Steve Forbes on Families & Children

	Steve Forbes on Families & Children 2000 Republican Primary Candidate for President

Celebrate marriage; support it via tax cuts & other policy

[One of my top priorities is to] reaffirm the sanctity of marriage. My wife, Sabina, and I have been married 28 years. I will use the “bully pulpit” to celebrate marriage, abolish the marriage tax penalty, cut taxes, and make it easier for families to spend more time together. [I will] reinforce the essential role of parents in raising children. I’ll fight for parental freedom to choose schools that reinforce moral and spiritual values being taught at home. Source: 2000 National Political Awareness Test , Jan 13, 2000

Don’t raid unemployment funds for family leave

Q: Do low-income parents deserve short unpaid family leave, funded by unemployment benefits? A: All parents should have the opportunity to spend more time with their children. But credits from Washington raiding unemployment funds is not going to do the job. The real way you give parents freedom is to let them keep more of what they earn in the first place, and to have parents have control of the schools. That’s the way to move forward instead of micro-managing with credits from Washington. Source: Phoenix Arizona GOP Debate , Dec 7, 1999

Reinforce marriage as a legal contract

[We should] reinforce the concept that marriage is a legally binding contract. Most Americans still marry in places of worship, acknowledging the sacred nature of the vows they make to one another. To them, of course, marriage is much more than a legal contract, but it is certainly not less than one. Source: “A New Birth of Freedom,” p. 144 , Nov 9, 1999

Allow easier adoption by loving married couples

[We should] reform adoption laws to make it easier for loving, married couples to care for abandoned children. This would signal an awareness that all children have a fundamental right to loving parents, a right that supersedes claims by the state or of special-interest groups. Source: “A New Birth of Freedom,” p. 144 , Nov 9, 1999

Ease adoption rules for church-based marriages

Reinforce the concept that marriage is a legally binding contract. Most Americans still marry in places of worship, acknowledging the sacred nature of the vows they make to one another. Reform adoption laws to make it easier for loving, married couples to care for abandoned children. This would signal an awareness that all children have a fundamental right to loving parents, a right that supersedes claims by the state or of special interest groups. Source: www.forbes2000.com “Moral Compass” , May 21, 1999

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