Friday, June 20, 2008
In BRING DADS BACK TO THE FAMILY, Kathleen Parker comments on Barack Obama's recent call for responsible fatherhood. She writes:
In Obama's words:
"We know that more than half of all black children live in single-parent households, a number that has doubled -- doubled -- since we were children. We know the statistics -- that children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of schools and 20 times more likely to end up in prison. They are more likely to have behavioral problems, or run away from home or become teenage parents themselves. And the foundations of our community are weaker because of it."
Obama is right on all of the above, but the stats are even worse. More than 70 percent of black children are born out of wedlock. Since 1960, we've tripled the number of American children living in fatherless homes, from 8 million to 24 million. The population as a whole increased just 1.7 times during that period.
What Obama fails to mention is that the problem of absent fathers, especially in the black community, is tied in part to well-intentioned social programs.
As I point out in my book, "Save the Males: Why Men Matter; Why Women Should Care," cracking down on deadbeats is one of those guaranteed applause-getters, but most of the fathers of whom Obama spoke make less than $10,000 a year -- or are unemployed.
Throwing them in jail won't help children much, either financially or psychologically. The truth, meanwhile, seems unwelcome in political circles: Most employed men pay their child support in full and on time, and always did, without government prodding.
Labels: "Deadbeat Dads", Non-custodial Parents
