If I were a visitor intended on destorying this country

[question everything]

and would read the local advice columns - not to mention Oprah and Phil and the View, that I don't even watch - my conclusion would be: don't bother, this society will self destruct.

Here is what "Amy" published today

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/columnists/advice/chi-0606-ask-amyjun06,0,456714.column



Dear Amy: My husband and I are getting older and have made a lot of sacrifices over the years in preparation for retirement. We live comfortably, mainly because we live within our means.

Every time we dine out with our adult children (who frequently travel and spare nothing when it comes to their dining experiences), these adults expect us to cover the entire tab, even when it is their idea to go out. My husband and I often share our meal to save cash. Our children, however, who live in houses worth more than ours and have successful careers untouched by the recession, order expensive items off the menu that they don't even eat and several glasses of wine. Then they expect us to cover the tab and don't even offer to pay the tip.

Experience has taught me to let the waiter know that we will be splitting the tab, and when I do, the "children" act as if they can't believe that we would do that to them. People have told us, "The parents should always pay." What is your opinion?

and...

Dear Amy: My husband, who is 45, had open heart surgery two years ago. Recently at a family gathering his older brother put him in a headlock and tripped him up by bending his knee out from under him. (Ever since the surgery he has a bad knee that swells up and has to be drained. Now he has two bad knees.) When my husband got up from rolling around on the ground in pain, his brother called him a "pansy" and punched him hard in the chest. Now we don't want to have anything to do with this guy.

We have tried to explain that he could cause serious harm to my husband and that they are not kids anymore. (I'm sorry, but you don't punch someone in the chest when his chest is held together by wires.) His brother does not understand what the big deal is and feels he did nothing wrong. Are we wrong to not want to have any more contact?

[MineralMan]

1. Interesting stories. Why would anyone want to destory them.

"If I were a visitor intended on destorying this country"
:evilgrin:

[question everything]

2. Dunno. From outer space? (nt)

[TahitiNut]

3. Alzheimers might destory them. Eventually.

:hide:

[MineralMan]

4. I'm not so sure about that one...

My grandmother had alzheimers, and there was no way you could destory her. She retold them so often, she remembered them until she died. Now, she couldn't remember who you were, but she could remember not getting a bicycle when her brother did one Christmas.

[Warren Stupidity]

6. I saw a video of a building getting destoryed.

It fell at free fall speed. Lots of questions, not a lot of answers.

[undeterred]

5. Our country has been destoried by false stories

about the wild wild west and subduing the "Indians" and such.

[WeDidIt]

7. Well, with PResident Obama in place, I think there's some restorying going on n/t

[NC_Nurse]

8. Ever seen Idiocracy? Frighteningly prescient, that film.

I do have to say, in the first case, who RAISED these assholes? Could these parents maybe share a little responsibility for their sense of entitlement? Just a thought...

[question everything]

9. Oh yes. It is frightening

and when I see other clips of movies with that type of low voice talks it reminds me of this.

And then there are the girls whose parents lost their jobs, yet whine that they cannot go to the prom, rather, cannot afford the dress, and the hair, and limousine..