Truth is, a cultural shift, not economic policy, is what got us here.
Government can do little except tinker at the margins. Repealing no-fault divorce laws would help, but there is little political will to do so.
Even the Heritage Foundation's "Marshall Plan for Marriage" is actually quite modest. It recommends making the 2001 and 2003 tax reforms permanent, suggests spending more on pro-marriage ads, and praises states that have required some marriage counseling before divorce. Plenty of carrots, in other words, and a relatively small stick.
Yes, we can promote marriage and protect freedom. And we must. Strong families are the basis of a free and prosperous society, always and evermore. Cheapening marriage has cheapened America.
Ben Boychuk (bboychuk@manhattan-institute.org) is associate editor of the Manhattan Institute's City Journal. Joel Mathis (joelmmathis@gmail.com) is a writer and blogger in Philadelphia.
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The power of Reaganomics. Redistributing wealth from the bottom up since 1980.
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