to hell in a handbasket

whatever happened to whitewall tires?

why don't dimebags cost $10 anymore?

why did "crew cuts" go out of style (except in Alabama)?

A few days ago, I was driving around and suddenly (!) noticed how very few tires have whitewalls anymore. When I was growing up (in the 19th Century) people who drove "blackwalls" were frowned upon, since they couldn't afford the oh-so-chic whitewalls. Now, I see an occasional truck with white lettering on the tires ("tyres" if you're a Brit) but only aging Oldsmobiles and Plymouths have whitewalls.

This is obviously yet another sign (besides the continued popularity of Pat Robertson; Rick Perry and Tom DeLay) of why this country's gone to hell in a handbasket (a phrase used by GOPhers when they're talking to Like Minded [White] Folk).

Surely there must be other obvious Handbasket Signs that I no longer notice, now that've become commonplace, I suspect even the phrase itself is a Sign (as some Older Folk still say H-E-double Hockey Stick rather than say The Word, since its mere utterance will condemn them to an eternity of damnation). Er, tarnation.