Jesse Ventura on Families & Children Former Independent MN Governor; possible Presidential Challenger

Hypocrisy to tell kids to abstain from sex

No more tax subsidy for child care; parents’ responsibilty

I wish those folks would look at the issue with a little foresight: if I earmark day care money for 8,000 kids this year, how many kids do you think I’ll need to find it for next year? Rest assured, there’d be more. Parents would see their neighbors getting it, and want it too. The responsible thing to do is harder than accepting a government handout.

Unfortunately the folks who criticized me as being heartless and anti-child would rather send me diapers than consider making the tougher, more responsible choice.

Community regulates behavior better than government

There are other ways to handle those things, better ways. One is called parenting. The othe is called community. I was very fortunate: I was raised in a time and place where family and community were still very strong, when people fought to keep family and community and keep them respectable. If you got out of line, you had an army of family, friends, and neighbors who you knew would be personally disappointed in you--people you cared about and respected. That’s a far more effective means of “regulation” than anything government can do to you. And it doesn’t even raise your taxes!

Encourage fathers' participation in child-raising.

The Issue

NGA’s Position

Federal funds & state involvement in fatherhood initiatives.

The nation’s Governors recognize that governments at all levels can and should take immediate action including:
• providing additional education and information about the importance of fathers participating in raising their children;
• establishing a nongovernmental national clearinghouse to collect and disseminate information regarding responsible fatherhood;
• expanding efforts to prevent unintended and out-of-wedlock teen pregnancies;
• providing children with appropriate adult male role models, such as mentors, in the absence of a caring father;
• ensuring that young men are given opportunities to feel successful and valued, which will lead to the development of self-confidence and preparation for fatherhood;
• encouraging the involvement of the community, including the religious community, civic community, business community, and mentors in addressing the importance of father involvement;
• developing strategies that include both parents in activities focused on their children, such as training service providers and educators to include both parents in their service delivery;
• working with private employers and the education community to provide education and job training opportunities to unemployed, underemployed, and low-skilled fathers; and
• paternity establishment and child support enforcement efforts.

Any new federal funding stream designated for fatherhood initiatives should:
• support programs in states, at the discretion of each Governor, that encourage appropriate involvement of both parents in the life of a child, with priority given to programs that specifically address the issue of fatherhood;
• be coordinated with existing fatherhood programs, as well as with other federal funds that can be used for fatherhood initiatives, such as TANF; and
• not be funded at the expense of another vital human service program.