With the nomination Gov. Palin, and the revelation of her daughter's pregnancy, the discussion has began as to the value, worth and success of abstinence programs.  The template on the left is that this is a prime example that abstinence does not work, and that sex education in the schools is necessary.  The debate will go forward.  Moderator's, both bias and unbiased, will hold panel discussions.  Much will be said. Little will be heard. And, nothing will be done.

Surprisingly, my interest in this has almost nothing to do with sex education programs at all, including abstinence only programs.  My interest is in the belief systems, and values systems that are embodied in the left's reaction to this revelation.  Forget for a moment, if you will, that you either agree with, or completely disagree with abstinence only education.  What abstinence really is, conceptually, is a goal, something for which one has to strive.   Absent emotion, religion, and politics, all that happened here was that that a person fell short of a lofty goal.  What is instructive is the left's response to this.

Get rid of the goal.  There it is.  One had a goal.  They fell short.  Get rid of the goal.  As long as the media template is about 'should we, or should we not', distribute condoms in school, the reasoning behind the response will go unnoticed; and what a shame that is.

This is not the only issue where the left has responded this way.  Not getting good grades makes someone feel bad, let's get rid of the current grading system.  People are failing, let's get rid this concept.  Some child is upset because his baseball team didn't win, let's get rid of the score.

It is unfair to say universally, but all too often the left's response to any challenging situation is to lower the bar or take it away all together.  I will not take the time or space here to list all the examples of this, as I am quite sure each reader could amass their own list with ease.

The real question then becomes: 'What is the net effect on a person, a people, and a country, when the philosophical response to a challenging goal becomes to change the goal?"

Lowered expectations lead to lowered aspirations.  Lowered aspirations lead to a kind of complacency.  We are simply not required that we tap into the better angels of our nature.  If we lower the goal, we disconnect ourselves from the rational feelings that we should have, and absent those feelings, our psyche never receives the signals of danger and warning, and our behaviors are never altered.  A lowered goal is the social valium that allows us to feel ok even when we are not doing ok.

What are the results?   Have you looked outside lately......