Maybe I’m just getting old and grumpy, but as I stopped behind a school bus the other day, I couldn’t help wondering if the world, indeed, is going to hell in a hand basket. Here we were, me and about 10 other cars in both directions, waiting for the school bus to get moving, while it waited for tardy kids. God forbid that the driver didn’t put the STOP sign down so that we could pass, or just said the hell with it and drove on, leaving little Jimmy and Jen to fend for themselves getting to school.

Of course, the latter is a laughable suggestion unless the school driver wanted to lose his job and the school was willing to fight a lawsuit brought on by parents too lazy to get their kids ready.

As I sat there fuming, I realized once again how spoiled kids are these days and I’m including kids of all ages. In my opinion, most kids today fall into two categories — monsters and obnoxious jerks. The monsters include any rugrats from the ages of 2 through 8. They then graduate to jerk status, but now they’re old enough to know their rights, of which they have plenty.

Which means they no longer have to respect anyone or anything, aware that we, as adults, can’t do a thing about it unless we want to end up in jail. A number of years ago, I beat up two 16-year-olds who scratched the side of my car as they walked by, not knowing I was in it. When I jumped out and confronted them, they told me to go fuck myself, at which time I taught them a lesson in respect. I also took their ID and told them if they reported this, I would look them up and get my revenge.

Of course, in those days, kids weren’t walking around with 9mm Glocks in the waistband of their pants, so I wasn’t too concerned about getting shot. It is one of my fondest memories, however, whenever I see these little assholes talking trash to their parents, teachers or strangers, knowing that at least once, they didn’t get away with it.

How it all got to this point, I don’t know, but I’m sure most of it comes from lack of discipline and to some extent, lack of love and caring by their parents. Parents today, I realize, like to put the blame on teachers if their kids act up and get into trouble, but that, as we all know, is a copout. Our lives, for the most part, are determined on our upbringing, beginning from the day we are born.

What we are taught, what we hear and what see at home is the foundation for the kind of person we will grow up to be. And the first thing kids have to learn is right from wrong and if they do something wrong they will be punished. Parents have to make sure, however, that the punishment fits the crime. The second is respect for others. The third is to love, not hate.

Don’t get me wrong. There are a lot of wonderful, bright, respectful kids in the world and I just hope they are the ones who will be the leaders of tomorrow, whether it be in business or politics. But then I see a growing number of kids that make me wonder if this country will be able to survive in the future.

Just a few weeks ago, we read about third-graders who planned to knock out, handcuff and stab their teacher. What the hell is that all about? Third graders? Are you kidding me? Unfortunately, violent acts committed by kids are on the rise, with no end in sight.

At least 2,381 people are serving life without parole in U.S. prisons for crimes when they were 17 or younger, the vast majority for taking another life. Something is terribly wrong and while we worry about immigration, global warming, health care and other issues, we might want to take some time to address a problem that will have a far-reaching negative effect on our country.

Along with the violence, we see our kids doing badly in school, at a time when education is everything if they want any kind of a future. In a recent report, 17 of the nation's 50 largest cities had high school graduation rates lower than 50 percent. The report, issued by America's Promise Alliance, found that about half of the students served by public school systems in the nation's largest cities receive diplomas. Students in suburban and rural public high schools were more likely to graduate than their counterparts in urban public high schools, the researchers said.

Nationally, about 70 percent of U.S. students graduate on time with a regular diploma and about 1.2 million students drop out annually. "When more than one million students a year drop out of high school, it's more than a problem, it's a catastrophe," said former Secretary of State Colin Powell, founding chair of the alliance.

And that about sums it up.