What’s changed?

By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist

What's changed? I mean in the past year.

The federal government, and some local and state governments have gotten a lot more serious about crime. This makes the news nearly every day.

One thing I have noticed locally is that the Emory University Hospital System has put armed guards and walk-through metal detectors at all of their facilities. They have also put up posters near all the entrances that say abusing their employees verbally or physically will not be tolerated.

These are all good things (and there are many more just like them).

The overarching question, however, is how did we get into the mental condition where public officials must police our public behavior?

When I was a child, we learned at home that our behavior in public was to be polite, courteous and so forth. And I know I have written about this before.

As a country, we have kept lowering citizen behavior expectations. I still think it starts with television, moved into “recreational” drugs, and settled into widespread gambling.  

But there is something beyond these vices. People young and old had to have the audacity to determine whether these things were acceptable participatory activities. Then, parents had to decide to remain quiet.

The background behind all these activities is someone making money. They have no uplifting goals of their own.

On top of this, we have government entities that are going to “fix our problems.” These are usually politicians throwing away taxpayers’ money to “fix” things.

I think we should start a morality program. Oops, we have one. It is called the Christian churches.  

The problem with them is the politicians have not found a way to get into the offering plate.

I do think we have made some progress in the last year. But why can’t we move faster?

Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press.