Anyone who is 70 or better had an outhouse as a bathroom and a hand water pump as running water. No TV, penicillin, frozen foods, Frisbees, credit cards, ballpoint pens, panty hose, air conditioners, contact lenses, the pill or clothes dryers, the clothes hung on the line.

Now I can tell you that the old school pulled themselves up by the boot straps, and enjoyed the life of being poor and everyone had to live by their honor and there was love and respect and everyone was in the same boat. Money did not make us happy, only pride drove us on.

But we made one mistake -- we showered our children with gifts from our sweat to make life better for those following in our steps and we start killing the children with kindness. This has turned our country into freeloading, and it is not what was intended.

America has to be a bare bones, the money is not there. So I say to the young, save for hardship, because there will be rotten apples coming in your direction and your unsinkable ship may go down.

Every now and then things are different, but they stay the same, history does repeat itself and I am preaching to those whom want to be deaf.

Darryl Ehlers

Lynden