Between us, Dottie and I have 4 nieces. All of them are in the 19-21 age range.
To date, none of them has gotten married (and that's good). And every one of them has gotten pregnant, with 2 deliveries, a miscarriage, and one still on the way. That's bad.
The U.S. Census Bureau says that the quickest way to poverty is to drop out of school early, use drugs, or have children out of wedlock.
Maybe marriage is out of fashion. Maybe it's old fashioned. But it has some real advantages. Until you're married, no matter what else a couple shares, the idea that they can leave at any time remains in the back of their mind. Once married, the idea of making it all work out is foremost in the mind.
Today, 75% of all babies born to African-American mothers are born out of wedlock. That bugbear of the left, Bill O'Reilly, said that if that happens in the rest of our population, our culture is headed for disaster.
Now, Dottie's nieces didn't surprise us much. They were never disciplined, they never respected their parents, they always put their friends ahead of family and responsibilities. But my niece is a real shock. She attended religious schools her whole life, until she went to a public college.
Another boogey-man of the left, Rush Limbaugh, said years ago that he didn't mind if people didn't teach their kids self-discipline. We'll always need someone to wait on tables and sweep floors in the restaurants and businesses owned by those who DO learn it. And he once said (again, this was years ago--I haven't heard him for many years, so I have no idea what he says these days) that HE would vote for Jesse Jackson, if the Rev would stand in Harlem and Watts and tell the young men to get jobs and marry the women having their children. I'm hoping the example of President Obama has some influence on this problem, because this is just not good and bodes ill for our future.
Just for the record, I grew up on welfare, in the housing projects, slums, and barrios of Denver, with a single mother. I know how hard it is to struggle your way out of that life trap.
To date, none of them has gotten married (and that's good). And every one of them has gotten pregnant, with 2 deliveries, a miscarriage, and one still on the way. That's bad.
The U.S. Census Bureau says that the quickest way to poverty is to drop out of school early, use drugs, or have children out of wedlock.
Maybe marriage is out of fashion. Maybe it's old fashioned. But it has some real advantages. Until you're married, no matter what else a couple shares, the idea that they can leave at any time remains in the back of their mind. Once married, the idea of making it all work out is foremost in the mind.
Today, 75% of all babies born to African-American mothers are born out of wedlock. That bugbear of the left, Bill O'Reilly, said that if that happens in the rest of our population, our culture is headed for disaster.
Now, Dottie's nieces didn't surprise us much. They were never disciplined, they never respected their parents, they always put their friends ahead of family and responsibilities. But my niece is a real shock. She attended religious schools her whole life, until she went to a public college.
Another boogey-man of the left, Rush Limbaugh, said years ago that he didn't mind if people didn't teach their kids self-discipline. We'll always need someone to wait on tables and sweep floors in the restaurants and businesses owned by those who DO learn it. And he once said (again, this was years ago--I haven't heard him for many years, so I have no idea what he says these days) that HE would vote for Jesse Jackson, if the Rev would stand in Harlem and Watts and tell the young men to get jobs and marry the women having their children. I'm hoping the example of President Obama has some influence on this problem, because this is just not good and bodes ill for our future.
Just for the record, I grew up on welfare, in the housing projects, slums, and barrios of Denver, with a single mother. I know how hard it is to struggle your way out of that life trap.
