Our standards have eroded. For instance, with regard to health, the United States is one of the most obese and overweight nations on earth. This costs roughly $200 billion annually in insurance charges and contributes to increased premiums, work absences and declining heath.
Let’s look at family. Out-of-wedlock birth rates have mushroomed. From 1965 to 1990, rates have risen from 3% to 18% for white children and from 24% to 64% for Black children, according to The Brookings Institute.
From 1990 to 2016, the out-of-wedlock birth rates went from 15% to 28% for white children, from 34% to 52% for Hispanic children and from 63% to 69% for Black children, according to childtrends.org. Single-mother families are more likely to be affected by poverty than other families.
Here is a review of education. Academic achievement, particularly in math, has stagnated. The Program for International Student Assessment is a science, math and reading comprehension test administered every three years since 2000 to 15-year-old students.
In 2022, 700,000 students from 81 countries participated. Despite spending the most per student (including higher education) of any nation in the developed world, U.S.
students ranked 28th overall in math among the 30-something participating Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. It was the lowest U.S.
math score to date. And now let’s discuss illegal drug use. Since 1999 deaths from drug overdoses have risen enormously from fewer than 20,000 annually to more than 100,000 in 2022, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
John F. Kennedy got it right saying, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Darrell Burk, Newport News I’ve been appalled by the criticism of Israel’s response to the horrific Hamas assault on Oct.
7. Much of it has to do with disinformation circulating around the media. A number of Americans don’t even believe there ever was an assault by Hamas, or else claim it was staged by Israel.
Clearly, Hamas broke the ceasefire when members streamed across the border, killing, maiming and burning much in their path, and then dragging hostages back to Gaza and hiding in tunnels. Every day our media report Palestinian casualties supplied by the Hamas-controlled “health ministry” that they should know are inflated to inflame world opinion. A statistician has claimed the numbers don’t add up.
The U.N. modified downward its count of women and children casualties.
Not to mention the militant-to-civilian death ratio of 1 to 1.5, which is exemplary for urban warfare, especially considering Hamas embeds itself and hides behind the civilian population. This is because Israel goes to great lengths to protect civilians.
Few, if any, nations have made as many phone calls, text messages and leaflet droppings warning of imminent counterattacks. This is historic. Wonder why Israel is tasked with the welfare of a population that starts a war with them, at the same time Hamas abuses them? But you rarely, if ever, see that mentioned by those reporting on Gaza.
Israel supplies tons and truckloads of food, water, medical supplies and humanitarian material. Claims of famine and intentional hunger are intentionally spread to stoke world hatred of Israel. Our media can do better.
Dr. Sheldon Fineman, Virginia Beach I read that former President Donald Trump spoke recently at The Believers’ Summit, hosted by conservative group Turning Point Action, in Florida. Sir, these are not your people; these people support a Jewish man who reportedly told them to give all their belongings to the poor, take up the cross and follow him.
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