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The liberal breakdown of families and the resulting damage to our country


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Before I write this I need to state that I was raised in foster care. The last and most influential home in my life was all black with the exception of me. 13 young men/boys were my brothers. They protected me in bad neighborhoods and situations (reverse racism). The parents were also black. From the first night at dinner they mentored me and improved, possibly even saved my life. I love them all and wish I could find them. In addition, as I had my own life, my wife and I fostered a young black girl as our first foster child. We have several interracial marriages in our family, all of them welcomed by all. The point I am making is that if I have any bias, it is to the good based on my appreciation of how my future was altered by several key people in my life.  

Having said that I need to speak the truth.

The US Census Bureau published the following statistics for 2020, a couple of years ago:

-The number of single parent families for Asian Americans is 9.7%.

-The number of single parent families for White Americans is 18.1%. 

-The number of single parent families for Hispanic Americans is 28.1%

-The number of single parent families for Black Americans is 50.8%!!!!!!!

Why is this important? I think all of us would agree that a large part of what is bringing our country down is the huge population, the world's largest of people in jail. Profiled? Unfair? Also, the opioid epidemic is sapping the energy of our police and medical responders, aside from the huge number of deaths. Don't forget that these unfortunate people create expenses, not income as they ruin their lives.

Here is the importance:

-Poverty   

-Children in father-absent homes are almost four times more likely to be poor. In 2011, 12 percent of children in married-couple families were living in poverty, compared to 44 percent of children in mother-only families. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Children’s Living Arrangements and Characteristics: March 2011, Table C8. Washington D.C.: 2011.

-Children living in female-headed families with no spouse present had a poverty rate of 47.6 percent, over 4 times the rate in married-couple families. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; ASEP Issue Brief: Information on Poverty and Income Statistics. September 12, 2012

Drugs and Alcohol   

-The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states, “Fatherless children are at a dramatically greater risk of drug and alcohol abuse.” Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Center for Health Statistics. Survey on Child Health. Washington, DC

-According to The National Institute on Drug Use 65% of the US prison Population has an active drug addiction. An additional 20% can not be verified as having an addiction, but the were on drugs when apprehended. In other words drug use is present in 85% of the prison population.

-Physical and Emotional Health 

– A study of 1,977 children age 3 and older living with one biological parent had significantly more externalizing and internalizing behavioral problems than children living with two parents. Source: Hofferth, S. L. (2006). Residential father family type and child well-being: investment versus selection. Demography, 43, 53-78.

Children of single-parent homes are more than twice as likely to commit suicide. Source The National Depression Screening Program • Madelyn Gould, PhD, MPH, professor of child psychiatry and public health, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University; and research scientist, New York State Psychiatric Institute.

-Children born to single mothers show higher levels of aggressive behavior than children born to married mothers. Source: Osborne, C., & McLanahan, S. (2007). Partnership instability and child well-being. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69, 1065-1083.

-Educational Achievement

– Children in grades 7-12 who have lived with at least one biological parent, youth that experienced divorce, separation, or nonunion birth reported lower grade point averages than those who have always lived with both biological parentsSource: Tillman, K. H. (2007). Family structure pathways and academic disadvantage among adolescents in stepfamilies. Journal of Marriage and Family. 

 Father involvement is associated with the higher likelihood of a student getting mostly A’s. This was true for fathers in biological parent families, for stepfathers, and for fathers heading single-parent families. Source: Nord, Christine Winquist, and Jerry West. Fathers’ and Mothers’ Involvement in Their Children’s Schools by Family Type and Resident Status. (NCES 2001-032). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2001.

71% of high school dropouts are fatherless; fatherless children have more trouble academically, scoring poorly on tests of reading, mathematics, and thinking skills; children from father-absent homes are more likely to be truant from school, more likely to be excluded from school, more likely to leave school at age 16, and less likely to attain academic and professional qualifications in adulthood. Source: Edward Kruk, Ph.D., “The Vital Importance of Paternal Presence in Children’s Lives.” May 23, 2012.

-Crime

– A study using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health explored the relationship between family structure and risk of violent acts in neighborhoods. The results revealed that if the number of fathers is low in a neighborhood, then there is an increase in acts of teen violence. The statistical data showed that a 1% increase in the proportion of single-parent families in a neighborhood is associated with a 3% increase in an adolescent’s level of violence. In other words, adolescents who live in neighborhoods with lower proportions of single-parent families and who report higher levels of family integration commit less violence. Source: Knoester, C., & Hayne, D.A. (2005). “Community context, social integration into family, and youth violence.” Journal of Marriage and Family 67, 767-780.

– Children age 10 to 17 that lived in single parent families were significantly more likely to experience sexual assault, child maltreatment, and other types of major violence. They are more likely to witness violence in their families. Source: Heather A. Turner, “The Effect of Lifetime Victimization on the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents,” Social Science & Medicine, Vol. 62, No. 1, (January 2006), pp. 13-27.

-A study of 109 juvenile offenders indicated that family structure significantly predicts delinquencySource: Bush, Connee, Ronald L. Mullis, and Ann K. Mullis. “Differences in Empathy Between Offender and Nonoffender Youth.” Journal of Youth and Adolescence 29 (August 2000): 467-478.

-Sexual Activity and Teen Pregnancy

-Adolescents in father-absence homes were more likely to report being sexually active compared to adolescents living with their fathers. Source: Hendricks, C.S., Cesario, S.K., Murdaugh, C., Gibbons, M.E., Servonsky, E.J., Bobadilla, R.V., Hendricks, D.L., Spencer-Morgan, B., & Tavakoli, A. (2005).

Being raised by a single mother raises the risk of teen pregnancy, marrying with less than a high school degree, and forming a marriage where both partners have less than a high school degree. Source: Teachman, Jay D. “The Childhood Living Arrangements of Children and the Characteristics of Their Marriages.” Journal of Family Issues 25 (January 2004): 86-111.

None of this is written in an attempt to denigrate a specific race. It is solely intended to point out that rather than engage in assistance to those stuck in this cycle, our politicians instead repeat the same old rhetoric from the last couple of decades. The biggest assistance we can provide is to re-introduce the past American standard of nuclear family. It has become the norm, and even a fashion to go it alone. "Baby Mama" does not cut it. There should be a negative view of single parenting, or children born out of wedlock, and not because mothers are not capable of heroic motherhood. We should have a very negative view and low tolerance for those who are responsible for their single parent family. This abandonment of our values is proven to subject most of these children to the potential of what could actually be called child abuse. These children are subject to lack of opportunity, mental and physical health issues, drug addition, suicide, and prison. There is no privileged society of Whites, Hispanics, or Asians. There is an example of what works, and what does not. Until we acknowledge and act on the truth, we can not fix this problem. We need to break this cycle and reduce the number of people in jail, the number of mothers that struggle, the number of children that are abused, the number of people that are drug addicted, and the number of people that have no opportunities.

 

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1. None of this is written in an attempt to denigrate a specific race.

2. It is solely intended to point out that rather than engage in assistance to those stuck in this cycle, our politicians instead repeat the same old rhetoric from the last couple of decades. The biggest assistance we can provide is to re-introduce the past American standard of nuclear family.

3. We need to break this cycle and reduce the number of people in jail, the number of mothers that struggle, the number of children that are abused, the number of people that are drug addicted, and the number of people that have no opportunities.

1. Oh, WHEW.... 
2. Imposed cultural change ?  How now ?
2. How ?
 

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Hi Aristides,

Your two posts are telling. Not hard to see where you stand.

#1. Where does my essay say that this is the fault of liberal politicians? Are you referring to the word liberal in the title?Are you sure you know the definition of the word liberal? Mirriam Webster defines liberal as not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms. It is further defined as "of, favoring, or based upon the principles of liberalism". The dictionary goes on further to state that the word does not refer to a political party unless capitalized. Do you see my one word of liberalism out of thousands of other words capitalized? Is it not liberal to think that families no longer need two parents? All leaders are guilty of not properly addressing this problem. This is especially since most of the data is captured by their own bureaus and departments.

You however felt the need to go there. You have not presented any facts, or even an opinion as to your own solution. Rather you engaged in a blame game and followed it with a cynical quote. Are you part of the problem, or part of the solution?   

#2 -And then we have this pearl of wisdom from you. "The easiest way to avoid any accountability of your own and make sure nothing changes, is to blame someone else." That's not me. Look in the mirror. What you have written indicates that the only person attaching blame in this thread is you. Thank you for your comments Confucius, but I think you should read this again so that you can understand what is being said. As to your writing which seems to insinuate that I or others are not doing anything, I would suggest that this is a completely uninformed statement. Suffice it to say, I pay back what everyone did to pull me out of homelessness and all of the horrible stuff that goes with it. If you had walked in those shoes you would never ever considered it important to talk about who is at fault. Your only priority would be to help. 

If you would like to debate any of this I am happy to do so, but I warn you, you will look pretty silly. I do not express opinions, only documented facts.  The facts are facts, and will not be changed by your comments. So, why don't you do your part? Get FACTS, not opinions. Get them from reputable sources, not CNN or FOX. Prove me wrong on any of the information I have pulled from organizations like the US census bureau, the US Department of Health and Social Services, and all of the PHD's and organizations I have referenced. The dates are irrelevant. I am not quoting from the 20th or 19th centuries.

Maybe your comment about dates being all over the place is to advise me that the data is inaccurate. What a relief! I thought we had the highest death rate from overdoses in our recorded history. According to the Council on Foreign Relations over a million people have died from drug overdoses from 2020 to now. This is more than 1,500 people per week. I thought that our prison population was more than China and Russia combined (almost 2 million people). I thought that violent crime such as rape, sexual assault, robbery, physical assault and murder were up 30% in 2020 compared to 2019 (according to the FBI). I thought murder was up an additional 5% 2021 as compared to 2020. I thought (get this) that in New York City 43,244 violent crimes were recorded since may 15th, compared to 30,754 in the same period of 2021. That's a 40% increase. I thought that since "defund the police", murders of black people increased in 2020 by 43% as compared to the prior ten years. This again is from FBI crime statistics.

Thank God for your statement on accountability and your needless attempt to make this a party issue. For a moment there I thought our country was having a bit of trouble.

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Hi Michael,

Yes you are correct, whew. I know. It is so difficult to touch on this without inviting a harsh response. I have attempted to use only facts, which is why I included the sources. Also, I have walked miles in those shoes. I have been homeless. I have lived in poverty, and all of the negatives that come with it. I have experienced much, but through the help of the people I mentioned have been able to pull myself out of the hole of poverty, homelessness, and addiction. In fact, I have prospered and frankly I am on the high end of middle class, retired about 15 years early. This is all do to the people who cared for me, and have me values. As I mentioned, these people are black and I am eternally grateful to them for their wisdom and caring. They saved my life.

Imposed cultural change and how does this get done? It is so easy to solve the worlds problems as an armchair leader. I really don't have the answers, but I do have a couple of suggestions based on my own experiences.

The foster system is broken. There is no owner of a business that would tell you that with employees scattered all over with very little supervision, and in some cases with motives of their own, that this is a recipe for success. In fact, this scenario is exactly how a business can fail. Having been in the system I can tell you that our avoidance of the word orphanage or children's home, especially in a state funded program (DCF) is something we have to get over. The terrible conditions and abuses of the past are over. Children in need of assistance not found at home would be better served in a more institutional setting. Every service possible, physical and mental therapies, education, exposure to a clean and productive lifestyle, could be provided to these deprived children. Through the current system, as a ward of the state I can tell you that with one exception, a foster home was not a home. In my experience I was subject to both physical and psychological abuse. I was used as labor. I was also there to pay the mortgage. No money was spent on me for new clothes, the occasional outing, or anything like that. The system is broken. The only way to control the quality of education, therapies, nutrition, and peace of these children is in a concentrated environment in which all of these and more are available to help them succeed.

I mention this because it brings me to a thought about what might be done to assist what are called "underserved communities". Again, lots to think about, as well as treading a line between assistance and socialism. Bearing in mind the expense of welfare, $70,000 per year for an inmate, the level of frustration that causes people to burn their own neighborhoods, and having lived in a broken system I suggest something else.

We have to try not to make this socialism, but what if there was no welfare or wic? What if instead underserved communities had large community centers to provide the resources needed for families? What if as an example a single mother struggling, and definitely not in a position to work for advancement was pulled out of the workforce? What if as a CNA, (Certified Nurses Assistant - They make $10.00 - $12.00/hr in most settings) she was offered childcare while she pursued a degree that would enable her to become a nurse as an example. What if her children were in a stable environment with everything needed for health end education while she earns her degree? What if following her achievement of attaining the degree she was assisted with job placement? Is it possible that her children may grow up with different values and perspectives as well as now being well educated. Might they follow their mother's example of achievement?

How about someone in the community that does not want higher education, but would rather have a trade? Again, the center could provide whatever resources are needed for the children while at the same time training their parent in a trade. That training, those apprenticeships could be used in the community as urban renewal. As an example, if there is a home that needs paint, teach the student how to paint it. If a sidewalk is in disrepair, teach the student how to repair it through masonry.  If a local business could use some facility improvement, teach the student how to make those improvements. If urban renewal was used to provide income and training, might those that live in the community be more protective of it. They may have more pride in where they live. Is it possible that residents of an improved community might not not allow the criminals that occupy that area to thrive? Might the drug dealers have no place on the streets?

Giving money for the purchase of food (WIC) is a noble thought, but have you ever shopped in the stores that are available in an underserved community? I can assure you it is nothing like Whole Foods or Trader Joes. The produce is sometimes on the shelves just before it goes bad. I have purchased produce in these stores only to see it starting to rot the next day. Healthy alternatives are scarce. Drinks are extremely high in sugar. There are prepared foods that are very high in salt. Whatever the offense, the food is not healthy. Might it be better to have a store in the community center with the proper quality and healthy options? There could be prepared foods as well, just as there are in some of the better grocery chains. How much could quality meals positively affect the health of those in underserved communities? Basically, instead of giving money to buy the junk that is available, just provide really good food.

For families, could there be some counseling to help keep parents together? Could there be parenting classes when needed? Think about it. If the parents and children in underserved communities were nurtured in this way, might less of the population be destined for jail, but rather contribute and build the American Dream for themselves. We can provide all of the resources to support families and provide them the highest level of nutrition, education, and if needed support to help overcome addictions, violence, and crime. If we were able to divert the majority of the population that might otherwise be imprisoned, and give them the opportunity to have a better life, it is a win win. To reduce the expense of housing inmates, hospital bills for treatment related to addictions or poor quality of nutrition, the cost of law enforcement, the cost and burden on the legal system, as well as the payment of benefits for the greater portion of some people's lives, we must think about funding a program such as this as an alternative. That is not to mention the added benefit to our country as a result of urban renewal and a larger workforce.

I may be way off, but to your point, there is no race that should attempt or be required to have cultural change. Simply, and we all know it, the systems currently in place allow people to stay in place. They do nothing to uplift and support a community. They support an individual, but not very well, and not in a manner that improves the quality of life. I am suggesting that we can do much better than the way we currently use our resources.

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Point taken. Maybe it's to many on this forum, "liberal" is regarded as a swear word. I can be forgiven if I thought you were one of them.

But I'll ask, why do highly socialized (and liberal) countries such as in western Europe, Scandinavia and Japan not have these issues to the same degree? Canada certainly has those issues but with the possible exception of a drug overdose crisis, not to the same degree, while Americans regard Canada to be extremely liberal.

We only disagree on the use of the word liberal, we do agree that it's about supporting people instead of jailing them. Not just marriage counselling but giving them the good education and other opportunities to be successful in life. Marriages break down for many reasons, not the least of which is financial stress. Unfortunately, supporting people and education isn't big business like the prison and legal systems. The US spends over 80 billion every year keeping people in jail and over 100 billion to put them there. 

Many American police institutions need reform but defunding them can't even be considered until those supports are in place and functioning. 

Other than watching some of CNN's specials that have nothing to do with politics, I don't watch US cable news. CNN, FOX, any of them.

Edited by Aristides
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Great and appreciated response Aristedes. 

I wont claim to speak as an expert but perhaps the reason Canada and Europe are in a different situation might be answered by using their drug policy as an example. I think this is important because 85% of our prison population are drug users or addicts. In Canada a person seeking to obtain drugs, not a dealer, and not even having them can be sentenced for up to 7 years. A person dealing drugs may be jailed for life.

Regarding Europe there are so many different countries and I am not sure there is a common thread. I can  speak about England as I lived there at one time. In England for possession the punishment may be prison up to 7 years  or an unlimited fine, or both. For distribution, just as in Canada the prison term can be life.

Here sadly, the HHS  Health and Human Services has created a grant of a reported $30 million dollars for "harm reduction". A part of the harm reduction initiative is the distribution of "safe smoking kits". A glass device is also included but the Federal Government. The government has rejected the definition of this apparatus as crack pipe. Nonetheless as reported in the Washington Post, glass "stems" are included because the thought is that fresh glass is safer than sharing. Here is a quote from an expert in the Drug Policy Alliance which was also posted in the Washington Post. "Harm reduction as a practice and as a philosophy is all about helping people make informed and safer decisions", Vakharia said. (She is an expert in the Alliance). "It's about saying, "This is a place where we accept you for who you are and here are the tools for you to help stay safe while you're smoking, and in addition, we've got condoms, and we can teach you about overdosing, and here's naloxone". Of course, we have been distributing condoms in school, and needles on the street for years. 

Regarding punishment in America as reported by the PEW Research Center "the numbers of people admitted to and held in prisons dropped by a third. This accounts for a 61% reduction in the prison population and 38% of the total decline in admissions." For those arrested only one in ten was arrested for distribution. 90% of arrests were for possession. Contrast that with Canada as an example that offers the potential of a life sentence.

This year we saw beatings, quelling  of demonstrations, and arrests of people rejecting the severe mandates related to COVID in Canada. These enforcement policies in contrast to ours are a reminder that we have freedoms not available in a Constitutional Monarchy such as Canada. As liberal as we believe their policies are, the conduct of law enforcement as well as the powers of the government to control the population are much stronger than ours. The same complexion holds true in England where the policy regarding an arrest is "guilty until proven innocent". In addition contrary to our right of privacy England has camera coverage of almost the entire country. This system of monitoring the action of citizens outside of their home is a method of surveillance used by Law Enforcement. No right to privacy outside the home. It would appear that our weaker enforcement as well as lower conviction rates despite a massive and growing opioid epidemic are allowing distribution avenues perhaps not available in other countries.   Lowering the bar by condoning drug use and distributing kits for safe use does not help. Not associating the 85% drug use by inmates with the huge growth of the opioid crises is dangerous too. An increase of use should indicate to us that there will be an increase of crime. According to the AMA drug overdose deaths rose to a record breaking 107,000 deaths 2020 - 2021.

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On 6/20/2022 at 11:03 AM, Aristides said:

Why is this a liberal thing? The dates of your studies are all over the map, during both Democrat and Republican administrations. Seems to me, Trump was president in 2020 but I couldn't blame it all on him.

Seems to me it is an American thing.

Everything today is pretty much the result of a liberal messy thing. We have had more lefty liberal governments than conservative governments. It is liberal governments that try to always force CRT like bullshit on innocent children. The liberals have always been anti family. The Marxist like family is what the liberals are all about today. Instill Marxist ideology  into their innocent little heads while they are still young and vulnerable. It's a Canadian thing also, don't you know? ?  

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On 6/20/2022 at 11:16 AM, Aristides said:

The easiest way to avoid any accountability of your own and make sure nothing changes, is to blame someone else.

Ya, so why don't we all just blame it all on Trump. That would work well for you, eh, gong show trial hearing loser? ?

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2 hours ago, taxme said:

Everything today is pretty much the result of a liberal messy thing. We have had more lefty liberal governments than conservative governments. It is liberal governments that try to always force CRT like bullshit on innocent children. The liberals have always been anti family. The Marxist like family is what the liberals are all about today. Instill Marxist ideology  into their innocent little heads while they are still young and vulnerable. It's a Canadian thing also, don't you know? ?  

Bullshit. Imprisoning people and making them cope on their own with no assistance is more of a conservative ideology. They don't give a shit about innocent children, their resistance to even minor changes to gun laws into keep them out of the hands of mentally ill is proof.

 

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2 hours ago, taxme said:

Ya, so why don't we all just blame it all on Trump. That would work well for you, eh, gong show trial hearing loser? ?

I said you can't blame it all on Trump, you know that if you bothered to read my posts.

 

Quote

Why is this a liberal thing? The dates of your studies are all over the map, during both Democrat and Republican administrations. Seems to me, Trump was president in 2020 but I couldn't blame it all on him.

 

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On 6/21/2022 at 2:16 PM, Aristides said:

Bullshit. Imprisoning people and making them cope on their own with no assistance is more of a conservative ideology. They don't give a shit about innocent children, their resistance to even minor changes to gun laws into keep them out of the hands of mentally ill is proof.

 

Bullshit yourself. It looks to me like your team tag buddy MH missed giving you a trophy for this reply. What happened, Mikey? ?

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On 6/21/2022 at 2:18 PM, Aristides said:

I said you can't blame it all on Trump, you know that if you bothered to read my posts.

 

 

Sadly, I do bother to read all your replies. So stupid of me. ?

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I agree that liberalism has nothing to do with it.

- Liberals generally favour allowing abortion, which does reduce the number of lone mothers.

- Liberals generally oppose draconian prison sentencing, which reduces the number of incarcerated fathers.

- Liberals generally support good social services and social assistance which helps households avoid crushing poverty.

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