OPINION:
Everybody keeps up with the money in his pocket. Interest in economics, the dismal science of what keeps money in the nation’s pocket, not so much. Trying to manage money while navigating an increasingly unstable economic landscape is challenging, so it’s useful to remember the reason for having a little concentrated concern in the family. As family goes, so goes fortune.
The clear correlation between strong families and a strong economy is no surprise. A study titled “Strong Families, Prosperous States,” published by the American Enterprise Institute, finds that states with higher rates of married-parent families track closely with higher levels of economic growth, lower incidence of child poverty, and higher median family income: “In states across the country, strong families foster more broadly shared prosperity and give children a better shot at achieving the American Dream.”
Comparing rates on a state-by-state basis, the survey discovers that states ranked in the top category of married-parent families have a per-capita gross domestic product $1,451 higher than states in the lowest category. The leading married-parent states show a 10.5 percent greater income mobility for children than in lower-income families, a 13.2 percent decrease in child poverty rate, and a median family income $3,654 higher than states at the low end of the married-parent scale. Utah, with its disciplined Mormon thrift, is at the top of the list. Idaho is second and Louisiana and Mississippi stand at the bottom.
The study found the link between marriage and economic growth particularly strong among young adults, ages 25-35. The takeaway is that states with a greater proportion of married adults receive an economic boost, and young married families add an extra kick. Violent crime is less prevalent in states with a greater proportion of families headed by married parents. States at the top counted 343 violent crimes per 100,000 persons, while the rate was 563 for states at the bottom. Wedding vows encourage young men in particular to kick their rowdy habits.
President Obama is by all accounts a model family man, but he has seldom used his bully pulpit to tout his example. Liberals usually regard family as like outdated religious traditions in a more “enlightened” era. He prefers to rail against the 1 percenters and redistribute their tax proceeds to the expanding ranks of single parents kept on the generosity of Washington. The economy as a result has averaged a dismal 1.8 percent annual growth during the Obama presidency.
Means-tested benefits, which under Mr. Obama go to nearly 110 million Americans, hardly motivate young parents to get up early to add to the family fortune. Neither do campaigns to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, which get loud huzzahs from Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
Republican presidential candidates should strike a sharp contrast with liberal opponents, and vow to support initiatives that strengthen marriage. The marriage penalty for welfare programs, which can cost recipients a third of their benefits if they choose to marry, must be eliminated. The “success sequence,” which the Brookings Institution says encourages young adults to pursue education, work, marriage and parenthood, result in happy families.
Prosperity is not the cause but the result of strong families. Candidates in 2016 must remember this principle when presenting their plans to redeem the American dream.
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