Commentary
Historian Arnold Toynbee observed “an autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide.”
It’s hard not to think about this reading the results of the latest Wall Street Journal-NORC poll, appearing under the headline “America Pulls Back From Values That Once Defined It.”
Only 38 percent of Americans now say patriotism is “very important,” compared to 70 percent in 1998. Thirty-nine percent say religion is “very important,” compared to 62 percent in 1998. And 30 percent say having children is “very important” compared to 59 percent in 1998.
The results that follow from these attitudes are not surprising.
Marriage rates are way down. Birthrates are way down….