So it has come down to this! Legislation has
been introduced in the South Carolina General Assembly that
would require school children to address their teachers as
"yes ma'am" and "yes sir." And the governor has endorsed the
idea.
A very commendable deal -- but again it brings up the old
adage: You can't legislate morality.
In America -- there are already laws on the books and "zero tolerance"
policies in effect to prohibit kids from bringing guns to
school. But it has not stopped the bloodshed we have seen
at scattered schools all across the nation -- including
Columbine High School in Colorado, where they are still
recovering from the shock of so many gunned down in a moment
of "glory."
Indeed, such laws and policies have been carried out to such
extremes that a kid bringing a simple butter knife to school
so he can spread peanut butter on his luncheon bread gets docked
and suspended from school because of his so-called weapon!
And, in a society where it has suddenly become politically
incorrect to smoke, there have already been regulations and
laws for years to forbid minors from smoking cigarettes and
lots of other illegal substances -- but it happens!
Indeed, I read that one city in the state of Ohio has banned
the sale of simple nail polish remover to minors because of
the fear that many would try to get "high" inhaling the stuff!
There are already laws against "disturbing school," and playing
hookey, and sexual harrassment -- even vaguely defined
policies about religious practices in schools which are still
being debated in the courts of law in this country.
So, in a society where it has become the norm that most
anything is tolerated (in the name of freedom...of speech,
expression, assembly, bear arms, etc.), it has now become
necessary to instruct and require kids to practice good manners
that were the norm for an older, more Victorian generation
that had some inherent scruples about etiquette and common
sense.
And to top that, millions of dollars will be spent in our
schools to teach stuff that should have been taught at home.
If it doesn't work in a political campaign -- or even at the
White House -- what law is going to convince the up and coming
generation that "character matters?"
Good etiquette is based on love...appreciation and respect for
other people. In Olde English...love was equated with the word
"charity." My generation was taught that charity begins at
home. Looks like there is a vacuum at the modern family table
in a lot of places. And the taxpayers will have to foot
the bill for that failure.
May God help America! --HartKeeper
The HartKeeper 
