In the local town of Johnstown, PA, a woman with several children walked up to one of my dear friends and said, "Hey mister…you got money so give me some of your money…I want some of your money." She wasn’t asking for charity or food, which he would have provided, but was ranting about this man should hand her the money, or "her U.S. President" would get it from him in a few months anyway! This "you owe me something for nothing" thinking has spread and thus mobbing a store is only taking from the rich and giving it to those who feel they deserve a redistribution of the good.
I suggest that we should not be too surprised by the reaction of certain individuals who somehow feel that they are deserving of free money without working for it. For three years we have heard the importance of "redistributing the wealth," and "the rich paying their fare share." So if I am a youth, without a job, then I blame it on George Bush, the War in Iraq and Afghanistan, and set out to find who I can take something from; after all, it belongs just as much to me as it does the person that claims it is theirs. The very reason that Britain never joined the European Union (E.U.), was as the Queen once said, "Socialism will work until you run out of other people’s money," which is what Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy have recently discovered. France is at 12% unemployment, and recently both the E.U. and the Euro currency almost collapsed – that is until they received a 600 billion financial bailout.
The attitude of some in the Washington beltway reveals the arrogance of deceit. Knowing that democratic socialism is collapsing in Europe and that eventually power of the Unions will bankrupt the nation without a one world currency or a one world government, Americas politicians continue to "change’ the nation by walking the same burnt out road of the Socialists in Europe. America is losing its power of restraint and many people no longer have discipline, as when discipline goes out the door restraint follows in its footsteps. Thus, anger, frustration, yelling, hatred, fighting, stealing, and even killing will emerge from this new abyss of, "I deserve what you have so give it to me now!" I personally don’t like what I see occurring in this nation and I believe without a true revival of repentance and love of God, we are in danger of becoming like the Israel we read of in Genesis, where wild men will beat the door of a house down to get what they are lusting for (Gen 19).
