The world (or perhaps the media) was fascinated by the inauguration of Barack Obama as president today. President Obama vowed to fix our economy and restore America to world dominance. I wish him all the best. I think that this task will take all he has and more.
I definitely see the winds of change blowing, however. America has been fading as a so-called Christian Nation for years now. I think that we will see that decline accelerating over the next 4 years. I predict we will see a change in the way the U.S. interacts with Israel as well.
Some of you out there remember the New Deal from FDR's presidency or the regulatory blitz of the Reagan era. I expect to see a lot of the same happening in the next 6 months. Rather than let things play out the the recovery occur naturally, the gubermint seems to be unable to resist the urge to grab control and try to force things.
Stay tuned to this channel.
5 comments:
What regulatory blitz are you referring to? Reagan was an advocate of deregulation because our businesses growth was stagnant. Reagan had many radical policies like lowering the top-end tax margins from 70% to ~30% and cutting cap-gains taxes to spur business investment. This led to the longest economic boom the country has ever seen -- in reality lasting almost 30 years(Clinton despite being a Dem did very little to alter Reagan's economic policies). Now some will have you believe the current crisis is due to deregulation, but it really isn't. As you point out -- government often tries to stick its nose in places it has no business being. Here they thought it was a great idea for everyone to have a home, whether they could afford it or not. The rest is there, just Google 'Jimmy Carter and the current housing crisis.'
Ant
Oh, and if you think Christianity is fading in this country look no further then your own church. How many people showed up for Christmas services? I don't recall any churches from my childhood coming close in size to the churches we have today. I actually think Christianity is on the rise in the country.
On comment 1, you are right. Reagen worked to (partially) undo what his predecessors had done. I still expect the current administration to try to "fix things" by regulating.
On #2 I strongly disagree. The influence of the Christian community is waning. Simply look at recent court rulings to see the trend. God is being pushed out of government. How many retailers forbid their employees to say Merry Christmas? Challenges to even the *mention* of God are occurring daily. As for church attendance, Bayside is an aberration in the landscape of this country. The growth in church membership is lagging behind the population growth curve resulting in a net loss.
The recent Prop 8 campaign is a stark reminder of what has happened to the Christian church. If the LDS church (Mormon, which is NOT Christian despite what they may claim) had not stepped in, it would have gone down in defeat. 20 years ago it would not have even been needed.
Atheism (a religion in itself) and Agnosticism are increasing. Christianity is declining.
Interesting, I looked up the numbers and you are correct Mr Wizard; percentage of population who identify themselves as Christian declined 8.5% from 1990 to 2001 while Antheist/Agnostic has increased 6.6% during that same period. Still, 80% of the population identifies itself as Christian.
As for God and government, I agree there should be a seperation of church and state -- laws should be based on our constitution, not relgious doctrine. But what we have today is an attempt at seperating culture and state. Christian values and holidays are a part of American heritage. I most closely identify myself with the increasing demographic above, but find it ridiculous that people try to change the Pledge, or can't say "Merry Christmas."
I agree, Christianity is part of our heritage in the same way that Islam is the heritage of Iran and Judaism the heritage of Israel. I believe that as we increasingly deny that heritage we lose a part of what made this country great.
blessings
Post a Comment