Where have all the role models gone?

Kids really have it tough these days. When I was growing up there were certain people that you could depend on that would be there to provide a great example of what it meant to be an adult; a role model if you will. However, times have changed and not for the better I'm afraid. The people in the community that you could depend on as role models for your kids are no longer providing those great examples...in fact some of them are providing terrible examples that I would prefer my kids DIDN'T follow. Some examples of this would be school teachers. Once thought of as the first real adult that your kids will interact with and who is supposed to provide for them an example of adulthood. Well these days barely a day goes by that we don't read about some teacher/student sex scandal somewhere where most of the seduction was INITIATED by the teacher! Cross that one off the list. Next we have Professional Athletes. These were the shining examples of athletic prowess that would be the fodder for every little boy's or girl's dreams. To play for Major League Baseball or the National Football League...what an honor. Well sadly most kids that aspire to play professional sports these days are primarily there for the monetary payoff later in life. They don't really care about playing the game as much as they care about the SALARY!!! And why should they with some of the salaries that these athletes are getting these days why SHOULD they care about the game. It's a business plain and simple and they mean to cash in. If that wasn't bad enough we have the steroid scandal. Look, if you did it, admit it, take the fine or whatever and move on. Instead there are kids the world over that are watching their hero's LIE on national T.V. because they don't want to mess up their retirement. So, cross them off. Politicians? Don't get me started. I think we can all agree that MOST of us lost faith in these folks long ago and now it's just mainly a freak show enacted out each and every day in the media. Cross them off. What about the clergy? Priests, Pastors and Ministers...men and women of GOD. Well thanks to the Catholic Priest sex scandals and the Ted Haggard sex scandal and the Randy and Paula White monetary scandal why would ANYONE want to look up to these people and believe another word that they say? Cross them off. Maybe parents can save the day? Unless of course you read about the mothers and fathers that starve their children and lock them up in dog cages or leave them alone for hours while they go on a shopping spree or take them along while they buy drugs or while they service their customers as a prostitute. No, I'm afraid that this world has gone loony and unfortunately our kids will pay the price. There is very little that will shock the next generation because they are becoming desensitized to the idiocy on a daily basis. These kids have it tough and we wonder why they lack direction, drop out in alarming numbers or turn to casual sex and drug use earlier and earlier. Take a look around people...who are they modeling their behavior after? Who ARE their role models? If you REALLY want to improve this world forget about trying to save the planet...let's first do something about our children. BE the role model that they need and this world will save itself.