Newsletter  -  April  2024

If someone or some group wanted to radically change a society, what would be a good way to do it?  Here is a possibility.  Destroy the foundation of the society by destroying the family.  How could that be done?  One way would be to change who or what the family looks to for its help and support and what group or organization it owes its loyalty to.  Such a goal would need to have some other components.  How to change what or who a family looks to as a guide is one very definite way.  Who needs a father to support his family when the federal government will take care of that.  Let’s not forget Lyndon Johnson and the Great Society.  Suddenly, women who had children could get funding from the government and not have to rely on a man to support them.  The government became daddy.  Of course, this meant that many children grew up without a father. 

That brings up another whole topic.  How important are fathers?  It turns out that fathers are incredibly important for their families and for the country.  Unfortunately, during the last 40 years men and boys have been relegated to a back seat.  This is evident in the number of boys who are in college as compared to the number of girls.  Women now outnumber men in college enrollment. Toxic masculinity is a term bandied about like gospel. 

The women’s movement changed a great deal in our society.  Now, there is no argument that women should have the same legal rights as men.  The vote and employment opportunities should be equally available to all citizens regardless of gender, race or religion.  However, going in the opposite direction and discriminating against men is also wrong. 

This new freedom that women have been told they have resulted in some major problems.  One big issue is that young women today have been told time and again that sleeping with many different partners is part of the new freedom.  Unfortunately, some realities cannot be ignored.  Ultimately, many women want to have children and a family.  Sleeping around tends to make this goal difficult to achieve.  It turns out that many men are not interested in marrying and starting a family with a woman who has embraced the new norm.

In addition, traditional Western marriage in the West has a Judeo-Christian foundation. For many people in today’s world, that religious foundation is something to ignore and avoid.

An interesting statistic is that 63% of men under 29 describe themselves as single, but only 34% of women under 29 do.  57% of those who say they are single aren’t looking for a relationship or even casual dates.  Only13% of those who are looking are seeking a committed relationship. 

Economist Melissa Kearney has a new book titled The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind.  She writes that children raised by two parents have a much higher chance of success than those raised by one.  She further states that whether parents are married or not impacts the success of their children.  Another very important point that many people miss is that marriage is also a public declaration of a couple’s commitment to each other.  Marriage is a societal statement. 

The trend in the United States is for American children to be born and raised by single mothers.  According to a 2019 Pew Research Center study the United States has the highest rate of children living in single-parent households.  23% of United States children under 18 live with one parent and no other adult.   

Boys desperately need strong male role models so that they can learn what it is to be a man.  A nation of people confused about the role of men is a nation that will suffer a great deal when there are few male leaders in the country who understand what the role of men is.  This does not mean a “macho” man who feels the need to brag about his masculinity.  This means a man who takes responsibility for his actions, his wife and his children. 

Alternative life styles for the family have failed.  The family has been wounded but the replacement is pathetic.  One problem is that building a family requires interaction, building relationships and connecting with other people.  Unfortunately, too many of today’s younger generation are shallow and many cannot tear themselves away from their phones long enough to connect to another human being. 

Girls need a father who provides a different perspective on life.  Fathers provide a full and more robust data base with which to interpret and navigate life’s circumstances.  A strong, loving father gives girls the confidence they need to deal successfully with the various issues in their lives.   

The destruction of the family must be understood in long term results.  Something has to replace the family as the foundation of society.  How about the government?  Nameless and faceless bureaucrats will make the decision for you and your family.  How much money will you receive from the government?  What government services will you get for free?  Of course, the government will determine exactly what services you qualify for and how extensive they will be.

This denigration of the family is evident in the push for identifying transgender children in our schools without discussing this whole issue with the parents.  School districts have voted to keep children’s desire to change gender from parents. Of course, in many cases school personnel have worked hard to encourage and “facilitate” gender transition while keeping parents out of the entire discussion.  We are left with a generation of young people who find that they really don’t matter. They are left to deal with the results and the people who pushed all of this ideology are nowhere to be found.

What is the responsible citizen to do with all of this disfunction?  Obviously, we deal with our families and pay attention to our children and what they need which can be a difficult job at times.  Then as voters we pay attention to who we elect to positions of authority and responsibility.  The closest positions to the local voter are school board positions, fire and water boards, city councils and supervisor positions. Our county, our state and our country need responsible, educated and involved citizens or we face an America that most of us will not recognize.  We need to be that bright, shining city on a hill that Ronald Reagan spoke about.

President Reagan had a question we should all think about.  “Are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world?”