Corporal Punishment

I'm a father and my biggest fear with raising a kid is wondering what she'll grow up to be? I look at the news and read the papers, not to mention watch shows like cops alot and see what these kids become and hear these therapists reasons for why they are that way. I gotta tell you that the biggest difference I can find between now and fifty years ago is corporal punishment and the healthy family unit. We'll forget about corporal punishment for a bit and focus on the family unit first.
When I sit down and talk to my grandparents(who had all 4 of their children in the 1950's, it went, boy meets girl, boy marries or fornicates with girl, and then they have a baby and raise the kid or kids. That was typical and weather the pregnancy came before or after marriage is not important. What was important was that the family stayed whole, no missing father or mother in the childs upbringing. You have a man and a woman rasing their kid to be the best they can be, to not make the same mistakes they did. If you look at the crime rate back then, it wasn't even in the ball park as crime is today. I talk to my parents(who had all 3 of their children in the late 1970's early 1980's) and it was a little different. People were getting a little more open minded and liberal about things as far as a family unit especially with the free love movement. You had more unwanted pregnancies, more broken families, and more children growning up not even knowing who one or both of their parents are. I look at now. Teenage pregnancy is continually on the rise. Most of these teens(males inperticular) don't want to take responsibility for their decisions. The kids now grow up with either too much or not enough. Most have only one parent or no parents. We let technology like t.v. or radio raise our kids and no one is held responsible.
Now we look at corporal punishment. Kids in the 1950's were disciplined physically and mentally, there was no my feelings are hurt, or I have self-esteem issues because they were disciplined and they didn't hand out anti-depreasants before they hit puberty and corporal punishment has steadily declined year after year. We have kids that think they can do what they want because they know nothing is going happen. Parents are so affraid to discipline their kids now because we have allowed children to know to much like how to get a hold of child services and weak parents along with people who don't have kids think that a spanking is abuse. where does it end? How long do we have to let our children grow up thinking they are little princesses and princes before we expose them to how life is. I know when you get older that a strict upbringing coupled with discipline prepares you for life.
Our job as parents is to prepare our children mentaly and physicaly for the world and how painfully unfair and one sided it can be when your on your own. I think most of these parents let these criminals down. I don't agree with the it's because I wasn't hugged enough comment though. I think it's because you weren't disciplined enough, or made to take responsibility for your actions and your coments. That's my take on things. Maybe I'm wrong but I doubt it strongly.