Dan Quayle on Families & Children

	Dan Quayle on Families & Children Vice President of the U.S., 1989-1993; Former Republican Senator (IN)

Society trivializes parenthood and especially fatherhood

Marilyn Quayle is staunchly pro-life, and her views on family made a particular impression on me. This was the time of "Murphy Brown," when Vice President Quayle was vilified for suggesting that the CBS sitcom's title character, played by Candice Bergen, was symptomatic of a broader societal acceptance of unwed motherhood and a diminished role for fathers. I never thought that his comments or their beliefs had anything to do with single mothers. Rather, the Quayles saw a trivialization of parenthood and, specifically, of fatherhood. It made me think about what I wanted for my own future, my deep desire for a family and to be a mother someday. Source: Planned Bullyhood, by Karen Handel, p. 19-20 , Sep 11, 2012

2010: 18 years after Murphy Brown, "Dan Quayle Was Right"

In 1992, 38 million Americans watched as a fictional television journalist named Murphy Brown, finding herself over 40, divorced, and pregnant, decided to have the child alone. Without the baby's father. On prime-time television. Vice-President Dan Quayle expressed his opinion by saying, "It doesn't help matters when prime-time TV has Murphy Brown--a character who supposedly epitomizes today's intelligent, highly paid professional woman--mocking the importance of fathers y bearing a child alone and calling it just another 'lifestyle choice.'"

The Murphy Brown debacle effectively ended Quayle's hope of succeeding George H. W. Bush as president. But from the perspective of 18 years later, his defense of families with fathers looks prophetic. And in fact it was only a few years later that The Atlantic Monthly published a controversial cover story titled "Dan Quayle Was Right." What we've learned since--and what Hollywood is still having trouble accepting--is that families matter & fathers do matter.

Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.116-117 , Nov 23, 2010

Promote agenda of family values

talk

Increase the tax exemption for children.
Eliminate the “marriage tax” penalty.
Radically reform the welfare system to reward marriage, eliminate incentives for having more children, eliminate disincentives for absentee fathers to rejoin their families, and require unwed minor children to live with their parents.
Change the divorce law so that the needs of our children are given priority.
Begin public service announcements that underscore the enormous responsibilities of being a parent.
Reform the education system by giving all parents the right to choose their children’s school and insist on a value-based education where virtues such as integrity, responsibility, industry, morality, and courage are taught.
It is time we put our children first. Our families and our nation depend on it.

Source: Standing Firm, by Dan Quayle, p.362-63 , Jul 2, 1994

Promote at-home parents via 30% tax cut & less fed rules

Quayle’s reforms would remove many of the barriers that make remaining at home so difficult for so many parents. These initiatives include a 30% across-the-board tax reduction, extension of the daycare tax credit to all parents, ending the tax code’s bias towards employer-supplied health coverage, abolishing federal rules that prohibit employers and employees from negotiating comp or flex time arrangements, and relief from unnecessary and costly federal regulations. Source: Press Release on Labor Day , Sep 6, 1999

TV causes problems facing American families

Quayle said that a primary reason for many of the problems facing American families today can be traced to television. “The average teenager spends 1,500 hours a year watching TV, 600 hours a year in school and 30 hours a year talking to their parents. I ask you, who’s in control?” Quayle asked. “Family is the number one priority, the number one issue as we go into the next century. The way to strengthen the family is to bring back good common sense and strong moral values.” Source: Associated Press on 2000 presidential race , Jul 6, 1999

Fed policies drive parents away from home & into workplace

Dan Quayle called for sweeping changes to federal tax and regulatory policies that have served to drive millions of parents into the workplace. “Among married couples, millions of them would like to choose family over work and have one parent spend more time at home, especially while the children are very young. But it just isn’t in the cards. Why not? Because government has distorted their choice by making the option economically difficult, if not impossible,” remarked Quayle. Source: Press Release on AEI Speech , Jun 28, 1999

Daycare credits; more flex-time; less regulation

Quayle presented a series of reforms designed to remove the barriers that make remaining at home so difficult for so many parents. These proposals include Quayle’s 30% across-the-board tax reduction, extension of the daycare tax credit to all parents, ending the tax code’s bias towards employer-supplied health coverage, abolishing federal rules that prohibit employers and employees from negotiating comp or flex time arrangements, and relief from unnecessary and costly federal regulations. Source: Press Release on AEI Speech , Jun 28, 1999

Support stay-at-home moms as much as working women

Women have made tremendous progress in the workforce. No one wants to reverse that progress, and we should continue breaking down barriers to career advancement. Yet today, there is a bias against stay-at-home moms. There is a subtle attitude that their work is somehow less valuable to our society. We must change this condescending attitude against mothers who may choose to temporarily set aside their career to care for their children in the home. Source: Speech to American Enterprise Institute , Jun 28, 1999

Males become men by supporting their children

The worst off are the single mothers, who have to carry all of the family responsibilities on their own. Single moms face the burdens of working full-time and trying to juggle the responsibilities, the worries, and the stresses of her life. And things get a lot worse when ex-husbands stop paying child support. This happens every day to single mothers. It’s not going to get much better until we commit ourselves to the proposition that a male becomes a man by supporting his children. Source: Speech to American Enterprise Institute , Jun 28, 1999

Daycare keeps parents on treadmill instead of with kids

Government daycare, government pre-school & after-school & summer-school - these proposals do help many families. But they do nothing to bring parents and children together. These proposals would only result in more spending and regulation. Which means more taxes. Which means more hours worked to pay the tax bill. They would only keep parents on the treadmill that is keeping them away from home. If we reduced taxes and let families choose, there would be less demand for government services. Source: Speech to American Enterprise Institute , Jun 28, 1999

Reduce tax burdens on families

Quayle would reduce the economic burdens that force parents to choose between work and time with their children. It will always be a struggle to balance work and family, but we should make it easier by dramatically reducing income-tax rates. When people are allowed to keep more of what they earn, they will have more freedom to make the right choices for their family. Quayle wants to help families save and invest through Freedom Accounts [to help with housing, medical, & retirement costs.] Source: www.quayle2000.com/ “Stronger Families”, 5/19/99 , May 19, 1999

“Children’s rights” wrongly undermines parental authority

The UN Convention on the Rights of Children declares that children of all ages have a right to free expression, free association, privacy, and leisure. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? But the children’s rights zealots are encouraging children to believe they can sue their parents. It’s appropriate for the legal system to intervene to protect the child from an abusive parent. But those who advocate some overall agenda of “children’s rights” are undermining ordinary parental authority, and this is wrong. Source: Speech to the Commonwealth Club of California , May 19, 1999

Parental responsibility prevents crimes by kids

It is time to make “Parental Responsibility” more than just a slogan. The parents need to get in the children’s face when they raise them. You’re not there to be just the child’s best friend, you’re there as a parent. That means you better know where they are, what they’re doing. And if you see a sawed-off shotgun or whatever else laying around the house, take it away. We have got to not only have students be smart and do well on test scores, but we want students to be good citizens. Source: Excerpts from CNN’s “Crossfire” , Apr 27, 1999

Littleton due to lack of parenting & character education

The issue is not really guns. It’s the simple response to a very complicated question. The question: Why? And more importantly, what are we going to do about it? Let me just throw out two other things: one, parental involvement, parental accountability, and, two, character education in our schools. Those are two very substantive issues that will do a lot more to prevent future tragedies like we saw at Littleton. Source: Excerpts from CNN’s “Crossfire” , Apr 27, 1999

Prosecute parents for gross negligence if kids kill

I think that there is something that the legal system could do where there is, in fact, gross negligence. If it does rise to that standard then there could be some criminal sanctions and liability. It’s too bad that you have to resort to the law to get parents to act responsibly. Source: Excerpts from CNN’s “Crossfire” , Apr 27, 1999

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