’60s counterculture values weaken U.S.

Linda Caterine, Henderson

Monday, Sept. 8, 2008 | 2:05 a.m.

Regarding the Las Vegas Sun’s Friday story “Attacks on media may fail in fall”:

All political analysis aside, there is a very simple reason why the mainstream media lean toward the left. The culture warriors of the 1960s are the university professors of today and 90 percent are left-wing liberals.

Most journalists get their educations under these professors. Like most young people at the time, I embraced the ’60s counterculture with its anti-establishment, anti-authority ideals. It was all about freedom, freedom to do what you wanted to do. Over time, those demands for freedoms translated into “rights.” It was the beginning of the “Me” generation.

I rejected those leftist, socialist ideals when it became obvious that socialism is not a system that can sustain any society for very long. Europe is getting weaker, smothered by massive government programs and crushing taxes that stifle all incentive for individual ambition and productivity. No country will thrive if its government insists on robbing from the productive to give to the unaccountable.

But, in the end, I think the two candidates’ slogans really say it all: Will it be “Country first”? (Let’s show the world that we still have what it takes to be the leader of the free world, capable of competing successfully in today’s global economy), or will it be, “It’s not about me, it’s about you”? (Let me, the government, give you, the people, everything you want, whether you need it or not).