In my advanced age I’ve become a more of a realist. I do still have hope for the future but as the years tick by my perspective shows me that we are accelerating to the abyss not away from it. Government cannot fix the problem. The ONLY thing that will get us off this path is some kind of massive unifying event that resets our priorities.
New laws will not change anything. If God cannot prevent you from sinning the government surely cannot.
You are not naive, just hopeful. But you should separate your hopes and dreams from the reality the world provides. Laws rarely accomplish what they set out to do and more so when they make criminals out of good men.
“Past performance is not a guarantee of future gains” that not only applies to finance but life in general. History will repeat itself because history shows that it will repeat itself ;-)
You cannot make someone become a believer, they must come of their own volition. The consequences of moving away from God is a less moral society but the government cannot fill that void nor should it try.
I see you two agree that the country is in a moral mess and the government cannot fix it.
We all three agree the country is in an economic and fiscal mess, and the government probably cannot fix it.
Perhaps historians are right. America - like all great nations has reached its apex. Democracy works, but only for 200 years. Then it falls apart.