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To the editor:
Nations don’t die because of skimpy military power and flagging economic accumulation. Our nation did just fine with very little of those supposed necessities in our early days. Nations die because of citizen ignorance, apathy, self-indulgence and crime. America has all these nation-killers in spades today.
Today the U.S. has plenty of military power, though maybe not as much as we think. The Vietnam war cost taxpayers $3.5 billion a year, but Trump’s little rampage in Iran is costing the American taxpayer $1.9 billion a day.
What is really killing us is spending our discretionary time in sports and other entertainments, debt-spending and gambling, endlessly corrupting social media and video gaming, regular consumption of political and advertising lies, and belief in and acting upon misguided religious theologies.
Our people are no longer an ethical, smart and exemplary citizenry.
Kimball Shinkoskey
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fcannisi
In 2025, Americans spent $102 billion to feed the poor through SNAP benefits.
In 2025, Americans gambled $165 billion on the outcome of sports events.
As Forest Gump noted "stupid is as stupid does".
Wednesday, March 25 Report this
Valete
In your letter, Ms. Shinkoskey, you only touched upon the reason for America’s current decline.
German philosopher, Jürgen Habermas, an agnostic, stunned his colleagues when he said: “Western civilization and its legacy of justice and human rights have been the direct heir of Judeo– Christian values and ethics. ”
“Everything else is just idle postmodern talk."
Wednesday, March 25 Report this
wpeakes
@Kimball Shinkoskey
I agree to an extent. Americans have been sold a bill of goods that celebrates ignorance, and encourages the kind of rabid capitalism that has robbed us of our hope. This is true virtually all over the planet. Young people are struggling so much just to exist and are finding it hard to have a hope in their futures so they reach for the instant gratification of "stuff" and the escapism of immersing themselves in the make-believe worlds of social media and video games. Much must be done to reverse this so that Americans feel that they're striving for a better future that isn't at the expense of the rest of the world. I still believe that it's possible but our government and businesses have to turn away from hyping wealth accumulation for the sake of itself as the end-all, be-all. Maybe then we can try to return to TRYING to be the "ethical, smart and exemplary citizenry" we aspire to be.
Sunday, March 29 Report this
Valete
Your post touches upon several potential solutions to modern American economic and social problems, for the most part. However, I disagree with the term “rabid-capitalism.” If I were to respond to Ms. Shinkoskey’s letter in your words, I would replace “rabid-capitalism” with “rabid-materialism,” which is a significant global problem. Apart from that, I agree with most of your commentary.
Monday, March 30 Report this