A pair of interesting quotes

"The decade of the nineties has seen progress in some key social indicators: reductions in welfare, violent crime, abortion, AIDS, divorce, and suicide; upswings in SAT scores and charitable giving.

A closer look reveals some truly remarkable gains. Since 1994, for example, there has been a 46.5 percent decrease in welfare rolls. The murder rate is at its lowest point since 1967. Alcohol-related traffic fatalities are at their lowest level since the government began keeping such statistics. Since 1993, the reported number of AIDS cases has decreased by more than 50 percent. Near the end of the decade, there are 243,000 fewer abortions per year than at the beginning. There has been a 16-point increase in SAT scores and a 38 percent increase in charitable giving (in inflation-adjusted dollars)."

And . . .

"The trends, then, are decidedly mixed, giving rise to opposing interpretations. One camp of observers is quite upbeat, even celebratory; in another campe, occupied mostly by social conservatives, the mood is one of resignation, even despair. In fact, some celebration is in order; authentic gains have been achieved. But the worrisome trends are deeply worrisome - afflicting in particular the American family - and we need to think about them afresh." (bold emphasis added by me)

So, who piddled in this guy's cornflakes?

Both quotes are from "The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators" by

William J. Bennett

The updated and expanded 1999 edition (updated from 1994).