I am not an expert on psychology, public relations, nor politics. I surely am not capable of identifying the major source of our problems in this screwed-up society. However, one thing I do know is that we are dealing with a crisis in ethics. Where is trust? Where is honesty? Where has statesmanship gone? Whatever happened to personal values?

I retired from teaching fifteen years ago. At that time, one of my major concerns in the classroom was rampant cheating. Papers were plagiarized. Crib notes were carried into tests. There was an attitude among many students that cheating was easier than studying. The major goal was getting a degree, rather than advancing their education. Many believed that it was alright to use any means necessary to achieve that goal. Not all students thought this way, but far too many. I understand that today cheating is far worse than it was when I was teaching.

What is the source of this lack of ethics among our young people? I can think of no other source than the generation that preceded them. In many cases, their parents cheated in financial matters, lied to insurance companies, lied to the other parent, and lied to them. That is not a climate in which a young person learns honesty.

The financial world in the past twenty years or more is rife with a lack of ethics. I don't need to recount them. You all know of the cheating on wall street, lack of ethical considerations when it comes to the safety of employees and customers, cooking of books by financial officers, etc., etc., etc.

Now we have the worst situation of all. We are being governed by people who either have no ethics or no guts. Our president lies about the reasons for going to war. In the process we lose dozens of friends among nations, hundreds of our young people, thousands of innocents, and billions of dollars. For what? To prove that the United States is the most powerful force in the world. Any means justifies the ends. First, Iraq was a mortal threat to us because they possessed WMD. When that didn't wash, we were there to liberate them. Within two days, it was obvious they did not want us there. We had no plans for filling a vacuum of control in the country. Now looting and death reign in a country without control. Either our president is stupid or he has no ethics at all. He is being controlled by people whose only intent is to get rich and gain power. Is that being ethical?

Why is there no rising up in protest by the news media? They are all afraid of being labeled as unpatriotic. So they compromise the reporting because they don't want to lose their jobs. Is that being ethical?

Well, surely Congress can put the brakes on all of this madness. They have forgotten what their job is as legislators. It has been said that when a Congressperson gets elected, his or her primary job immediately becomes getting re-elected. Wow! Where is statesmanship? Is that being ethical?

At the heart of much of this problem is a system that caters to the right wing, primarily ultra-conservative "Christians." They are so concerned about abortion and homosexuality that any means is justifiable in pushing their narrow program. They have forgotten the major tenet of Christianity, namely "Love thy neighbor." Is that being ethical?

Well, surely main-stream Christianity will stand up and be counted. Religious leaders today are so frightened by their congregations that many of them will not stand up for what they believe and know to be the right thing. There are a few voices of protest, but not nearly enough. Is that being ethical?

I apologize for ranting about this issue, but it burns at the deepest part of my soul. I am angry enough to spit nails. What kind of world are we leaving for our children and grandchildren? It is time that we stand up and speak out. We must put aside our own fears and our own need to survive that we might help usher in a new age of reason and honesty. That, my friends, would be ethical.

- The Old Professor