Saturday, June 15, 2013

25 Threats to Western Civilization

1. Public Indifference to the 11 Great Attributes listed in the previous post
2. Over regulation of Industry - barriers to small business
3. Anti-meritocratic policies eg. affirmative action
4. Collapse of Judeo-Christian Ethics
5. Corruption - Corporate, union + political
6. Weak and Poor Leadership
7. Political Correct constraints on thought and deed ie. the isms
8. Greed Capitalism
9. Inappropriate use of Technology
10. War on Freedom of Speech
11. Islamism and its apologists
12. Poor and ill-conceived immigration policies
13. The Rampant growth of private and personal debt
14. Chinese unilateralism
15. Culture of Victimhood - legacy of state socialism
16. Moral Relativism
17. Growth of the welfare state - culture of entitlement
18. Over deference to the Elite - loss of grassroot power
19. Weakening Education Structure - Grade Inflation, over emphasis on university education as a panacea, neglect of the trades, political indoctrination in the classroom
20.  De-emphasis on history and tradition - Loss of Identity - Inability to appreciate one's own
       exceptionalism
21. Russian meddling in foreign politics - made all the worse by their nuclear resolve
22. Global Arms Dealing
23. Ideology driving our legal system - Activist Judges
24. Growth of the no values culture - Hollywood et al.
25. Inability of post-Christian Europe to find direction and inspire itself - EU has been a dismal failure

11 Attributes that are key to the success of Western Civilization

1. Free Speech/Free Thought

2. Rule of Law

3. Education Excellence - Emphasis on Rationalism and Empiricism

4. Private Ownership of Property

5. Democracy and Representative Government

6. Human/Civil Rights

7. Judeo-Christian Ethics/System of Values - Dignity of Human Life and Charity

8. Commitment to its own defence

9. Strong Emphasis on Science and Technology

10. Culture of History and Tradition

11. Checks and Balance on Power

Now for the tough question.....How many of these are under threat?