Newsflash to politicians: before the economy, environment, even education, come two-parent families. This was the message from a new Wirthlin poll released last week by the Alliance for Marriage, which touts itself as a "non-partisan, multicultural marriage coalition." According to the survey findings, 92 percent of Americans believe the country can move forward only if families and family values are strengthened.
One-third of American children are raised without dads -- leading to youth crime, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, and welfare, says director Matt Daniels. Advisory board member Rev. Walter Fauntroy, a former D.C. delegate who organized the March on Washington for Martin Luther King Jr., says behind the youth violence and hostility in the black community are "young boys who need their fathers."
The group's poll found that 87 percent of Americans want businesses to offer home-based work options and flexible hours, 78 percent support requiring counseling to married couples with children before a divorce is granted, and 76 percent back tax cuts for married couples with children. Fauntroy sums it up: "I love my daughter, and when she turns 13, and some guy says to her, 'Baby, I love you,' she'll say, 'I hear that everyday, what else is on your mind?'"