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James Carville on Families & Children
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Illegitimacy is a problem, but not caused by welfare
You don't have to sell us 5/65 Democrats on the idea that daddies matter. Out-of-wedlock births are a huge problem in this country. Kids are better off with 2 parents. It's like catching a ball--2 hands are better than 1.
Of course, every once in a while, someone makes a brilliant 1-handed snag, and there are some kids who do fine with 1 parent. But in general you're better off sticking to 2. Every statistic I've ever read makes that point in spades.
But what causes illegitimacy? After exhaustive study, we have finally found the answer that has eluded so many people: Illegitimacy is the result of unprotected copulation between post-pubescent males and females who are not married to each other.
Does the heavy hand of government, you ask, have a role in all this? Not much, if any. If you read any of the research, it's impossible to argue that welfare is a significant cause of the rise in single-parent families.
Source: We're Right, They're Wrong, by James Carville, p. 23
, Feb 20, 1996
Page last updated: Apr 25, 2013