Parental Rights as upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court have never been under greater threat. Especially here in California where recent legislations have eroded Parental Rights and Consent in the care, education, and raising of their children. The buck stops here. In Riverside County.

Our society is at a crossroads. For several generations, an expansive federal regime has marginalized and supplanted the institutions holding our society together. The American family, Marriage, and Parental Rights have all suffered. No wonder, then, that so much seems to be coming apart now. The question is whether we are going to reinvigorate the private-sector institutions under citizen control or allow their continued erosion by the forces of centralized social planning. In that divide, the Republican Party stands with the people. And Stands with the American family.

OUR COUNTRY’S MOST IMPORTANT INSTITUTION IS THE AMERICAN FAMILY

It is the foundation of civil society, and the cornerstone of the family is marriage, the union of one man and one woman. Its daily lessons — cooperation, patience, mutual respect, responsibility, self-reliance — are fundamental to the order and progress of our Republic. Strong families advance the cause of liberty by lessening the need for government in their daily lives. That is why Republicans formulate public policy, from taxation to education, from healthcare to welfare, with attention to the needs and strengths of the family.

STRONG FAMILIES ADVANCE THE CAUSE OF LIBERTY BY LESSENING THE NEED FOR GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE

It is also why everyone should be concerned about the state of the American family today, not because of ideology or doctrine, but because of the overwhelming evidence of experience, social science, and common sense. All of which give us these truths about marriage: Children raised in a two-parent household tend to be physically and emotionally healthier, more likely to do well in school, less likely to use drugs and alcohol, engage in crime or become pregnant outside of marriage. We oppose policies and laws that create a financial incentive for or encourage cohabitation.

MARRIAGE REMAINS THE GREATEST ANTIDOTE TO CHILD POVERTY

The 40 percent of children who now are born outside of marriage are five times more likely to live in poverty than youngsters born and raised by a mother and father in the home. Nearly three-quarters of the $450 billion government annually spend on welfare goes to single-parent households. This is what it takes for a governmental village to raise a child, and the village is doing a tragically poor job of it.

EVERY CHILD DESERVES A MARRIED MOM AND DAD

The reality remains that millions of American families do not have the advantages that come with that structure. We honor the courageous efforts of those who bear the burdens of parenting alone and embrace the principle that all Americans should be treated with dignity and respect. But respect is not enough. Our laws and our government’s regulations should recognize marriage as the union of one man and one woman and actively promote married family life as the basis of a stable and prosperous society.