John Harmon McElroy

America is experiencing disturbing symptoms of cultural and moral decline, argues John Harmon McElroy in the following viewpoint. In the last four decades of the twentieth century, he maintains, divorce, out-of-wedlock births, abortions, and crime increased while public standards of decency and respect for religious values decreased. Core American tenets— such as the belief that the United States is a great nation and that individuals are responsible for their own well-being—are still relatively strong but show signs of weakening, McElroy contends. While America itself has not declined, its symptoms of moral decay point to the need to strengthen traditional values. McElroy is an emeritus professor of English at the University of Arizona and the author of American Beliefs: What Keeps a Big Country and a Diverse People United, from which the following...