Rick Santorum in It Takes a Family, by Rick Santorum
On Abortion:
FactCheck: No, female suicide & crime not worse under Roe
Abortion is a popular topic for Santorum, who also was off in 2005 when he claimed in a book that female suicides and crime were "much worse" after Roe v. Wade.
Suicides by women actually went down by a third since the Supreme Court decision made abortion legal. Female suicides dropped from 6.5 per 100,000 women in 1973 to 4.1 in 2001, the most recent stats at the time, according to the CDC.
As for crime, the Department of Justice's annual survey showed a drop in both property and violent crime since 1973. (For the record, the female suicide rate is still lower than
1973's--4.8 as of 2007. And property and violent crime have continued to drop.)
Source: FactCheck.org on "It Takes a Family" by Rick Santorum
Feb 15, 2011
On Abortion:
Scientifically, an embryo is human from moment of conception
I was very much like most Americans and most nominal Catholics before I decided to enter public life. I didn't like the idea of abortion--I knew it was wrong, but I wasn't sure if it was the government's business to do anything about it.
When I decided to run for public office in 1989, I was told that I had to "make up my mind on abortion."Through both scientific reasoning and moral reasoning the answer was clear to me. Abortion was the taking of an innocent human life.
Scientifically, the embryo is human from the moment of conception (it has a complete, unique human genetic code) and it is alive: therefore, it is literally a human life.
I looked at it one other way. Did I see the child in the womb as a person
entitled to protection under the law, or as a property owned by the mother, with no rights until the moment she was physically separated from her mother? No, I couldn't see myself on the "mere property" side of this argument.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.239-240
Apr 30, 2006
On Abortion:
93% of abortions are post-conception birth control
When you hear an abortion supporter argue his or her position, nowhere do you hear that a baby's heart can be seen beating at three weeks. They appear to exhibit a whole range of typical baby behavior and moods.Almost never do I hear about what is
being chosen, other than the sterile words "terminating pregnancy." Nowhere do you hear that over 93% of abortions are performed on healthy mothers with healthy babies who were not the victim of rape or incest, which means that in the vast majority of
cases abortion is actually post-conception birth control.
The advocates of abortion, like Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Rights Action League, teach that if you have to say anything about what is in the womb you should use dehumanizing
terms like "product of conception," "embryo," & "fetal tissue." Or, if you must, fetus. Thanks to a lot of help from their allies in the news and entertainment media, they have turned the child in the womb into a NOBODY, and therefore "NOBODY gets hurt."
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.253
Apr 30, 2006
On Abortion:
Partial birth abortion allows killing baby if only toe is in
On Oct. 20, 1999, I had a colloquy with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D, CA) about where to draw the line on partial birth abortion:SANTORUM: If the baby's foot was inside the mother but the rest of the baby was outside, could that baby be killed?
BOXER:
The baby is born when the baby is born. That is the answer to the question.
SANTORUM: I am asking for you to define for me what that is: the baby is being born.
BOXER: In the process of being born, to me it is obvious when a baby is born; to you it
isn't obvious.
SANTORUM: Maybe you can make it obvious to me. What you are suggesting is if the baby's toe is still inside of the mother that baby can then still be killed?
BOXER: Absolutely not.
SANTORUM: OK. So if the baby's toe is in, you can't
kill the baby. How about if the baby's foot is in? We are trying to draw a line here.
BOXER: I am not answering these questions.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.255-257
Apr 30, 2006
On Abortion:
Partial birth abortion is not used only for abnormalities
In 2003, Sen. Hillary Clinton [commented] about the anatomically correct drawings I used to demonstrate the partial birth abortion procedure:CLINTON: The visual aids show a perfectly formed fetus, and that is misleading. We should have a chart that
demonstrates tragic abnormalities.
SANTORUM: Do we consider a child that may not live long, or may have an abnormality, to be less of a child? Don't those who are not perfect don't even deserve the opportunity to live?
CLINTON: Does the Senator's
legislation make exceptions for serious life-threatening abnormalities?
SANTORUM: No, if--
CLINTON: That is the point.
SANTORUM: If you want to create a separation in the law between those children who are perfect and those children who are not--
SANTORUM: If a child is not perfect, that child can be aborted under any circumstances. But if that child is perfect, we are going to protect that child more. The Americans with Disabilities Act says we treat all of God's children the sam
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.258-261
Apr 30, 2006
On Civil Rights:
Same-sex marriage is unprecedented social revolution
Even a year or two ago, few Americans imagined that we would be facing the issue of same-sex marriage today. Thanks to a few activist justices, however, America is on the verge of undergoing a social revolution simply without any historical precedent.
There are few places where the clash between what freedom means and its impact on families is clearer than when it comes to transforming the definition of marriage.Liberals believe that the traditional family is neither natural nor vital, that it's an
antiquated social convention which has not only outlived its usefulness, but is now inherently discriminatory & repressive toward legitimate alternative "families."
Every known society has some form of marriage. And it's always about bringing together
a male and a female into the kind of sexual union where the interests of children under the care of their own mother and father are protected. Marriage is the word for the way in which we connect a man, a woman, and their children into one loving family.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 30-31
Apr 30, 2006
On Civil Rights:
Marriage Protection Amendment is last resort, but needed
I support the Marriage Protection Amendment. The amendment would spell out in our Constitution what our founding fathers could not have fathomed would someday need to be said: that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. I fully understand that
amending the Constitution is the most solemn of legislative changes and therefore should only be used as a last resort. But I fear we have reached the moment of last resort. Unlike the courts, Congress does not have the power to change the
Constitution through a simple majority of one body. The amendment must pass the House and the Senate with a supermajority of 2/3 and then be ratified by a supermajority of 3/4 of the states. It is a long and difficult process.
Like so many important issues in our nation's history, it may take years for the Marriage Protection Amendment to pass. But like many other great struggles to ensure the common good, I am confident that it will one day become law.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 38-39
Apr 30, 2006
On Civil Rights:
Affirmative program for minority business-building
Our nation's African-Americans were most assuredly victims in countless ways. Obviously, too, as I know from my personal conversations with African-Americans, racism and discrimination still do exist in this country.But it is wrong to believe the
African-American story is one of victimhood only. To think in those terms is to deny the real accomplishments of the black community in our history, [especially] a tradition of business acumen and entrepreneurship.
There remains a very troubling disparity between whites and blacks. And this is really the result of a missing economic fundamental: business building and wealth creation.
Surely the most AFFIRMATIVE program to build up
America's minority families would be one aimed at just this: using market-based solutions and public-private partnership emphasizing BUSINESS CREATION. We need to hang up "No Denials" signs in urban communities--the opposite of red-lining.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.189-192
Apr 30, 2006
On Crime:
Broken homes increase delinquency, crime, and jail
Crime is related to family structure. We should know this from common sense and our own life experiences. But for those who need a study to prove what is obvious, I have a bunch. In one study of more than 6,000 young men ages
14 to 22, it was found that boys who grew up without a married mother and father were more than twice as likely to end up in jail as boys who did.
This proved true even after taking into account factors such as a mother's education level, race, family income, & community unemployment rates and median income.Other studies have shown that broken homes can increase the delinquency in a community by
10 to 15 percent, and the proportion of single-parent households in a community predicts the rate of violent crime and burglary much better than a community's level of poverty.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 21
Apr 30, 2006
On Crime:
Allow felons to vote again after 5 years crime-free
African-American communities are hard hit by crime: the large percentages of black men who become involved in the criminal justice system. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that
16.2 percent of blacks will go to prison at some point in their lives, compared to 2.5 percent of whites. For black males, the number is 28.5 percent.
The impact of these figures upon the community is staggering. Just think what these percentages mean to marriage, to families, and to children. Plus, in many states, convicted felons can never vote, practically ensuring that large numbers of black men
are permanently disengaged from civic life. That is why I have supported state laws and even voted for federal laws allowing felons to vote again, provided they have been crime-free for five years.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 62
Apr 30, 2006
On Crime:
Support Prison Fellowship InnerChange Freedom Initiative
We pray that convicted felons experience rehabilitation and, if they do, we should grant them forgiveness. Forgiveness is POWERFUL--but right now, in many states, we're withholding our forgiveness, because we never fully welcome the ex-felon back into
society. The good news is that this is truly a captive audience. And most of these men really do want to change their lives.In four states--TX, IA, KS, & MN--Prison Fellowship runs the InnerChange Freedom Initiative. It's a 24-hour-a-day program that
runs for the last 12 to 18 months of a prisoner's sentence, and then at least another 6 months after the prisoner is released. "It's an explicitly Christian program. However, we accept inmate of all faiths. We teach the inmate that no matter how horrible
their crime is, if they sincerely repent and turn their lives over to Christ, make amends to their victims, and work at having a different worldview when they are released they can lead healthy, productive, law-abiding lives. That gives them hope."
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.110-113
Apr 30, 2006
On Drugs:
Kids living with married parents less likely to use drugs
Families set standards and demand that their children live up to them. Strong families are grounded in a code of conduct, morality, values, plus judicious use of the age-old sanctions of shame and stigma. And that last part, by the way--parental
ENFORCEMENT of standards. After all, they say, children did not CONSENT to their parents' values.Beyond the "enforcement," however, healthy families are bound by a unique mixture of unconditional love, commitment, and support. A stable marriage is the
greatest protection for children and the most powerful energizer for their success.
Children living with their married mother and father, as compared to other children, are less likely to get into trouble or use alcohol and drugs. They do better in
school; they get better jobs. No surprise, they also have happier marriages. Teenagers on single-parent households or households with a stepparent are at 1.5 to 2.5 times the risk of using illegal drugs as are teens living with their mother and father.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 18-19&24
Apr 30, 2006
On Education:
Comprehensive sex ed has no impact on pregnancy or STD rates
The field of abstinence education has not been studied as intensively as has the "regular" sex ed--so-called comprehensive sex ed. (And comprehensive sex ed, by the way, has not been shown to have ANY impact on pregnancy or STD rates. The ONLY liberal
program ever shown to lower pregnancy rates involved injecting inner-city teenage girls with DepoProvera, which, while preventing pregnancy, did nothing to protect them from becoming infected with STDs). But studies show that we can help young people
make the healthy choice to delay sexual activity--preferably until marriage, but at least until adulthood. An analysis revealed that adolescent girls who signed a virginity pledge were 40% less likely to have child out of wedlock than girls who did not
sign a pledge.
Yet in this country, we continue to pour millions more dollars into comprehensive sex ed, which "protects" against the "effects" of UNHEALTHY behavior, rather than promoting virtue, which will lead to HEALTHY behavior.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 87-90
Apr 30, 2006
On Education:
One-time $500 contribution to every low-income child
I have been working with Democratic Senator Jon Corzine on an idea titled the America Saving for Personal Investment, Retirement, and Education Act (the "ASPIRE" Act). It creates savings account called a Kids Investment and Development Savings
(KIDS) account for every child born in America. Under this plan, the federal government would endow each account with a one-time $500 contribution. Every child living in households earning below the national median income would be eligible for an
additional contribution of up to $500. These accounts would encourage savings and promote financial literacy for all children, and they would give low-income children in particular a sense of ownership, a stake in the
American economy, and a source of wealth to help them through life in a manner similar to a federal employee's Thrift Savings Account. All earnings in the account would be tax-free until withdrawn.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.152-153
Apr 30, 2006
On Education:
1990s: School uniforms happen to be a good idea
More gifted liberal politicians, rather than dismissing moral concerns, go out of their way to make political gestures shrewdly designed to try to convince the electorate that they SHARE a concern for eroding American values. But these political efforts,
despite megaphone publicity, touch only on small matters. Remember Pres. Clinton's campaign" for school uniforms? Then, their "image" properly "managed" so as to appear "moderate," these politicians proceed with their real agenda, an agenda utterly
hostile to traditional morals.School uniforms. They happen to be a good idea, but they're not the responsibility of the president. Yet as a politician I have to shake my head in wonderment at the sheer political artistry of such a move. It cost Bill
Clinton nothing; there was no changes that this "campaign" would go anywhere. Yet by loudly trumpeting his interest in school uniforms, Pres. Clinton was able to portray himself as someone who got it when it came to questions of America's moral health.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.209
Apr 30, 2006
On Education:
Family, religion, and schools: most fundamental institutions
Schools [are one of] the most fundamental institution of society for three reasons.- Like the family, schools are directly involved in the raising of children, which is always the central task of any society.
- Because it is impossible to raise a
child in a genuinely value-neutral way, schools are--like churches--value-transmitting institutions.
- Schools are enormous generators of social capital, bringing parents, families, and whole communities together in a common endeavor.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.351
Apr 30, 2006
On Education:
Rich people already have school choice; give it to the poor
We already have school choice in this country. The problem is that we've only got school choice for people who can afford it.School choice today takes two forms. The most obvious form is the choice exercised by those who can afford to pay the cost of
private school.
Second, there's an affordable from of school choice, which happens every day in every community in America. It's called MOVING.
So we've got residential school choice already. And you know what? The same hysterical criticisms made by
those against making school choice viable for low-income families already apply to residential school choice. It creams off the best students! More resources go to school that are already better!
So we have plenty of school choice today already.
But it's inefficient and unfair. It's disruptive and costly to move. And it's inequitable. Low-income families can't move, so they are stuck; their children are stuck. We must empower ALL our children with scholarships if we are to achieve common good.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.365-366
Apr 30, 2006
On Education:
Home-schooled six children with wife Karen
My wife and I [decided that our] six children should be home-schooled. My wife Karen is trained as a nurse and a lawyer, and our kids are lucky to have such a talented person as their primary educator. (Yes, I help out too, but for most families it makes
sense for one parent to take on the primary educational role.) However, research suggests that there is no correlation between educational level of parents and the educational success of their homeschooled children.We didn't set out with any grand
plan for homeschooling. It just happened rather naturally, when we couldn't find a kindergarten for our oldest child that we were happy with. Eventually, we took the same approach with all our children. But we did it one year at a time, each year making
a decision as to what was the best course for each child.
The greatest thing about homeschooling is that, though it's hard and stressful at times, you develop this amazingly close relationship with your kids.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.384
Apr 30, 2006
On Education:
Multiculturalism insists we teach about comic books
Sometime in the 1980s, universities began to champion the importance of "diversity" as a central educational value. Now, it may well be true that the traditional curriculum, the traditional "canon" of great books, did not do full justice to great
works outside the Western tradition. On the other hand, America is part of Western Civilization.Multiculturalism would not be so destructive if it limited itself to opening up the canon of great books to Eastern masterpieces. However, its relativist
premise also rejected the distinction between high culture and low culture. According to the postmodern theory that underwrote multiculturalism, the difference between a great book and an ordinary book is merely the result of an exercise of power by the
establishment culture. The canon of great books was rejected as an ideological prop for "dead white European males," as the saying went. The latest mystery novels and even comic books were just as worthy of study as Tolstoy or Shakespeare.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.406-407
Apr 30, 2006
On Environment:
Nature is a subtle web of intricate connections
Environmental Impact Statements are a sight to behold: realms of scientific data and analysis documenting, or speculating, about environmental effect of a dam or highway through a wetland. While they are costly, and easily abused, they do reflect a true
insight: namely, that nature is a subtle web of intricate organic connections, and even small changes in an ecosystem can have large and unintended negative effects downstream. Some call it the "butterfly effect": the mere flapping of a butterfly's wings
may contribute to causing a hurricane. Trying to look ahead to what might be lost is simply prudent.The requirement of Environmental Impact Statements is a result of congressional action after much deliberation. Congress made sure that the public
would have input into the process--some say far too much public input. You may or may not like the idea of Environmental Impact Statements, but the idea went through the democratic process and was refined to become what it is today.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.217-220
Apr 30, 2006
On Families & Children:
No-Fault Freedom: doing whatever we want damages society
The liberal definition of freedom is the freedom to be and to do whatever we want--freedom to choose, irrespective of the choice, freedom without limits (with the obligatory caveat that you can't hurt anyone else DIRECTLY. But someone always gets hurt
when masses of individuals do what is only in their own self-interest. That is the great lie of liberal freedom, or as I like to say, "No-Fault Freedom" (all the choice, none of the responsibility).Believers of No-Fault Freedom turn a blind eye to the
damage such a notion of freedom causes not to this or that individual but to society as a whole. We have sexual freedom: and the resulting debasement of women, mental illness, and an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases causing infertility, cancer,
and death. Adults have freedom to divorce (No-Fault) when it suits them: and too many children end up being scarred for life. This is but a taste of the collateral damage inflicted on society, families, and individuals by No-Fault Freedom.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 14
Apr 30, 2006
On Families & Children:
Shotgun marriage wasn't all that bad in some cases
The government in the form of the social worker communicates loud and clear that it doesn't believe low-income, minority couples can maintain a marriage.
It effectively says: don't bother trying, just be sure the father establishes paternity so we can come after him for child support. But where are the churches, the civic groups and community organizations? Have they given up hope as well?
Sadly, the answer is, with a few notable exceptions, yes. We've gone from the days of shotgun marriage (which I'm not sure in some cases was all that bad) to the days of shotgun paternity establishment.
As communities facing out-of-wedlock pregnancy, we've gone from common concern to common indifference.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 26
Apr 30, 2006
On Families & Children:
Pre-marital cohabitation makes 50% more chance of divorce
Take cohabitation, or living together outside of marriage, as an example. Today's conventional wisdom holds that it is better than harmless, that it is a healthy way for a couple to "test drive" marriage.
Some even say that cohabitation is better than marriage, since people should be together only when they are in love with one another, and we can never know how and whom we will love in the future: a vow of lifelong love, they say, is unrealistic.
The problem is that the myth that living together leads to better marriages is wrong. The opposite is true. One study found that marriages preceded by cohabitation have nearly a
50 percent greater chance of ending in divorce than marriages that we not preceded by cohabitation. Furthermore, children born to parents who are just living together instead of married do not fare very well.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 29
Apr 30, 2006
On Families & Children:
Covenant Marriage: do whatever it takes to keep together
The concept of Covenant Marriages--started in Louisiana and now also available in AZ and AR--gives couples an option when they go get a marriage license. They can choose the usual marriage with no-fault divorce escape hatch. Or they can choose a covenant
marriage, which binds them by law to get premarital counseling, and to do whatever it takes, including counseling, to keep the marriage together. Here is what couples agree to:"We do solemnly declare that marriage is a covenant between a man and a
woman who agree to live together for so long as they both may live. We have chosen each other carefully and disclosed to one another everything which could adversely affect the decision to enter into this marriage. We have received premarital counseling
on the nature, purposes & responsibilities of marriage. We understand that a Covenant marriage is for life. If we experience marital difficulties, we commit ourselves to take all reasonable efforts to preserve our marriage, including marital counseling."
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 79-80
Apr 30, 2006
On Principles & Values:
Liberalism is an ideology; conservatism is common sense
The liberal news media, Hollywood, and the educational elite in America tend to portray political liberals as the courageous champions of the average guy--and the poor. Conservatives, on the other hand, are portrayed as fundamentally selfish,
self-interested individuals. Both conservative economic policy and conservative efforts to help the poor help themselves are more genuinely compassionate--and effective--than the liberal alternative. These policies are already beginning to work, for all
Americans.The media echo chamber promotes that liberal social policies are rational, tolerant, progressive, and caring. Social conservatives, on the other hand, are portrayed as irrational, ignorant, rigid Bible-thumpers obsessed with prophesying woe.
Liberals' fundamentally different vision for America is completely at odds with that of our nation's founders, and with the views of most Americans today. Liberalism is an ideology; conservatism is common sense.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 3-4
Apr 30, 2006
On Principles & Values:
Church-state "neutrality" is not in US Constitution
In 1947 the Supreme Court's majority declared that the "wall between Church and State must be kept high and impregnable." In the Court's eyes, the Constitution's position on religion is one of a "strict and lofty neutrality."In most cases since then,
the question before the Court concerned either prayer in public schools, or public assistance for sectarian (usually Catholic) schools. Just last year, the Supreme Court dodged on a technicality a case that would have removed "under God" from the Pledge
of Allegiance: ruling "under God" unconstitutional would have been deeply unpopular, but by the Court's own logic, there is no way to escape the conclusion it must go. The overarching impulse of the Court's position has been to drive religion from the
public square, in the name of the constitutional principle "neutrality"--both among religions and between religion and irreligion.
Of course, the term "neutrality" does not appear in the US Constitution. This doctrine is a pure invention of the Court.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.230-231
Apr 30, 2006
On Tax Reform:
More child credit for larger families earning over $110,000
We need a tax policy that stops discriminating against families and starts favoring them. That means not only making the repeal of the marriage penalty permanent, but increasing both the child credit and the deduction for children. Even the $1,000 credit
and the dependent child deduction offset only a small portion of the costs associated with raising a child today.That was not always the case. In 1950, before government exploded, the average tax burden on the American family was 2% of its income.
Today the burden is 25%, over half of which is Social Security and Medicare taxes. And the burden is often heavier for larger families, because of the phasing out of the child credit for families with a total income of $110,000. Now, before you start
complaining about tax breaks for the rich, answer me this: Is a family making $110,000 with one child as well off economically as a family with 8 children at that same salary? Obviously not, but the tax code phases out the child credit all the same.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 96
Apr 30, 2006
On Technology:
$90M to study effects of media violence on kids
One of the roles that government is uniquely capable of playing is providing parents with research on the pop culture industry. I am a strong advocate of federal investment in research regarding the impact on media content on children in particular.
I stood with Sens. Brownback, Lieberman and Clinton to introduce a $90 million federal grant program to support research into the effects of viewing and using all types of media--including
TV, computer games, and the Internet--on children's physical and psychological development, The Children and Media Research Advancement (CAMRA)
Act would establish research into the role of media on the development of children from infancy through adolescence.There have been thousands of studies investigating the impact of media violence on kids, but little in the area of sexually explicit me
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 341-342
Apr 30, 2006
On Technology:
Fund reverse-commuting for distressed suburbs
The Reverse Commuting Program that I authored in 1996 along with Sen. Carol Mosley Braun (D, IL) ensures that people who live in reclamation and distressed areas have opportunity to get where economic opportunity currently resides. Too many mass-transit
commuter routes are designed only to bring people from a metropolitan area into the urban business district. But in many cases, jobs for low-skill workers have migrated to the suburban ring around the city. Unlike suburbanites, most of the urban poor do
not have cars. Without some means of transportation, these jobs are literally out of reach. Federal reverse-commuting dollars help subsidize routes from reclamation areas to suburban job centers. And slowly, the economic benefits of that neighborhood may
begin to seep into that reclamation area next door; if not, then economic incentives will result in residents leaving the reclamation area. Then, building on the base of the transitioning-up neighborhood, you begin to gut and rebuild the worse-off area.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.179
Apr 30, 2006
On Technology:
Good culture tells the truth, even if not G-Rated
It's probably a fair criticism of us conservatives that we know what we don't like in the arts. My family will be quick to tell you that I do not frequent art museums but I do appreciate the influence that the arts have.I am not going to tell you that
good culture is made up only of paintings of pastoral scenes or finely crafted, life-like portraits, G-rated movies, & books without any sex or violence.
GOOD CULTURE tells us about life as it really is--it tells the truth. To uses the title of a great
Clint Eastwood film, it tells us about "the good, the bad, and the ugly." It illuminates the truth about the human predicament and our human destiny. And that is not always very pretty. "Braveheart" is a healthy addition to our culture.
But for every "Braveheart," Hollywood seems intent on turning out a dozen films featuring an antihero, a tortured soul fighting his own demons and doing hardly anyone any good at all.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.281-283
Apr 30, 2006
On Technology:
Make "airplane" edited movie versions with advisory labels
The Recording Industry Association of America, prodded by the FTC, now stickers music CDs with "parental advisory" labels if they contain content inappropriate for children. I view such stickers as a red light for my kids. The answer is simple if they
were to ask about a CD with that sticker: "No."There are a number of technical tools available to parents. The industry, however, has responded to these new technological aids with lawsuits and other threats. Rather than trying to take away tools from
parents who want to let their kids watch movies (would they rather we just say "No" completely?), the industry should be working with parents to make available to us the "airplane" edited version of their films. A recent poll found that almost
three out of four respondents would purchase or rent an airplane-edited version of certain films that they would otherwise choose not to watch at all. Making these films available would be in the economic interest of the industry.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.327-328
Apr 30, 2006
On Welfare & Poverty:
Great Society barely budged poverty but fractured families
Liberals tried for forty years to help low-income Americans through Great Society welfare programs. I have to give them credit for trying, but their experiment has failed. And the worst part of their failure is NOT that trillions of tax dollars have
barely budged the poverty rate. No, the worst part of their failure is that their welfare policies fractured families and pulled apart communities, pulverizing the foundation both of individual success and the common good.
While conservatives have always recognized the difficulties facing low-income families, we also resisted government involvement. That resistance has meant, in practice, that we simply allowed the liberals to design our nation's social policies,
and that has hurt the poor even more. The real solution, the conservative solution to the problems of low-income America, is to structure all our programs around the family, to work with the family rather than against it.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 45-46
Apr 30, 2006
On Welfare & Poverty:
One Percent Solution: increase charitable giving to 2.5%
So what's the status of America's social capital account? Church membership in this country rose steadily from the 1930s to about 1960. Since then it has dropped about 10% from the 1960s to the 1990s. We are also less likely to have friends over to
our house today than in past years. These trends hold true for our generosity, as well. As a percentage of our income, Americans' donations to charity steadily increased from after the Depression until 1960. But since then they have steadily declined.
As of last year, we gave only one and one-half cent of every dollar made in America to charity, down from over two cents several decades ago.
And on this score, I have joined Congressman George Radanovich in an effort he calls the One Percent Solution, to increase the charitable giving rate to 2.5 percent.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 61-62
Apr 30, 2006
On Welfare & Poverty:
AmeriCorps "volunteers" do build social capital
I was pleasantly surprised to see AmeriCorps workers seeded throughout the City Year program. I say surprised, because early on I was not a supporter of AmeriCorps. When I ran for the U.S. Senate in 1994, I said it was a waste to spend precious federal
dollars on "volunteers" so that they could sit around a campfire singing "Kumbaya."I still think President Clinton was wrong to call people being paid "volunteers." But I came to realize that these energetic, mostly young people could play an
important coordinating role with community and nonprofit service organizations to help build up social capital. So after being one of AmeriCorps' harshest critics, I began working to move the program in a more
community-oriented direction.
AmeriCorps is by no means perfect, and I am working on ways to get more volunteers into community-based non-profits. I am also a supporter of President Bush's USA Freedom Corps.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 63-64
Apr 30, 2006
On Welfare & Poverty:
Discriminatory to NOT give money to faith-based groups
In the Welfare reform Act of 1996, many liberal churches supported the concept of charitable choice, and it was about doing good works for the poor with the government still controlling the purse strings, but nevertheless, they were still supporting an
idea that STRENGTHENED CHURCHES. It wasn't until 2001, that "armies of compassion" would be eligible for social service grants.What happened between the late 1990s and 2001? America had elected a president who was actually going to
IMPLEMENT the 1996, 1998, and 2000 charitable choice laws.
Liberal senators have now effectively blocked any expansion of charitable choice, claiming that it promotes discrimination.
I argue that not giving money to faith-based organizations to perform social services, services that serve the common good, is the real discrimination.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.104-105
Apr 30, 2006
On Welfare & Poverty:
Support time-limits for able-bodied welfare recipients
Bill Clinton promised in 1992 to "end welfare as we know it." But by late 1993, he had all but shelved his plan to reform welfare. Our Minority Whip Newt Gingrich asked me to get together a group of members to draft our own welfare reform bill. The bill
we drafted was an integral part of the now famous Contract with America.When we introduced our bill, the liberals savaged it, calling it cruel, heartless and mean-spirited. We had actually had the audacity to call for TIME LIMITS on welfare for the
ABLE-BODIED! Not only that, but we wanted to require them to work or else lose their benefits.
So-called welfare rights groups weren't the only ones who raged against our bill. Senator Ted Kennedy opined, "There is a right way and a wrong way to reform
welfare. Punishing children is the wrong way. The Senate is on the brink of committing legislative child abuse."
Despite the opposition, welfare reform passed. After two votes, it was finally signed into law by President Clinton in 1996.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.131-134
Apr 30, 2006
On Welfare & Poverty:
Promotes Individual Development Accounts set up by churches
Sen. Lieberman and I have been promoting Individual Development Accounts. IDAs act like a 401(k) program for low-income individuals. These programs are set up, many by faith-based organizations, with a mix of federal, state, and private dollars. These
organizations help their low-income clients set up accounts at their local banks, provide training on how to manage these accounts, and then match individual contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $500 a year. These accounts earn tax-free interest and can
be used to pay for education, to buy a home, or to start a business. In other words, these accounts launch low-income people into the asset accumulation game.Our legislation will create approximately $2 billion in tax credits for financial institution
and private investors that create IDAs. We have tried for years to create a federal IDA tax credit as part of a broader initiative called the Charity Aid Recovery Empowerment (CARE) Act, which would help charitable organizations help the poor.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.151-152
Apr 30, 2006
On Welfare & Poverty:
Black entrepreneurship vanished with liberal welfare policy
it is wrong to believe the African-American story is one of victimhood only. To think in those terms is to deny the real accomplishments of the black community in our history. And not the least of these accomplishments has
been a tradition of business acumen and entrepreneurship.Why did it seemingly vanish?
It's hard to place the blame on ongoing racism, since racism was at least as much of a problem during the heyday of black enterprise in the early decades of the twentieth century as it is today. No, what really changed the economic terrain for
African-Americans was something else: the arrival of liberal welfare policies, the liberal cultural of victimhood, and poorly thought-out liberal urban renewal.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.189-190
Apr 30, 2006
On Families & Children:
Automatically awarding custody to moms celebrates sexism
In disrupted families, only about 1 child in 6 sees his father as much as once a week. The divorce courts are often not kind to fathers. Ten years after a marriage breaks up, approximately 2/3 of children report that they haven't seen their father for
over a year. Divorced wives can make it difficult for the fathers of their children to visit. Personally, I cannot imagine the pain of not being able to be a part of my children's formative years.
There are many fathers out there who do not take an active role in their children's lives, but who are sadly barred from doing so by courts and mothers. Many fatherhood groups rightly complain that the family courts automatically award custody of childre
to mothers, irrespective of the circumstances. It is one of the few places in our culture where sexism is not only condoned but virtually celebrated. This can lead to devastating consequences for the whole family.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.313-314
Jul 4, 2005
On Health Care:
Sex outside of monogamy has consequences of STDs & abortion
Sex outside a monogamous, life-long relationship has consequences: teen pregnancy; out-of-wedlock births and the resulting consequences of teen parenting; abortion and related issues of depression; sexually-transmitted diseases, most notably AIDS; rape
& sexual abuse; sexual addiction, especially to pornography; lack of self-respect and self-control; and divorce. The impact of the sexual revolution is staggering. Here is the impact of several STDs per year:| STD | Average
Lifetime
Cost per Case | Number of new
cases in 2000 | Total Direct Medical
Cost per Year |
|---|
| HIV | $199,800 | 15,000 | $3 billion |
| HPV (Papilloma) | $1,228 (women) |
4.6 million | $2.9 billion |
| Genital Herpes | $417 (women)
$511 (men) | 640,000 | $293 million |
| Gonorrhea | $266 (women)
$53 (men) | 431,000 | $77 million |
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.313-314
Jul 4, 2005
Page last updated: Feb 24, 2019