America, and All That It Stands For, Is In Jeopardy

From Dennis Prager, at IBD, "A Dark Time In America":

Prager: "Every distinctive value on which America was founded is in jeopardy." https://t.co/NXGIJlvlBY #tcot #tlot

— IBDeditorials (@IBDeditorials) May 14, 2016

We may soon know if Donald Trump will be the Republican presidential candidate. And, barring unforeseeable events, it is certain that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee. Those are two reasons — of many, unfortunately — why, other than the first years of the Civil War, when the survival of the United States as one country was in jeopardy, there has never been a darker time in American history.

The various major wars — the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I and II, and the Korean and Vietnam wars — were worse in terms of American lives lost.

The Great Depression was worse in economic terms.

There were more riots during the Vietnam War era.

But at no other time has there been as much pessimism — valid pessimism, moreover — about America’s future as there is today.

Among the reasons are:

Every distinctive value on which America was founded is in jeopardy.

According to a Pew Research Center study, more and more young Americans do not believe in freedom of speech for what they deem hate speech. Forty percent of respondents ages 18 to 34 agreed that offensive statements should be outlawed.

According to a series of Harvard University polls, about 47% of Americans ages 18 to 29 believe that food, shelter and health care “are a right that government should provide to those unable to afford them.” That means that nearly half our young believe they have a legitimate claim on the labor and earnings of others for life’s basic necessities.

More than half of 18- to 29-year-old Americans do not support capitalism, the source of the prosperity they enjoy, and the only economic system that has ever lifted mass numbers of people out of poverty.

When young Americans see pictures of the Founding Fathers, they do not see the great men that most Americans have seen throughout American history; they see white males who were affluent (now derisively labeled “privileged”) and owned slaves.

The belief that certain fundamental rights are God-based — a view held by every American founder and nearly all Americans throughout its history — is reviled outside of conservative religious circles, and held by fewer and fewer Americans today.

The view that male and female are distinctive identities — one of the few unquestioned foundational views of every society in history — is being obliterated. Simply saying that one believes (all things being equal) a child does best starting out life with a married father and mother will ensure they’ll be considered a “hater.”

The ideas that America should be a melting pot, or that all Americans should identify as American, are now unutterable in educated company. In fact, many college campuses do not have an American flag on their campus because some students regard it as offensive and representational of imperialism and capitalism.

In addition, virtually every major institution is in decay or disarray...

Still more.