Sacrebleu

       It's my country, too, and I don't like to see or believe my American culture is unraveling.  In my mind I have helped defend and build this culture, and am willing to say so.

            Now the title "sacrebleu" can connote many things. To me it connotes something like holy crap, or I don't quite believe it. Now I think the European connotation might be different, and the usual American connotation is also probably different for those that use the term. For many the term sacrebleu is probably archaic to them. Here's a wiki link for more on the term:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrebleu

            At age 64, like most, I have seen a lifetime worth of experiences and observations. Now that implies change, which is fine with me, but some change may not be for the better, even if well intended at the outset.  So here's my stab at reinforcing the good stuff and changing from the bad stuff.  In military talk, it is often called reinforcing success, not failure.

            Cultural change comes from the people, not the government, though the government can have policies that help the people.  The best example I can think of is the two parent Family. Now governments can have programs that promote that idea, vice the present poverty programs that promote single mother families (with no male around for raising a family), all too often with multiple father's, and all who filch off the programs for the truly poor all too often.  Now the people have to do their part, too. For example the idea of shame must gain ascendency again, as regards out of wedlock births. Even a half century ago boys were often shamed as well as the pregnant unmarried girl.  But if our American culture gets back to two-parent Families raising children as the norm, a lot of things will improve, like education, the reduction of gangs and other destructive diversions for poorly supervised young people, and a respect for hard work, which is all too often kind of boring, but always necessary and also teaches discipline, an idea seemingly poorly practiced in today's American culture.

            Now is a good time to throw a rose at all the very hard working single parents, who do exist in vast numbers these days, but they have a hard row to hoe.  Two parent Families sure do help, like having someone at home when the kids get there, or having one do domestic stuff in the evening while the other checks on homework for the day.

            It bothers me how we treat our present day homeless. All too often they have impairments, be they mental (usually), or addiction type things. Now even in rural east Tennessee where I live we have a colorful homeless guy, who is obviously alcohol addicted. Well here locally, he used to get locked up for the winter to keep him warm and fed, but even that is gone now. Even further back we had asylums for people like this, and even orphanages for kids without parents, but now we have people living worse than dogs in a kennel, and too many kids suffering in foster care. My point is this, there has been change in our American culture, and some of it I don't like, like how we treat our poor and homeless and kids without alive or responsible parents.

            Now the aforementioned story is not a lament, but more a suggestion that we the people can change things if we want. Now hopefully in America it is through the vote, but by whatever means, we can change things, if we want to.  That includes priorities on how to spend our tax money.

            Let me continue. Where ever we live, we can choose how to educate our kids. Now education should focus on skills, vice propaganda, and this is an good idea at all levels, from kindergarten to college.  Locally, it often means electing a school board for public education. To me that is as important a choice as the federal president. As to private education, or even college education, that is often a pocket book issue, where private schools that educate will be rewarded by enhanced attendance, and those that don't will fall along the wayside.  And the result is a better prepared human for the workplace, which will enhance these young people's dignity and self-respect.

            Now along that education theme, is the idea of affirmative action, a popular idea a couple of decades ago, but still around. To me, while the intent is quite good, the practical application side sucks, like invoking a double standard all too often. Now this is not just a "diamond in the rough" idea, but rather a racial quota idea, often ending up with unqualified young people who simply can't compete with their better educated peers, and becoming frustrated and bitter as a result. I should add, I used to teach at Atlanta University, so I am more than familiar with all this. And as a Marine, I experienced it too in my past training, but now I am confident today for all Marines and their parents that all Marine leaders are equally qualified and trained to lead their Marines. Of course, and like always, some are better than others, but that is another story.

            And last, around four decades ago, the USA went to block tax grants from the Federal government to the State governments in a big way.  Well it bothered me then, and it bothers me now, that if we in States want to spend money, let's raise State taxes vice going to the Federal government's obviously excess taxes to even have this money for block grants. While this maneuver avoided raising State taxes, the Federal grants came with catches that, in my mind, reduced State's powers. Now that idea deserves a revisit, and probably the vote of the people to change it, if we want to.

            Well, I could go on, but "sacrebleu", I'll stop.

            The theme is that we can change our American culture for the better, and if we want to. And it truly is a people's decision, not a government's decision as to how to proceed. And if it took us decades to get where we are today, it will probably take us decades to change things for the better; again, like reinforce success. Of course, we are not trying to "go back" to some other form of American culture, but rather improve our future American culture.  So good ya for all those who will do their part! 

            Nothing like keeping an American culture "raveled".  No glory is involved, usually it's just hard work you can confidently sleep on, mostly for your American kids' future.