My last story for SN was "Whither, America?" (//http://www.salem-news.com/articles/september062009/wither_america_9-6-09.php) and in yesterday's NYT Bob Herbert picked up on the theme. I'm not suggesting that I pre-empted him, but that we are both on the same wavelength.
In his column, titled "It's time to get help", he writes: "The political debate has been poisoned by birthers, deathers and wackos who smile proudly while carrying signs comparing the president to the Nazis. People who don’t even know that Medicare is a government program have been trying to instruct us on the best ways to reform health care."
and concludes
"The serious wackos, the obsessive-compulsive absurdists, may be beyond therapy. But the rest of us could use some serious adult counseling. We’ve forgotten many of the fundamentals: how to live within our means, the benefits of shared sacrifice, the responsibilities that go with citizenship, the importance of a well-rounded education and tolerance."
His column is at (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/opinion/08herbert.html?hp)and concludes
"The serious wackos, the obsessive-compulsive absurdists, may be beyond therapy. But the rest of us could use some serious adult counseling. We’ve forgotten many of the fundamentals: how to live within our means, the benefits of shared sacrifice, the responsibilities that go with citizenship, the importance of a well-rounded education and tolerance."
