The 80's

	It goes without saying for anyone who grew up in the 
1980's that the 90's were a sad replacement for the decade that 
spawned a great generation.  In fact the best thing I can say 
about the 90's is that they are over.  The 80's were in every 
way superior to the 90's but for those who grew up in that
time a few things stand out more than others.  

	It was a decade where we were better entertained
and didn't point fingers at our entertainment for societie's 
problems because we had more common sense in those days.  
Our common sense showed well in even our United States presidents.  
The 80's will not be forgotten or left behind by those 
who grew up in that day and age.

	In the 80's entertainment for children was far superior
 of that of today because not only was care given to what was 
shown to us, unlike the mindless drivel of today, but it also 
gave children positive role models.  We had strong role models 
who represented everything good and just like Mr.T, 
Hulk Hogan, Papa Smurf, and even Optimus Prime.  The 
kind who stood for something.  Optimus Prime not only 
sold toys and entertained youngsters but instilled the 
idea that we should know in our hearts what is right and 
wrong, and never to waver from that ideal.  Papa Smurf 
tought us that with a little love and a lot of hard work 
there was nothing we couldn't overcome, even someone a hundred 
times our size who had a plan to destroy us every week.  Mr.T 
tought us to stay healthy and respect our parents, and Hulk 
Hogan always preached to kids to stay in school.  These days 
children don't have such positive images and are left to look 
up to the likes of a yellow rat, or some other flavor of the 
week trying to get into their parents pocketbooks.  

	Even if we did get some positive influence from the media we knew
 fantasy from reality and had the common sense not to blame it for 
societies woes.  In the 90's  the media is the esiest target for those 
looking to point the finger of guilt for all of the worlds problems 
on one source.  In the 90's people simply did not
respect thier own intelligence and supported the beliefe that a 
person would do anything they saw on TV.
They believed that people were too stupid to handle such a 
responsibillity as to choose what they wanted
to entertain them.  This was only the beginning of a dumbing 
down of America that prevailed all throughout the 90's.  In 
the 80's people had more common sense than that.  They would 
never make such unintelligent 
assumptions.  Stupidity spread like wildfire in the 
90's even into the furthest reaches of the world of 
politics.  

	In the 90's politicians were able to convince the public of anything.
  It was easy for them to sell their snake oil remedies for all our worldly
 problems.  All we had to do was shut off our brains and follow their lead.
  It was a situation of the blind leading the blind, or in this case the 
morons leading the morons.  What better example of this is there than the 
Preisident who served for most of the decade Bill Clinton.  A president who 
never answered a question directly and didn't even have the courage to admit
 his mistakes but rather danced around the subject much to the disgust of the
 American people.  In the 80's we had presidents who stood for something.  
Ronald Regan and Geroge Bush were real men with real ideals who stood by 
every word thy spoke.  In those days the president's word was as good as 
gold.    Sure, both made mistakes, and when they made mistakes they made
 them big.  But they would willingly face the consequences of those mistakes
 rather than lie their way around it and dance through legal loopholes.  If 
you caouldn't respect either as a president then you could at least respect 
them as hauman beings.  Looking at Bill Clinton I realize I can do niether. 
 

	We can't all live in the past, but we should be able to use it as a
 guide for the future.  If we cannot learn from the past then why do we 
teach history in our schools?  If America continues down the road it is 
currently on I see only a dim future filled with meaningles smiles.  No 
longer will we be a proud people but simply well fed sheep.  Everything in 
the 90's led us down this dark path.  As I said before we cannot live in
 the past and must forge ahead into the future, but never forget the past 
can either come back to haunt us or it can push us in the right direction. 
 My generation has known two decades as it grew up.  We all grow on our 
personal experiances, and we have a choice of two decades on which to build.
  But we must choose carefully for once we take the first step down our path 
of choice we cannot turn back.