Sad example of American family gone wrong

The story of this American family below, caught in the economic tsunami, tells a sadder, deeper tale of American values gone awry. If you read the entire story, it's impossible not to multiply the misdirected philosophy & mindset by the millions across America. The disheartening scope of priorities upon which this family have built their lives, and their children's lives, has been cast and passed down from generation to generation, bringing our nation to exactly where it is today.

The glaring premise that this man's self-worth is measured by how much he makes, and that his wife's love & commitment are grounded in his earning power, while his importance to his children is counted by the amount of Christmas presents he can lavish, is such a numbing, heart-breaking testament to America's demise. We've lost our soul & spirit of what's truly important.

 More than what this story tells, is what it doesn't. It doesn't speak of virtues, of character & integrity, of faith, of morals & values, of dedication and rightness of spirit. One can almost sense the chasms of emptiness in their existence between the lines. Most important of all, is Who is missing from the center their lives...

__________________________________________________

Still on the Job, but Making Only Half as Much

(edited for content)
MECHANICSVILLE, Va. — The dark blue captain’s hat, with its golden oak-leaf clusters, sits atop a bookcase in Bryan Lawlor’s home, out of reach of the children. The uniform their father wears still displays the four stripes of a commercial airline captain, but the hat stays home. The rules forbid that extra display of authority, now that Mr. Lawlor has been downgraded to first officer...But with air travel down, his employer cut costs by downgrading 130 captains, those with the lowest seniority, to first officers, automatically cutting the wage of each by roughly 50 percent — to $34,000 in Mr. Lawlor’s case.
The demotion, the loss of command, the cut in pay to less than his wife, Tracy, makes as a fourth-grade teacher, have diminished Mr. Lawlor, 34, in his own eyes. He still thinks he will return to being the family’s principal breadwinner, although as the months pass he worries more. “I don’t want to be a 50-year-old pilot earning $40,000 a year,” he said, adding that his wife does not want to be married to a pilot with so little earning power.
Bryan and Tracy Lawlor, who is also 34, have hidden their straitened circumstances from their four young children, mainly at his insistence. But as their savings dwindle, Christmas, a key indicator in the Lawlor family, will mean fewer presents this year. The Lawlors have made a practice of piling on toys and new clothes for their children at Christmas, buying relatively less the rest of the year. That will make a cutback noticeable this holiday season, and the parents are concerned that their children will begin to realize why.
“You don’t want to see disappointment on their faces; that makes me feel horrible,” Mr. Lawlor said. “You can be the best pilot in the airline and make the best landings, and in their eyes, I am not going to be as important as I was.”
“My mind is always on 20 different things,” Mr. Lawlor said. “What do I need to get done? How much will it cost? Is it necessary? Can I do it cheaper if I do it myself? Can I make the earlier commute home? Rush, rush, rush, and then suddenly someone makes the wrong comment and I become uncorked.”
Still, as her husband’s ordeal drags on, Mr. Lawlor in some ways has risen in his wife’s eyes. “I have more respect for him,” she said. “I can see he is angry and upset, but he does not show it very often, and never to the kids.”
That is less and less true, Mr. Lawlor said, amending his wife’s appraisal. One year into his downgrade, “never” has turned to “rarely” and, in recent weeks, “not so rarely.” He blew up last week at his 3-year-old son, Shayne, for refusing to take a nap, and sent the child whimpering to his room.
“My point would be that being in the captain’s seat made me feel in command, and capable and powerful,” Mr. Lawlor said.
He called in sick recently, suffering basically from fatigue. “I think the reason I felt fatigued is the stress,” he said. “It is always there.”