While Congress debates universal health care and education as poverty cure-alls, one of the President’s advisors is reminding people of the
importance of the family in preventing societal problems. Karl Zinsmeister, President Bush’s chief domestic policy advisor, gave a speech at Harvard
University on Friday that spoke to the futility of trying to solve the economic gap without first addressing America’s family crisis.
Harkening back
to the late Sen. Patrick Moynihan, who was criticized for calling attention to the breakdown of the family, Zinsmeister said, “If a young American
were placed behind a curtain, and you were required to guess his or her social status and individual happiness with only one factual datum before
you, the single most trenchant indicator you could ask for would be whether that person grew up with both parents in attendance.” He went on to say
that “about a third of our next generation will substantially grow up without this advantage, and full half will have at least one brief brush with
family separation before they turn 18.”
In a speech that focused primarily on African-American homes, he said candidly, “One place where I
personally nourish hope for solidifying family life… is in efforts to strengthen marriages.” We applaud Zinsmeister for his commitment to the
family.
It’s unfortunate that this outspoken support of marriage is a rarity worth commenting on.
Tony Perkins presides over the Family Research Council. This article is excerpted from the Washington Update that he compiles for the FRC.
