Monday, January 21, 2008

Where Are the Fathers?

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel community columnist Regina Yvette Cooper asks yesterday: Where are the fathers? I will assume that hers was not a rhetorical question and I will take a stab at answering.

Who needs em Regina? The state will take care of the women and children. Need money? See the state. Need food? The state will provide. Housing? The state has you covered. Health care? Check. Education. It's free! What else is there? What do you need a man for? The state is daddy now.

The state provides, it is true, but there is a downside greater than the upside. Men are relieved of their parenting responsibilities. The state is fostering irresponsibility among young men. The state robs them of dignity and purpose. They gradually slink away, and some can be found, as you say, "standing on the corner addicted to everything."

And what of the children? Well, their material needs have been met, but we now know that much more is needed. The state can't replace the love, nurturing, role modelling, or the discipline that children need from a father. Boys will stay boys. The cycle will continue.

Sadly, too few people see the connection between big government and the disappearing man.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Better yet the State will not help when a man wants to be there for there kids. I have my own horror story as do far too many men.
The true terror is when a father wants to be a dad (even part time)and the State will not let you

Caledonication said...

To take it a step further. Too few people see the connection between big government and the disappearance of personal responsibility, altogether.

Nemo said...

Sadly Denis, you’re right. The “Great Society” programs of the left have not just damaged
families, they destroyed them by making parental responsibility superfluous. I share Caledonication’s concerns about an increasingly myopic public to the dangers of big government altruism. I’m frustrated that there does not seem to be solution to fix the government caused damage to the family. Sometimes a broken thing can’t be fixed. If things continue to go as they have, we’ll be saying the same thing about our health care system in a few years.

Anonymous said...

Hey, as long as we taxpayers get to fund these kids, we taxpayers should have the right of droit de seigneur. After all, as long as they're screwing us, we should get to return the favor.

Nemo said...

And this will promote parental responsibility how? Anon, conservatives are about solutions and hope. Subjugation, privilege, revenge, and hate are the domain of the modern Liberal.