renard_ruse
Break up Amazon
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2007
- Posts
- 16,094
We hear often these days that family values or moral values or whatever you wish to call it is no longer a legitimate political or social issue to be concerned about. Its only a matter of "freedom" and "individual rights" and there is absolutely no public interest in things such as the number of children growing up in broken homes or being born illegitimately (or as the government now so politically correctly refers to it "non-maritally"). It just doesn't matter one iota at all to society.
Regarding for example, the illegitimately rate, the media and many others argue that there should not even be any benign policies to encourage people to marry before having kids or try to work out their problems and stay together for the good of the kids. However, just 15 years ago President Clinton and many Democrats viewed it as a public concern and spoke on the issue. Today, however, neither party dares to mention it and according to the media a large angry "vast majority" of Americans do not want it discussed or mentioned as a problem in any way (whether that's really true is open to debate but that's what we're told).
Well, so, it is really no longer a social problem? The facts are that children from out of wedlock homes are far more likely to live in poverty. They are far more likely to drop out of school. They are far more likely to end up in prison. Of course, not all, and not even a majority of them but the statistical disparity is undeniable.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics of the US Dept of HHS, 41% of all children born in 2008 were born "non-maritally" up from 33% just eight years earlier (2000) and up from 18% in 1980 and a mere 10% in 1970. The rates keep going up and up, and among blacks a whopping 72% are born '"non-maritally" while among Hispanics, sometimes thought of as a more socially conservative demographic, the rate is now over half (52%). These latter two groups coincidently have higher social problems such as poverty, incarceration rates, school dropout rates, etc. One could argue its a chicken and egg situation (poverty breeds "non-marital" childbearing), but the rate among whites is staggering as well, now having passed the 40% barrier in 2008 and continues to rise.
So, is it really "not a public concern" that is only an "obsession" from "right wing social and religious fanatics" who wish only to "take freedom away" from others just to be mean and rotten or is it a real and growing social problem? I would suggest its the latter.
Regarding for example, the illegitimately rate, the media and many others argue that there should not even be any benign policies to encourage people to marry before having kids or try to work out their problems and stay together for the good of the kids. However, just 15 years ago President Clinton and many Democrats viewed it as a public concern and spoke on the issue. Today, however, neither party dares to mention it and according to the media a large angry "vast majority" of Americans do not want it discussed or mentioned as a problem in any way (whether that's really true is open to debate but that's what we're told).
Well, so, it is really no longer a social problem? The facts are that children from out of wedlock homes are far more likely to live in poverty. They are far more likely to drop out of school. They are far more likely to end up in prison. Of course, not all, and not even a majority of them but the statistical disparity is undeniable.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics of the US Dept of HHS, 41% of all children born in 2008 were born "non-maritally" up from 33% just eight years earlier (2000) and up from 18% in 1980 and a mere 10% in 1970. The rates keep going up and up, and among blacks a whopping 72% are born '"non-maritally" while among Hispanics, sometimes thought of as a more socially conservative demographic, the rate is now over half (52%). These latter two groups coincidently have higher social problems such as poverty, incarceration rates, school dropout rates, etc. One could argue its a chicken and egg situation (poverty breeds "non-marital" childbearing), but the rate among whites is staggering as well, now having passed the 40% barrier in 2008 and continues to rise.
So, is it really "not a public concern" that is only an "obsession" from "right wing social and religious fanatics" who wish only to "take freedom away" from others just to be mean and rotten or is it a real and growing social problem? I would suggest its the latter.
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