America's declining ethos and morality

I am a member of Phi Beta Kappa. It's the only reason I was ever able to shake Gerhard Casper's hand. I still have the picture.

I also occasionally get The Key Reporter, the society's newsletter. In the latest issue, I came across this absolutely hilarious letter:

Say "You're welcome."

This concerns Jean Rhodes' article entitled "Is It Possible to Be Too Thankful?" in your Fall 2005 issue. Every single language with which I am familiar has the equivalent of some form of "You're welcome" as a proper reply to "Thank you." I say "proper" deliberately because it is a matter of etiquette, decorum and just plain decency to let someone know that you have heard what they said and are replying thereto in kind. I once knew a woman who became positively speechless when my two daughters said, "You're welcome," to her "Thank you." I was stunned to hear the woman say that no one had ever replied that way before! Sadly, I view all this as yet one more example of America's declining ethos and morality.

Eugenia M. Krauser
Flushing, N.Y.

heh. i need to use "ethos and morality" more often in my writing.