Social Policy
Mar 10, 2013
The marriage amendment may have fallen short at the polls in November, but a majority of Minnesotans continue to support marriage as the union of one man and one woman, according to recent polls by KSTP/SurveyUSA and the Star Tribune. In the Star Tribune poll, only 38 percent said they favored legalization of same-sex marriage.
Jan 13, 2013
Who -- in the sensitive, civilized Minnesota of 2013 -- could possibly be in favor of bullying? If you were short or fat in sixth grade, you may have cringed from bullies yourself. If your kids have endured bullying, you've suffered through it with them. No child should have to put up with bullying. So how could a decent person oppose a campaign at our State Capitol to prevent it?
Oct 11, 2012
For many decades, through relentless technological change and rapid alterations in the general prosperity of most Americans, we have endured an unprecedented transformation of many basic social institutions. These include marriage, family size, and education, among others.
Oct 11, 2012
Because I’m an historian, not a futurist, I’d prefer not to speculate about what the country might look like, if present trends in family breakdown persist—or, worse yet, worsen.
Oct 11, 2012
Contrary to the “happily ever after” notion espoused in fairy tales and romance novels, marriage is hard.
Oct 11, 2012
As a die-hard libertarian, I must admit that the breakdown of the American family has traditionally not been at the top of my agenda, either personally or professionally. The size and scope of the U.S. government, returning that government to its Constitutional role, and generally seeing to it that governments act to protect rather than restrict individual liberty have been my life’s work.
Oct 11, 2012
I am an optimist by nature, but the band R.E.M. put it rather aptly: “It’s the end of the world as we know it!”
Oct 11, 2012
The problem outlined by Mitch Pearlstein is soundly argued—family breakdown has been hastened by higher rates of non-marital birth, divorce, and cohabitation, leading to less educational and economic opportunity for affected children and adults.
Oct 11, 2012
In trying to attack this very glum prognosis, I will offer a few alternative scenarios. I am omitting one of the most important issues, the total health care picture, and I hope someone else will do that.
Oct 11, 2012
If family fragmentation has very real emotional, educational, and financial costs, what can civic-minded people do about it? The answer, in short, is for government to stop offering bad incentives and for everyone to start speaking the truth. We need a change in both public policy and culture.