By Yuri Tuvim   Norwood Heights, (Gloucester), MA

So, the elections are over. Republicans are happy preparing to argue Obamacare, tax code, immigration, Keystone Pipeline, foreign policy etc.  Democrats are licking their wounds, reading for fight. The political squabbles will proceed as usual and America will continue to slide — albeit slower for the next two years.

Hold your emotions. I will explain what I mean.

The health of the economy is based on a set of laws of the country. The laws are the product of a political process and politics is a derivative of culture. In short: culture is the basis and politics is the superstructure.

A short list of today’s economic indicators: 47% of the population receive some sort of government help, middle class wages have been stagnant for a few decades, 14 trillion debt is hanging over the heads of our not yet born grand, grandchildren and the gap between the super-rich and poor is widening.

In politics, we have growing polarization between parties, very low approval rating of Congress and the President, and a diminishing role of our country in the increasingly dangerous world.

The root of all this is a decay of America’s culture. The accelerating transformation of our culture began in the 60’s. Counterculture, hippies, drugs, political correctness, gay marriage, declining role of family and religion, substitution of common sense with legalistic sophistry, alienation… you name the rest.

A glaring illustration of how far our culture has drifted from its origins is the following. Last week Harvard University hosted “Sex Week” including a workshop “What, What in the Butt: Anal Sex 101.” Promising to cover, “anal anatomy and the potential for pleasure for all genders; how to talk about it with the partner; basic preparation and hygiene; lubes, anal toys, and safer sex; anal penetration for beginners, and much more!” Students can expect to learn, “why people do it and how to do it well”.

Why are you shocked? Isn’t that just a logical outcome of our increasingly pornographic cinema and TV?  We live in a free country… An erosion of ethics and decency leads to revision and rejection of other societal norms.

So, in order to stop the cultural, political and finally economic collapse of our country we must address the core– culture. We all have to do that in every possible way every time when the occasion arises. Unfortunately, the leading role belongs to people with a microphone – politicians and the President. I am not sure that Obama is fit to do it but newly elected senators and representatives might be able to recognize the danger of cultural decay. I call on them to address this issue.

However, my best hope lies in one individual, Dr. Ben Carson. I hope he will run for president. Read his books to discover his philosophy.

Yuri Tuvim   Norwood Heights, (Gloucester), MA