Dear Editor,

It seems that we have a generation of young people who are living in a make believe world. Don’t get me wrong, they are smart and intelligent, but they seem to be out of touch with what is taking place in America today or what the results will be for their actions.

They seem to have lost what we older people call ‘common sense.’

Not all the blame can be placed on the youth, though. Most of the blame must go to the United States government, and then the parents.

It seems that the school system in America has let us down. I am not blaming the teachers. We have some wonderful teachers. The problem is with the federal government. When we have to dumb our schools down so all the students can pass instead of actually taking time to work with the students and help them to understand the lessons, to help them learn the three R’s and history, and bring them up to certain standards then we are in trouble. History was not my favorite subject but I have learned one thing: History repeats itself. There are no set numbers of years when the cycle will be repeated. It may happen every seven years or 15 years or 20 years, but one’s thing for sure — it does happen. So if you want to see what will happen in the future just look at what has happened in the past.

We need to learn from the past and the problems people faced before and how they overcame them. We need to look at their success and learn from their mistakes. Why should we have to make the same mistakes again? If you know that something doesn’t work, then why keep on trying it?

Then there are the parents. I know that some parents have to work hard and long hours just to make ends meet, but that doesn’t release them from the responsibility to their children.

Let’s get back to the basics. Wise people became wise not only because of what they have learned because of their mistakes but also because of what they have learned from others.

Let’s get the federal government, the ACLU and all the other problem causers out of our schools, put God and the Pledge of the Allegiance and the old agenda back into them and maybe the next generation of youth will not only be smart but wise also.

Carl R. Moody

Montevallo